Eco-friendly races: Green your races


It is in the interest of every athlete to protect the environment. Athletes have the privilege of spending considerable time outdoors. Ensuring that our workouts and competitions are as environmentally friendly as possible is not only good for us; this is good for the Earth.

Read on to learn a few tricks that athletes and event organizers can use for eco-competitions.

Learn why disposal of plastic waste should be a priority for all.

Ecologically clean competitions for athletes

Athletes have a huge impact on the environment, as nature often serves as our training area. Here are some ways in which athletes can make training and competition more environmentally friendly:

Check if the race is environmentally friendly

Is the environmental race mentioned anywhere? For example, does the website mention sustainability topics such as event power, waste cleaning and recycling, etc.?

Check if the event has a third party certificate for their environmental program. As with anything, do your research and make sure the event supports your environmental claims. If you are unsure, contact the organizers.

Contact the organizers of the event, even if the event is not environmentally friendly. Let them know the importance of environmentally friendly competitions and that you and other athletes consider such things when choosing events.

Make sure you use eco-friendly sunscreen and durable sneakers also!

Eco-friendly races offer sustainable swag options

Cancel the race to reduce your and the environmental footprint of the event. Some events even allow participants to choose instead to share their expenses for a charity. Ask yourself: do you need another racing t-shirt that you probably won’t wear?

Ecologically clean food and drinks

Athletes are more aware of what they bring into their bodies than most people. That’s why athletes need to support events that offer organic food and drink. For example, eco-friendly competitions must provide food locally. This is not only better for the environment, but also a way to get back to local communities.

Eco-races must not use plastic cups at drinking stations or disposable food containers in the finish area.

Many environmental events (especially trail races) require participants to carry their own water. This eliminates the need for disposable plastic. Environmentally friendly beverage stations could be as simple as requiring participants to refill their reusable bottles, or just as innovative as a mass drinking fountain (when COVID is safe).

the runner cools down

Carpool to / from the event

Gather a group of friends (like your adidas Runners community) and plan to go to the race together instead of in separate cars. Better yet, ride a bike or take public transportation to and from the race. It will also force you to appear in your race because you are responsible to others!

I’m trying garbage collection during plogging as a workout for your race!

Environmentally friendly competitions for event organizers

Most athletes would prefer to participate in an environmental competition. Consider the following practices to make your event environmentally friendly:

Paperless communications

Paperless communications are the lowest hanging fruit for smaller events. Paperless communications make event management more environmentally friendly and easier to manage. Make the switch to save the environment and the end result.

Give participants the opportunity to opt out of collecting events

Athletes expect the events to give a promotional scope. What they do not expect is detrimental to the environment. Allow athletes to give up changing events altogether. Consider taking the extra step and donating the price of the swag to a local charity. Include this in your marketing materials – athletes will notice.

3 competitors

Eco-friendly competitions give priority to food and drink

Athletes eat and drink a lot and expect competitions to support them in this regard. Food source from local suppliers who use local ingredients. This reduces the cost of transporting food and returns it to the local business community. The business community is more likely to support future developments in their field. Launch local food for athletes as a local experience that is also environmentally friendly.

Encourage athletes to bring their water to the event. At a minimum, encourage athletes to use reusable water bottles instead of the typical disposable plastic cups. Recycle and compost as much as possible.

Drive your race with eco-friendly options

Most events rely on the power of the gas generator for some or all components of the event. Athletes know the smell of a diesel generator at the end of the race and this can take them out of the experience at a crucial moment.

Instead, consider green power options such as solar or perhaps even bicycle power. Reduce the number of things that require power and keep it to a minimum when possible.

runner taking off his shoes

Reuse whenever possible

Reuse event signs, racing bibs and numbers and other things that tend to be thrown away immediately after the race. Choose reusable items whenever possible to make your event more environmentally friendly.

Remind athletes that they can recycle old sneakers!!

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