Organizers of the 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, February 17, are saying that they'll be the first green marathon in the country. The race is part of the Greenteam, a group of races that are making environmentally-friendly changes to their races.
Some of the steps race organizers are taking to reduce the race's ecological footprint include: running everything possible on solar or biodiesel power; encouraging carpools among race participants; urging drivers to purchase carbon offsets; using environmentally-friendly chemicals rather than formaldehyde in the port-o-potties; recycling wherever possible; and offering a finish-line farmers' market featuring organic, locally-grown foods.
Have you noticed more races becoming environmentally-conscious these days? Are you more likely to participate in a race that says it's green? What are some other steps that race organizers can take to protect the environment?
I think race organizers should encourage runners to carry their own water bottle. At the aid stations, runners could fill up their bottle and eliminate the cup trash.
The race organizer and sponsors could give or sell the bottles to the runners.
In response to the previous comment about the water bottles, I agree that carrying them and refilling as needed is a great idea. I don’t think the cup distribution can be completely eliminated though, because some runners, including the front of the pack, may not be so inclined to carry around an extra 16-20 ounces of fluid in their hands (or belts), or to add lots of extra seconds/minutes to their times by stopping for refills. But it does sound like a good alternate option for other runners to choose.