Organizers in Fort Worth returned to live events in 2021 with resolve to keep community and sustainability efforts at the center
November 10, 2021 – The Council for Responsible Sport (Council) announced today that The Cowtown Marathon (The Cowtown) has been awarded gold level Certification for its achievements as it returned to hosting its in-person weekend of events in Fort Worth, Texas. This is The Cowtown’s third consecutive responsible sport certification, earned by demonstrating adherence to robust standards for social and environmental responsibility to an independent third-party verifier.
The 2021 Cowtown included half marathon, 10K, 5K, and relay events on Saturday, May 8, and achieved certification by meeting standards across all five categories in the Responsible Sport Standards for Events: planning and communications, procurement, resource management, access and equity, and community legacy. The marathon earned 49 points out of a maximum 61 offered in the framework.
Among the efforts earning credit towards the certification was a new partnership with Green Mountain Energy to make the event carbon neutral for the first time by compensating the race’s 406-metric ton carbon footprint through verified renewable energy certificates, while educating participants about how they can reduce their climate impacts. The carbon footprint was calculated by graduate students at the University of Oregon in the spring in collaboration with organizers. Green Mountain Energy sponsored one pair of shoes for a local child for each participant that signed up to power their homes with 100 percent renewable-sourced electricity from Green Mountain Energy. The Cowtown’s award-winning C.A.L.F. program (Children’s Activities for Life and Fitness) introduces running to local youth in engaging, accessible ways and has equipped 40,000 area kids with free new sneakers since 2009.
“The Cowtown is one of the most proactive events we’ve seen in terms of finding opportunities to integrate elements of sustainability that are a good fit for their particular race and place,” said Shelley Villalobos, executive director at the Council for Responsible Sport.
The event weekend diverted unavoidable waste by working with Cowboy Compost to turn organics like banana peels back into useful soil amendments, collected 450 pounds of electronic waste and 257 pairs of sneakers from participants households for proper recycling and redistribution.
“Large sporting events have an incredible impact on the communities they serve, from revenue to visibility. For some, that impact may include added pollution or an increase of disposable waste, but with our gold certification, The Cowtown is immensely proud to know that our legacy, our impact is unhindered and focused on Fort Worth, Texas being a sustainable destination for the lifelong love of health and running,” states Heidi Swartz, Executive Director of The Cowtown.