Marine Corps Marathon Earns Gold Certification for Social and Environmental Initiatives

Council for Responsible Sport recognizes the MCM for enacting best practice standards at 2019 event

Portland, OR—April 15, 2020—The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) has achieved Gold level certification by the Council for Responsible Sport (Council) for being socially and environmentally responsible as a world-class running event. The MCM has been recognized for enacting 48 specific best practices during the 44th edition of the event, held on Oct. 27, 2019. The MCM is the second largest U.S. marathon behind the Bank of America Chicago Marathon to earn certification as an environmentally-conscious sporting event, hosting over 18,355 finishers in 2019.

 The MCM earned credit for both meeting and exceeding standards in all five categories of the Council’s certification framework, including; (1) effective planning and communications; (2) aligning procurement of products and services with partners that account for and mitigate their environmental impacts; (3) Resource Management; (4) efforts to increase accessibility and inclusion for under-represented community groups; and (5) for ongoing efforts toward building a positive legacy in the broader community.

“The Marine Corps Marathon was an early adopter of the Council for Responsible Sport standards and has long been committed to continual improvement. This new gold level certification is an indication of the competence and thoughtfulness the organizers pour into this event year after year to make it the unique experience it is.” said Shelley Villalobos, managing director of the Council.

This is the MCM’s second gold certification from the Council for Responsible Sport. The MCM was awarded Silver level certification in 2009 and again in 2011, and first earned gold in 2014.

Prior to the 44th MCM, the organization initiated a robust plan to reduce the carbon footprint of travel and operations, minimize waste and energy consumption while also sharing messages with MCM participants to be environmentally aware in the lead up to the event. 

53 short tons of trash was collected during the MCM weekend, of which over half (54.4 percent) was diverted from the landfill through the enaction of a detailed waste diversion strategy. 2,500 pounds of banana and orange peels were collected from runners for composting, along with compostable cups used at water stations for the first time, while nine tons of plastic jugs and cardboard boxes were recycled.

Other efforts included the recycling of leftover medals and ribbons, the donation of 5,000 pounds of leftover unserved food to the Capital Food Bank, and 4,000 pounds of clothing deserted at the start line donated to the Clothing Recycling Company.

MCM partnered with the Washington Metro Transit Authority to provide runners an early opening to arrive on time to the start line and encouraged all participants and spectators to take advantage of the free shuttles to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the MCM headquarters and warehouse have been utilizing emissions-free electricity since installing solar panels on the roof in 2008.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Council of Responsible Sport as a Gold-level sustainable event for the second time,” stated Angela Anderson, Deputy Director of the Marine Corps Marathon Organization. “The MCM Organization and our entire running community, including sponsors and partners, remain committed to ensuring we are continually improving our sustainability efforts and encouraging practicing green behaviors at all of our events.”

About the Council for Responsible Sport

The Council’s vision is a world where responsibly produced sports events are the norm and its mission is to provide objective, independent verification of the socially and environmentally responsible work event organizers are doing and to actively support event organizers who strive to make a difference in their communities. The current version of the Council’s Certification standards (v.4.2) was developed by an outside working group of both sustainability and sport industry experts, reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders throughout 2013 and implemented in January 2014.

About the Marine Corps Marathon

The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), the third largest marathon in the United States and eighth largest in the world is voted “Best Marathon in the Mid Atlantic” and “Best Marathon for Spectators.” The MCM honors the dedication, sportsmanship and patriotism of its participants. Also known as “The People’s Marathon,” runners from all walks of life participate in the MCM, the largest marathon not to offer prize money. The 40th MCM will be held on October 25, 2015 in Arlington, VA. No federal or Marine Corps endorsement is implied. www.marinemarathon.com #RunWithTheMarines

Road Races Can Preempt the Protests

It’s been 40 years since the running world was captivated by a Norwegian force of nature named Grete Waitz, who was 26-years-old when she took New York by storm to win the New York City Marathon for the first of nine times.

In late August of this year, another Scandinavian force of nature named Greta took New York City by storm. Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg, a Swede, arrived in New York on a racing yacht equipped with solar panels and underwater turbines. Her mode of transportation was intentional, as was her mission—to participate in climate protests in conjunction with the U.N. Climate Action Summit. While in North America, Greta participated in numerous other climate action protests in cities across the U.S. and Canada as well as on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

On November 13, Greta set sail from New York, bound for Spain and the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) aboard a 48-foot catamaran (Greta refuses to fly due to the carbon emissions from air travel).

On December 11, Time Magazine named Greta Thunberg the 2019 Person of the Year, and featured her on the magazine’s cover for the second time this year. She has also appeared on the covers of GQ, i-D and Wired.

A hand-painted sign depicts 2019 Time Magazine Person of the Year, 16-year old Greta Thunberg, at a climate change demonstration in Portland, Oregon on September 20, 2019.

Why, you may wonder, have I just spent some 200 words introducing you to one of the world’s leading climate activists? It’s simple, really—so you’ll recognize Greta and her cohorts when they decide to protest at a really big (or small) road race.

And why would they do that? After all, our events are certainly not the most egregious consumers of fossil fuels, though airline travel to any big “destination race” results in significant emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. I’d say the likelihood of climate protests at road races is pretty high just because we present an attractive nuisance of sorts.

Think about it. Any event with a captive audience of thousands of participants and/or fans provides protesters of any persuasion an easy opportunity to make their point. That’s why student protestors targeted the recent Harvard vs. Yale football game to demand that their universities divest from investments in fossil fuels (they ended up delaying the start of the second half of the game by some 20 minutes). That’s why I worry about when and where, not if, climate protests will come to road racing.

So what’s a race director to do? Well, you should start by having a specific set of policies and procedures for dealing with protests about a wide variety of controversial issues or situations, and have plans in place with local authorities for managing crowds and potential violence.

And, if you haven’t done so already, do something proactive to reduce your event’s carbon footprint. Partner with your local public transportation providers to offer free or discounted transportation on race weekend to runners, volunteers and spectators. If you’re designing a new course, make it a loop rather than point-to-point route and eliminate any need to transport runners to or from the start or finish. At the very least, calculate your event’s carbon footprint—you can’t manage what you don’t measure. (The next step, of course, would be to purchase carbon offsets to mitigate the overall impact of your event.)

My point is that there are myriad initiatives you can undertake to better manage the carbon footprint of your race. I encourage you to browse the Council for Responsible Sport’s certification standards for an extensive list of things you can do, even if you have no intention of actually pursuing Council certification. Or reach out to a Council certified event to ask for advice and help—here’s a handy list for your reference.

Finally, consider signing on to the United Nation’s Sports for Climate Action Framework,  an attainable and straightforward set of five principles that include:

1. Committing to undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility

2. Reducing overall climate impact

3. Educating for climate action

4. Promoting sustainable and responsible consumption

5. Advocating for climate action through communication

Please, do something. And not just to preempt any potential for climate action protests at your road race. Take it from Greta, it’s the right thing to do.

Keith Peters first organized running events for students at the University of Tennessee, Martin in 1978, and was involved in producing the Cascade Run Off from 1981-93. Over the past 12 years, he has worked with scores of road races seeking verification and recognition of their efforts to become more sustainable. He is currently a board member of the Council for Responsible Sport.

Nuun & Council for Responsible Sport Launch a Sustainable Event Guide for Endurance Event Organizers

Nuun has partnered with the Council for Responsible Sport on a 10-Point Guide to be released at Running USA Industry Conference

Las Vegas, NV – February 9, 2020 – Nuun and the Council for Responsible Sport today announced their partnership on A Practical Guide to Hosting Radically Responsible Events, a 10-Point Guide to support organizers in planning more sustainable sports events. The launch of the Guide coincides with the race industry’s largest gathering of running sector influencers and professionals in the world, Running USA’s annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Guide has been designed for race organizers, to support their efforts to host more sustainable events and provide guidance for decision-making that is defensible socially, environmentally and financially. A responsible event is one that undertakes a holistic assessment of the ways the event affects people, generates economic activity, and uses raw materials and energy that affect local ecosystems and Earth’s broader ecology. The Guide provides an onramp opportunity to help make the path to sustainability more accessible for events of all sizes.

Shelley Villalobos, the managing director of the Council for Responsible Sport said, “This Guide prompts organizers to consider—what’s left when the event is over? What resources have been used? What has been created or otherwise has changed, where, and for whom? Leading responsible events will answer those questions with ever-greater precision in ways their communities embrace. This Guide supports that journey regardless of the size, scale and budget of the event or its host entity.”

“At Nuun we prioritize Clean Product, Clean Sport and Clean Planet as pillars of our brand. We always seek to perform better across the board, and our team is hard at work to double down on our sustainability initiatives,” said Kevin Rutherford, Nuun President and CEO. “The path is challenging, and we are still learning, but we must push forward no matter the difficulties. Partnering with the Council for Responsible Sport on this Guide is one way that we can share our learnings with the industry and help scale the efforts that are needed to work towards our goal of a Clean Planet.”

The Practical Guide to Hosting Radically Responsible Events can be downloaded at https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/runrad 

About Council for Responsible Sport

Since 2007, the Council for Responsible Sport has been helping people measure and manage the social and environmental impacts of their events. Certified events are some of the world’s leading examples of responsible sport in action. The Council’s vision is a world where responsibly produced sports events are the norm and its mission is to provide objective, independent verification of the socially and environmentally responsible work event organizers are doing and to actively support event organizers who strive to make a difference in their communities. The current version of the Responsible Sport Standards (v.4.2) was developed by an outside working group of both sustainability and sport industry experts, reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders throughout 2013 and implemented in January 2014. www.CouncilforResponsibleSport.org

About Nuun & Company

Nuun is a hydration company with the mission of inspiring more movement for happier, healthier lives. Nuun electrolyte tablets and powders provide functional hydration products optimized for exercise, daily health, travel and immune support. Clean and Non-GMO Project verified ingredients, a refreshing taste and low sugar make Nuun a favorite amongst active consumers. Nuun products, like their tablets in their distinctive, colorful tubes, are convenient to carry and add to water, and are better for the environment than traditional bottled sports drinks. Consumers adding Nuun tablets to their reusable water bottles helped save the shipping of over 100 million pounds of water in 2018 alone. 15-year-old Nuun is the #1 selling sports drink supplement brand in running, cycling, outdoor and natural foods stores. The Seattle based company's culture and mission have been recognized by Outside Magazine, who named Nuun to its' 2017 and 2018 ‘Best Places to Work’ lists. To learn more, visit  www.nuunlife.com or follow them at @nuunhydration and #nuunlife.

Mexico's first endurance race through a wind farm promotes sustainability, seeks Responsible Sport certification

The first-ever ‘Carrera del Viento’, a 5K/10K/21K distance running event, will be held Saturday, February 8, 2020 at the Mezquite Wind Park (Parque Eólico el Mezquite) in Mina, Nuevo León, México. Organizers have declared their commitment to the principles and practices of the version 4.2 Responsible Sport Standards, and are seeking certification of their efforts from the Council for Responsible Sport.

The course will be set in a functioning ‘wind park’ of enormous turbines generating greenhouse gas emissions-free electricity near Mina, in the Nuevo Leon State of Mexico, becoming what organizers believe to be the first endurance event hosted in a wind energy park in Mexico. Proceeds from the event will benefit Enseña por México, a not-for-profit organization working towards ensuring that every child in Mexico receives a high-quality education.

“There is no other race like this. It’s more than a race. It’s movement for sustainability, and the promotion of education/No hay otro evento parecido. Es mas que una carrera. Es un movimiento para la sostentabilidad y la promueva de educación.”

-Daniel Almanza, Mexican Ultra-Marathoner

Rutas y Raices, one of Mexico’s premier sustainable project designers and developers, is one of the key organizing partners for this first-edition event. “The intention is to provide a direct experience with regenerative technologies. It’s about a lived experience of sustainability in sport—from running in a shirt made of recycled fibers, to receiving a backpack made from reclaimed sails, to drinking water made onsite by a machine that condenses air, to the locally made food in the recuperation zone, and other surprises,” said Alexander Winer, the race’s director. He added, “We want to share the magic of creating clean energy and we’re placing all of the proceeds from the event towards eradicating educational inequality in Mexico by supporting Teach 4 All Mexico (Enseña por México).”

The Council for Responsible Sport certification requires an on-site evaluation by a third-party to verify claims and activities. DoDo Ambiental, an environmental consulting firm based in Mexico City, will perform the verification of the Carrera del Viento and report findings directly to the Council. Organizers will also report on key outcomes in all five pillars of Responsible Sport: planning & communications, procurement, resource management, access and equity, and community legacy.

The Council salutes the effort of the Wind Race to voluntarily hold itself and delivery partners to the highest standards of responsibility in sport.

US Trail Running Conference Earns Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport

Conference Recognized for Commitment to Sustainable Practices

January 22, 2020, PORTLAND, OR—The US Trail Running Conference has earned official certification of its annual conference by the Council for Responsible Sport (Council). Until now, only competitive sporting events have become certified, making this a first-of-its-kind certification. The Council is an Oregon-based nonprofit that provides independent verification of the socially and environmentally responsible work that event organizers do to make a difference in their communities.

The US Trail Running Conference, an educational and networking gathering for the growing sport of trail running, has been hosted annually since 2013, and is organized by Active at Altitude in partnership with the American Trail Running Association.

The conference earned 30 credits based on best practice standards for producing events responsibly, as evaluated by a third party during the 2018 event, and continued engagement throughout 2019. Basic certification requires evidence and verification of at least 27 credits. The gathering earned credit in each of the program’s five categories, including planning and communications, procurement, resource management, access and equity and community legacy.  

 “I am excited that the Conference has gained official certification from the Council for Responsible Sport. The certification process has been incredibly rewarding and enlightening and will help guide future developments for this industry leading event,” said Terry Chiplin, Event Director of the US Trail Running Conference and Owner of Active at Altitude.

Chiplin added, “This process has been key in helping us focus on creating a more inclusive and diverse event that is welcoming to as many participants as possible, while taking leadership as a responsible event. We are grateful that the path to certification with the Council was made possible by an initial sponsorship provided by Ragnar Events, an organization with longstanding dedication to responsibility in its own right.”

The 2018 the Conference moved for the first time outside of Colorado to San Luis Obispo, California and hosted guests at the Dairy Creek Golf Club. Dairy Creek Golf Club was in part selected for having earned awards for its zero waste efforts on the golf course. Those initiatives are focused on recycling on-site resources and nutrients from the various operations of the site—food waste from the kitchens and plant matter from the grounds gets composted with worm bins and a compost tea brewer, providing fertilizer for the golf course.

“One key to the successful completion of Council certification at a new venue, is stating your intentions and expectations in the RFP sent to potential event hosts. Terry did that, and found a great partner in the Dairy Creek Golf Club as a result,” said Keith Peters, who served as evaluator at the 2018 event.

“I’m so very proud of Terry’s commitment to the environment as evidenced through this certification,” said Nancy Hobbs, American Trail Running Association executive director. “He has worked with his team and alongside the hosting venues to ensure that expectations are met for a more sustainable event. I hope more race directors and event planners will learn from this example and work toward certifying their conferences and events – whether indoors, or outdoors –through the Council for Responsible Sport.”

About the US Trail Running Conference

The mission of the US Trail Running Conference is to lead, educate, connect and empower an inclusive tribe of trail runners, race directors and industry leaders working to share best practices with the trail running community. The 2020 US Trail Running Conference takes place in Fayetteville, Arkansas, October 21-24 and will feature the theme of ‘Trail Running Communities for Climate Action and Sustainability’. Fayetteville was selected in part due to their detailed and positive response to the RFP requirements generated from the Council for Responsible Sport Certification process. There are registration options for race directors, trail runners, sponsors and exhibitors. The 2020 Conference is the eighth edition of the industry leading event. www.ustrailrunningconference.com

About Active at Altitude

Active at Altitude create experiences that educate, inspire, and empower an active, healthy, mindful lifestyle. They hold women’s running camps and co-ed trail running camps during the summer in Estes Park, Colorado, and have been rated by Runner’s World and Shape magazine as one of the top providers of adult running camps in the US. They are also the Official Training Partner for the National Parks half marathon series from Vacation Races. A positive growth mindset is a central feature of their camps and training, supported by their app activacuity, and race mindset programs.  www.activeataltitude.com/

Green Turns into Silver at Ohio’s Air Force Marathon

The growing race earns silver level certification from the Council for Responsible Sport for social and environmental responsibility

The 2019 Air Force Marathon has officially achieved silver level responsible sport certification, the Council for Responsible Sport (Council) announced. Held September 19-21, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio, the weekend of events consisted of a marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k, and 1k kids races that served as an avenue for affecting environmental action in the greater Dayton community.

Hosting over 12,000 participants this year, the Air Force Marathon is now one of five certified responsible events in Ohio out of over 170 total certified events worldwide. By committing to incorporating tactics to prevent and divert waste, water conservation strategies, and carbon offsetting initiatives, the event organizers have set a new precedent for sustainable sporting events in the Dayton community.

Brandon Hough, Air Force Marathon director said, “We are extremely excited to achieve this status and to work with the Council for Responsible Sport in obtaining a more environmentally friendly event. We’ve worked hard to educate ourselves, and in turn educate those on our base and in our community, to make a positive impact on our environment. We are looking forward to using what we have learned and building upon it to continue creating a cleaner environment and a more unified community as the Air Force Marathon.”

As part of the certification, event organizers created and launched a three-year plan to minimize the environmental harm resulting from event operations while communicating positive messages to attendees through their environmental and community efforts. Organizers made good on their promise of prioritizing waste reduction throughout the event by extensively advertising compost and recycling bins, tracking the climate-changing greenhouse emissions of the event, and promoting emissions reduction initiatives to attendees.

Event organizers earned credit for implementing 36 of the best practices recommended in the Council’s Responsible Sport Standards (version 4.2) across five categories for social and environmental responsibility: planning and communications, procurement, resource management, access and equity, and community legacy. The two-year certification was awarded based on written documentation of efforts, the submission of plans, policies, and results, plus interviews with organizers and an on-site assessment of the event from an independent, third-party evaluator.

Social and environmental highlights from the race weekend that earned credit towards certification include:

• Developed guidelines for decreasing the event’s environmental footprint, including waste reduction and water conservation scheme

• Developed a formal 3-year plan to improve event’s impact on and involvement with local community

• Worked with HighTech Signs to source 100 percent post-consumer recycled material for printed event signage

• Utilized ‘Water Monsters’ to serve in bulk, replacing single-use plastic water bottles.

• Partnered with a local company, GoZero, to incorporate compost bins alongside landfill and recycling bins for the first time

• Provided drop off locations for used shoe donations for the international water purification nonprofit, WaterStep

• Provided a mobility clinic for differently-abled athletes facilitated by a Paralympian gold medalist

• Worked with local company, Green Speed, to provide compostable service wares for vendors

• An educational space at the Expo to help teach the attendees about the impacts of pro-environmental waste disposal as well as local river clean up in the Miami Valley

• Partnered with local transit authority to provide event bussing and subsidized transit to event participants

• Donated leftover unserved food to local organization, USO, as part of a food drive

• Began work on a multi-year legacy project to improve a shared running trail on the Wright-Patterson Airforce Base with lighting, a water fountain, restrooms and trail maintenance

“The Council was impressed by the intentionality the Air Force Marathon organizing team brought to the certification effort” said Shelley Villalobos, managing director of the Council. “The event demonstrated a genuine willingness to rethink operations and decision-making with an eye for the broader implications of those decisions and a desire to improve. They were ambitious and deserve recognition for this well-earned certification.”

About the Air Force Marathon

The Air Force Marathon takes place every year, the third Saturday of September. Our weekend events include an expo, a pasta dinner, a breakfast and a Tailwind Trot 1K Kids’

Run, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon and Challenge series. We are hosted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Each year we have a featured aircraft with a military flyover. We are where perseverance and pride take flight! www.usafmarathon.com