Our Green Commitment

While running , triathlons and outdoor events in general should be leading the way environmentally this is often not the case. This was particularly so during covid when anything disposable such as masks and water bottles etc became single use. The amount of good products disposed of unnecessarily during this time was sinful and could have been avoided. Some things remain: at our recent event in Waterville we used 2200 single use cups on the run section alone for 150 people. This is what prompted us to make the following changes.

We have always operated under a leave no trace policy. Come to any of our events two hours after it finishes and there will be no sign that we were ever there. This will now extend to a myriad of other issues as follows.

These are now an optional add-on to our entry system. Our basic price is without these extras. If you choose them then this will be added on. As soon as we have t-shirt and medal designs we will send them to you so you do not need to choose immediately, you can add them in later to your entry. All t-shirts and medals will be environmentally sourced, as locally as possible.

We will no longer be using bags at ‘bag’ pickup as these end up in a bin. Sign-on on the day of the race will be paperless. Race numbers will be issued on a dynamic basis thus reducing waste. We will no longer have water cups on the course. Water can be filled from the large containers at the hydration stations, we will provide everyone with a Hardman water bottle.

As we feed and water you after every race we are committing that all cups will be compostable and that with all foods we will avoid individually wrapped items where possible. All refreshments will be purchased locally. All leftovers will be recycled.

Reading this you will all rightly point out that we use two Landrovers for our events, hardly environmentally friendly. These vehicles are sixteen years old, will be driven until they can go no more and we are comfortable that they are friendlier to the environment than the damage done by purchasing a new vehicle. Trips are kept to a minimum and we can stand by this. Lead cars are necessary in the triathlons but in the running races it will be lead bicycles from now on.

We are aware that doing all the above is well and good but not much use if 200 athletes turn up to a race in 200 cars. We would ask that where possible you leave your cars where you are staying and better still if you are coming a long distance then you will car pool where possible. We will set up a whatsapp group for each race which only we can post on and administer and hopefully put you in touch with each other to facilitate this.

Well as well as being at the forefront of responsible environmentalism you have the advantage of opting out of the extras. Our pricing for next year reflects that all these are extras and to be added on. This is the way things will go with all races and we are getting ahead of the curve here. We hope that you see what we are trying to do here and would hope that you will encourage your own clubs will pick up on this.

We are looking at other options to make our races more sustainable and will be adding to this document as we go along. We are also open to suggestions so feel free to contact us if you have any good ideas.

Thank you all in advance,

Alan Ryan