Have you ever wondered what is necessary to be a marathon runner? It’s not only exceptional physical fitness and a passion for the sport; it is also adequate gear.
Many would find that gear is not limited to running shoes, but also gadgets, nutritional drinks, gels and bars, and the ideal racing clothes. Runners also need to get to the event, which means fuel costs.
And it doesn’t end there; you also need to count runners’ footprints; carbon footprints. A carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) we put into the atmosphere on a daily basis.
Very often, running gear is composed of synthetic materials, which, summed to their transportation, emits fossil fuels and toxins.
Luckily, we don’t need to stop triathlons or races altogether. Instead, athletes need to make green choices about their gear and travel arrangement by reducing, reusing and recycling. In recent years, for instance, gear for the environmentally conscious has been introduced in the sports market.
A great example is the bran Brooks, which offers biodegradable running shoes. The shoes’ sole is made of BioMoGo, a material expected to biodegrade over the course of 20 years, instead of the regular 1000.
Racing-bike technology is changing as well. The regular process of bike manufacturing has a negative impact on the environment. Lighter bikes are made from alloys, which are mined and the waste generated by this process is massive.
Emerging alternatives are bikes made partially from bamboo. Growing bamboos are more sustainable than metals that require intense manufacturing.
And it’s not just about gear; green marathon finishers have also decided to make arrangements for their transportation. Instead of travelling long distances, they choose to race close to home. Alternatively, they purchase carbon offsets.
The former allows you to balance your greenhouse gases by buying into carbon reduction projects such as wind farms and other types of clean energy.
Every year, more alternatives are emerging, designed to raise awareness about the importance of becoming a green marathon finisher, that’s a great challenge! Meanwhile, try to follow the ones listed above!