MONTEREY – Blood, sweat and tears aren’t the only things runners leave behind during a marathon. Water cups, energy bar wrappers and excess clothing become part of the course as well.
Organizers of Sunday’s Monterey Bay Half Marathon, which has sold out with almost 11,000 runners registered, are focusing on minimizing the environmental impact of the race held adjacent to a National Marine Sanctuary.
“The natural beauty of our course is what draws runners here year after year, and protecting it is crucial,” said Jennifer Edwards, executive director of the Big Sur Marathon Foundation, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Monterey Bay Half Marathon and the Big Sur International Marathon every year. This nonprofit partners with Blue Strike Environmental and Blistering Pace Race Management to accomplish their race’s sustainability goals.
Michelle La Sala, president of Blistering Pace Race Management, shared that the race’s push for recycling and composting programs occurred before California began broadly mandating such initiatives across the state. In 2011, the Big Sur Marathon Foundation was one of the first race organizers in the nation to receive a Gold certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, one of the world’s leading certification programs for socially and environmentally responsible sporting events. Their sustainability work has only grown since 2011 and has inspired other races to follow suit.
“We want our runners to celebrate not just fast times, but smart choices – like bringing a reusable water bottle or sorting their waste correctly,” said Edwards. “It takes time, but we’re getting there.”
The scenic out-and-back 13.1-mile race course runs from downtown Monterey along the shoreline of Pacific Grove. Ensuring the health and safety of competitive runners without creating mountains of discarded plastic water cups or energy gel packets along this marine protected area is a significant challenge, as is providing sustainably sourced award materials to commemorate the hard work and extreme fun that goes into these endurance events, according to organizers.
Sustainable swag
Rather than a plastic bag filled with mass-produced trinkets as a reward, runners receive virtual goodie bags that feature online offers or special discount codes for local businesses and popular brands. Race T-shirts are provided by Recover, a brand that makes apparel from a blend of organic and recycled cotton and plastic fibers. One of the most creative prizes runners take away from the race are the ceramic award medals, which are hand-molded and hand-painted by local artist Daniel Acurso.
Zero waste goals
The event-planning phase requires anticipating the needs of runners and carefully considering the afterlife of every item used to support those needs. Organizers strive to source materials that can be upcycled, composted or donated rather than thrown into a landfill.
“It’s a constant learning process, but we’re proud of the strides we’ve made,” said Edwards.
All cups and utensils at food booths in the finish area and aid stations on the race course are made of compostable material that go to ReGen Monterey. Refill stations are offered for runners who choose to opt out of single-use water cups. Wrappers from energy gels and snack bars are collected and sent to Terracycle, which upcycles these materials into tote bags and other products. Heatsheets, specialized blankets given to runners after they cross the finish line to regulate their body temperature, are set aside for Trex, which turns the used blankets into outdoor building materials through their Blankets to Boards program.
Leftover food from the event goes to Shoreline Church, which distributes the food to people in need through their food pantry program. Runners also tend to shed clothing on the course or donate their shoes after crossing the finish line. These items go to Last Chance Mercantile, a thrift store that benefits the Veterans Transition Center of California.
Managing all these materials and understanding their waste streams is no small feat. “Any time you try to make a large-scale event more sustainable, you run into logistical and financial challenges. Composting and recycling stations require training and volunteers,” said Edwards.
The “Green Team” was formed in response to those challenges. Blue Strike Environmental leads this group of over 200 volunteers that follows the mass of runners and picks up anything left behind. These litter-picking teams meticulously comb the course and bring materials back to a central sorting station where they are separated into their appropriate categories.
Emily Zumtobel, California events division manager for Blue Strike Environmental, shares that her favorite part of race weekend is the sense of satisfaction Green Team volunteers feel after seeing massive unsorted piles of what looks like trash to most people turn into organized resources that serve a future purpose.
“You wouldn’t think it would be so much fun to sort trash, but we really do have a great time,” Zumbotel said.
Detailed planning, creativity in product procurement, and dedicated volunteers are the elements that enable this race to divert over 90% of waste generated at the event into composting or upcycling programs. With all of these specialized material streams in place, the Green Team kept 4.9 tons of material from entering landfills in 2024. The team expects similar success rates this year and encourages event attendees to stop by their zero-waste demonstration booths to learn more.
The Monterey Bay Half Marathon gets underway at 7 a.m. Sunday on Del Monte Avenue in downtown Monterey. For more information, including about this weekend’s Health and Fitness Expo and the runs being held in Pacific Grove, as well as a map of the course, visit https://www.montereybayhalfmarathon.org/
