The ecological runner

As we know, running is a sport that has gained many followers in recent years and although it is still the cheapest sport in the world (you only need sneakers or even that if you are a “minimalist” runner) it has become a business that moves almost 300 million a year in Spain, according to the market research firm NPD Group. This social and economic boom is associated (like almost all economic activities) with an increase in environmental impact due to resource consumption, which can sometimes be reduced by adopting some simple measures that we show you and that will help us to practice this great sport under better conditions.

Take note of the following measures and incorporate them into your running routine:

1. Disposable bottles and others in your training and in the race.

For your workouts, we recommend that you use a thermos or bottle made of hard plastic and even metal, so you can fill it up perpetually, thus saving kilos and kilos of plastic waste. Needless to say, we will never throw wrappers or bottles in our training or races.

As for racing, we all know that the large number of PET bottles that are discarded, sometimes for a simple drink, is enormous. The way to reduce this type of waste is complicated, however, we recommend three guidelines for the organization:

• As far as possible, supplies should be located in urban areas for a better and more effective collection of bottles and corks.
• The number of waste containers must be increased throughout the race.
• All collected bottles must be properly managed in the clean areas of each town.
• The bottle caps, given their high quality, can be collected for use by charitable associations that collect plastic caps to cover projects, amounting to between 150 and 200 euros per ton of stoppers.

2. Buy your sneakers and technical clothing responsibly.

Most running shoes and clothing are manufactured in Southeast Asia (South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam or Taiwan) due to the low cost of labor, so we recommend that you purchase clothes and sneakers from socially and environmentally responsible companies and if possible manufactured as close to us as possible, such as the brand Joma which manufactures its sneakers in Spain.

Take care of your shoes and clothes following the manufacturer's instructions to extend their life and also follow these tips that will make their use more sustainable:

• Use neutral soaps, the more perfumed the soap, the more it damages the fabric.
• Do not use fabric softener, even if it is the clothing that smells the worst, the fabric softener damages the internal structure of the fabric and makes it completely useless. Another savings in product.
• Always use short washing programs in cold water, and if possible, wash them by hand.

After the useful life of your sneakers, donate them through your regular store, as is the case of Philippides in Albacete who donates these sneakers to Senegal or to NGOs such as Figueralia who send them to Kenya to be given to young athletes without resources or to Rauxa which is intended for people to walk, not to run. The sneakers you give must be whole (textile and sole), they must not have cracks in the sole or broken through the textile area, they must have an insole even if it is not original and must be clean. This way we save waste and give opportunities to the less fortunate.

3. You must share the car to go to races or events.

If you have running companions or are part of a team, carpool (share seats in the same car), this will reduce emissions while preserving the air we breathe.

4. Reduce paper; sign up online and receive your brands via email or SMS.

Save time and paper, allowing you to complete your registration and get to know your brand instantly.

5. Sign up for careers for the environment.

Careers for the environment give a small donation to preserve wild flora or fauna, air quality, waste reduction, etc., such is the case of Popular Environmental Race- Ecorun which you can see in the following image.