Big race to be greenest yet

PLASTIC cups, wrapping and goodie bags will not be dispensed at this year’s Rochdale Half Marathon as organisers aim to reduce the event’s carbon footprint.

Rochdale Borough Council hope to make this year’s edition of the race the greenest one yet with a raft of new environmentally friendly measures.

With more than 1,000 runners taking to the roads last year, it is hoped the environmentally friendly changes could have a big impact.

Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture, said:

“We’re trying to make significant steps in the right direction and exploring what can be done, this year with a few measures that will lead to more changes in the future. Some have been simple things we’ve been able do ourselves - others have involved conversations with our suppliers, who have been supportive and happy to make the changes.”

Changes include replacing plastic cups/ bottles at feed stations and the finish line with recyclable paper ones, supplying the over 1,300 t-shirts without their usual plastic wrapping and sending all registration documents and race instructions to runners digitally - to reduce paper use.

Goodie bags won’t be issued to runners and new re-usable signage will be used on the route, avoiding the need to have new signage made until at least 2021.

Start times have also been put back by an hour, to give participants more time to get to the event, which is close to tram, bus and rail links, by public transport.

Coun Emsley added: “We still want the event to grow but we want it to have less impact on the environment.

“I also hope that with growing events like this that get people active we can play a part in getting people walking or running more often … being environmentally friendly while training can stay with you and become a way of life.”

The popular event returns on Sunday, October 6, with the Half Marathon, 10k and fun run all starting and finishing at the Town Hall and taking in some of the borough’s most picturesque countryside along the way.

The event is organised by Middleton Harriers, Rochdale Harriers and Rochdale Triathlon Club and is supported by Rochdale Borough Council. To enter online visit www.rochdale.gov. uk/run ●●Paper cups will be used in place of over 1,000 plastic water bottles at the finish line of the Rochdale half marathon.