The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon Doubles Down as a Sustainable Event
Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon is thrilled to announce Recover Brands as the Impact Partner for America’s Toughest Road Races. Recover is led by outdoor enthusiasts from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina who have a passion for outdoor sports and protecting the environment. Since 2010, Recover has made it their mission to provide the best environmentally friendly and socially responsible apparel possible–with a resulting impact of 16+ million plastic bottles diverted from the landfill, 25+ million lbs of CO2 emissions saved, and more. This partnership further underscores the efforts of Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon to lead the way as a sustainable running event.
As a 3,000+ person race covering 26.2 miles across city parks, regional outdoor areas, as well as national park land, there is potential to have a great impact on the environment. Organizers take care to minimize that impact as much as possible: choosing compostable and recyclable cups; going fully digital with race information; and ensuring every piece of recyclable and compostable waste ends up where it’s supposed to and not in the landfill. This year, adding to that environmentally responsible effort, organizers have chosen the Recover Brands Eco Tee to be the official race tees given to runners. The Eco Tee is made from 100% recycled materials, fabricated with a majority of solar energy, and produced by workers paid a fair wage. Runners will be pleased to know that this tee is soft and flattering–perfect for a spring run or trip to the brewery.
The Eco Tee and its fabrication
“We’re excited to be joining America’s Toughest Road Races,” says owner Bill Johnston. “We’re equally excited to see another event choose sustainability when it comes to the gear they offer to runners.”
The Recover Brands’ Closed-Loop Program will be at the race expo on April 21st. This will be an opportunity for people to clean out their closets and bring their old tee shirts to Recover, who will recycle them into new shirts. In addition to creating awesome apparel, Recover offers a wealth of sustainability guidance, including their Be The Impact Podcast.
Part of what makes the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon stand out is the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains; that is why it is critical that the event makes sustainable choices. Organizers are thrilled to have such an impactful company join the team.
