NEWPORT, R.I. – The Newport Rhode Races Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K returns to the “city-by-the-sea” on Apr. 13. Organizers continue their commitment to sustainability initiatives, partnering with the Eastern RI Conservation District (ERICD) as their “plogging” team, as well as a charitable partner. Additionally, the event has engaged zero-waste consultants and composting provider Epic Renewal to work towards becoming a zero-waste event.
“Rhode Races aims to be responsible stewards of the communities we hold events in. Alongside community and charitable partnerships, sustainability has been a key focus of ours from the beginning,” said Susan Rancourt, co-founder of Rhode Races. “With the help of the ERICD amazing plogging team, we are thrilled to take this progressive step towards ensuring future generations of runners can continue to explore our amazing planet and leave Newport and Middletown in a slightly better place than before the race as far as waste.”
Epic Renewal will work alongside the Rhode Races team before, during and after race day. As a part of the engagement, Newport Rhode Races will feature zero waste stations, on-site composting and education for participants to help them utilize the added sustainable features.
The ERICD will send out teams of ploggers after the race to help collect waste that may have missed Epic Renewal’s efforts. Ploggers will walk and/or jog the race course, gathering not just race trash, but any road side waste on their route. Last year they collected 115 lbs throughout Newport and Middletown.
These moves are the next step in a tradition of stewardship and community engagement that Rhode Races brings to races across the state. Events will continue to feature recycling and upcycling programs. Each race integrates charitable fundraising and unique nonprofit partners that impact the host city. In addition, Rhode Races works with local authorities in government and tourism to ensure neighborhoods are positively impacted by race weekend.
The event also offers local children the opportunity to set their own running goals and complete 26.2 miles. The Final Mile Fitness Program recently kicked off in local schools and children’s programs. During the program, participating kids complete 25 miles of running. As a finale, they join runners in the Newport Rhode Races Beach Mile to complete their own version of the marathon distance.
Newport Rhode Races occurs in conjunction with the Annual Newport Daffodil Days Festival, and the courses will pass along many of the over 1.2 million daffodils that bloom through Newport in the spring. Participants are treated to free race photos, tech t-shirts, and finisher medals. The marathon begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by the half marathon at 8 a.m. and the 5K at 8:30 a.m. at Easton’s Beach. The marathon course is USATF certified and is a Boston Marathon Qualifier.
A post-race festival will follow the events, with food, beverages and complimentary beer from Sam Adams for finishers over the age of 21. The festival will also feature music, vendors, recovery zone, an award ceremony and more.
The ERICD is still looking for volunteers for their plogging team. Learn more about this amazing organization at https://www.easternriconservation.org/earthmonth and be a part of their year-long sustainability efforts. You can also donate to their charity on the Newport Rhode Races page.
For more information on Rhode Races, visit www.rhoderaces.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
ABOUT RHODE RACES
Rhode Races was formed in October 2015 by Susan Rancourt and Karen Zyons. The female-owned Rhode Island based running event company is guided by their mission to promote running and fitness and be a good partner to the communities where they run. As a RI B-Corp, they aim to create impact through fundraising, goal achievement, self-esteem building, environmental awareness, and support in growing the running community in Rhode Island and beyond. The Rhode Races team utilizes their 20 years of combined event management experience to produce their own events, as well as turn-key fundraisers, road races, sporting events and more for their clients. For more information on Rhode Races, visit www.rhoderaces.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
ABOUT EASTERN RHODE ISLAND CONSERVATION DISTRICT
The Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD) was established in 1944. Conservation districts across the country have specialized in the reduction of non-point sources of pollution such as soil erosion, animal waste, pesticides and fertilizers, poorly operating septic systems, and household hazardous wastes since the dust bowl of the 1930’s.
While the devastation of soil erosion by wind gave birth to the first Conservation Districts, agricultural impacts, increased development and urban sprawl have all challenged the Districts to take the lead in protecting natural resources through educating the public and providing technical assistance.
In Bristol & Newport Counties, the ERICD works in partnership with private landowners, farmers, municipalities, state and federal agencies, as well as non-governmental agencies. The ERICD is not a regulatory or enforcement agency, but rather provides assistance to those who desire to work as a team to face issues — watershed by watershed.
Their vision is to promote and improve long-lasting and environmentally-friendly practices that protect natural resources such as soil, water, and air.
Their mission is to meet our vision through outreach, education, help with environmental questions, and financial assistance. We work with a variety of people and groups including farmers, landowners, cities, towns, schools, and others in the community.
The ERICD is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, consisting of five voting directors and several associate directors. These local individuals provide administrative guidance and focus on the actions of the Eastern District, which include the Newport and Bristol Counties.
ABOUT EPIC RENEWAL
Epic Renewal is a community-scale composting organization. We work to keep food waste out of landfills, and use it to build healthy soils and support equitable and resilient food systems. We provide easy composting services for home, business, and events, as well as zero waste consulting to help people further shrink their carbon footprint.
Composting locally creates local jobs, reduces the trucking footprint for our waste, and allows us to transform our food scraps into a key resource to build healthy soils and support our local food system.
A zero-waste event is one with a keen eye towards minimizing landfill waste, with the ideal goal being zero landfill waste whatsoever. We work with our clients to ensure every detail of their event is considered and makes the smallest environmental impact from vendor onboarding to clear signage and friendly event staff. We divert everything organic from landfill with our composting services, and ensure other discards are dealt with responsibly.
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