Big Sur International Marathon Celebrates 35th Running | Sports Destination Management

Big Sur International Marathon Celebrates 35th Running

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Mar 30, 2022

The Big Sur International Marathon will celebrate its 35th outing on April 24th, 2022, with 15,000 total entrants expected in seven different races.

This year, HydraPak and the Big Sur Marathon Foundation (BSMF) have partnered for the 35th annual Big Sur International Marathon. The two organizations add that they are further aligning with their sustainability initiatives.

Recently becoming Climate Neutral Certified, HydraPak is the official reusable hydration gear partner, complementing BSMF’s status as a zero-waste event organization for over a decade.

Northern California-based HydraPak designs and produces flexible performance hydration systems aimed at reducing single-use waste and supporting athletes and adventure-seekers.

The Big Sur Marathon sees the partnership with HydraPak as a first step in its quest to eliminate all single-use cups on course at BSMF events.

Participants in the 2022 Big Sur Marathon and related race weekend events will be invited to opt-in to a cupless experience during their race. BSMF and HydraPak are aiming for a 33% opt-in rate for participants across all race weekend events, eliminating tens of thousands of single-use cups on course.

The first 4,000 participants to take the cupless pledge will receive a complimentary Big Sur Marathon branded SpeedCup, courtesy of HydraPak. It is hoped these participants will use this cup during their race, after crossing the finish line in the recovery zone and finish village, and beyond.

With 11 aid stations on course, each marathon participant who takes the cupless pledge will potentially reduce their individual disposable footprint by 22-33 cups.

The Big Sur 12K runs through the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, and starting this year it will be a cupless race. All participants will receive a HydraPak SpeedCup to use at the only refill fluid station inside the park, saving over 1,500 disposable cups from being distributed on course and avoiding any cup waste in the sensitive area.

“Finding ways to reduce our footprint is always top of mind,” said Doug Thurston, Race Director and Executive Director of the Big Sur Marathon Foundation.

“We’ve made several important shifts to more sustainable practices and the decision to bring HydraPak on board to help us reduce single-use cups on course is a natural progression. We are very pleased to partner with HydraPak on this program.”

HydraPak’s collapsible and reusable SpeedCup was designed specifically for runners and offers an alternative to single-use cups at race events. Made of ultra-light TPU, a 100% BPA and PVC-free material, the SpeedCup’s flexible design allows runners to collapse the cup and stuff it in their pocket or use the integrated finger loop, for easy transport from start to finish.

“We are pleased to support BSMF’s sustainability efforts and adoption of reusable hydration solutions with their world class road race events,” said Jennifer Krupey, Director of Marketing at HydraPak.

“Our hope is to not only reduce race day waste with our reusable SpeedCup but to educate runners and other event hosts about different environmental impacts and empower them to make changes.”

www.bigsurmarathon.org
www.HydraPak.com

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