Philanthropic programmes have become an integral part of nearly all mass participation road races and in collaboration with the Yves Rocher Foundation, each kilometre covered by runners taking part in the Vert Rennes Marathon - no matter how fast or how slow - makes a difference.
The Marathon Vert Rennes is also one of foremost courses in France for runners looking to post a quick time and the race has duly been rewarded with a five-star certification endorsement from European Athletics Running for All.
Thanks to the collaboration between the Yves Rocher Foundation, the regional sports administrators and the race organisers who shared the desire to use the race as a platform to support ecological initiatives, the simple idea of planting one tree for each kilometre covered by each participant in the marathon developed.
“It is more than a simple slogan, it’s a reality,” said the president of the Vert Rennes Marathon Daniel Jeulin on the initiative.
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Since 2011, the organisers have actively supported ecological projects in France and across the world but nowhere has the impact of this scheme been as palpable as it has been in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, an area where some of the best Ethiopian distance runners hail from.
In the four years since the project was initiated, participants have made it possible for nearly 400,000 trees to be planted across the region as a means to counter deforestation. The project has had an enduring socio-economic impact as ten nurseries has been built across the region, providing permanent employment for over 50 people. Twelve varieties of fruit trees have also been reintroduced into the region.
And the Vert Rennes Marathon has also set a new objective: to plant 137,000 trees in the Tamil Nadul region of India. The region could become a desert without immediate and effective action to maintain the scarce water resources in the area.
And leading by example, the race itself is firmly committed to minimising the impact on the environment. In terms of transportation, the organisers arrange free shuttle services between Rennes and Cap Malo and offer discounted regional train and TGV tickets for participants travelling from further afield. The organisers also actively encourage carpooling to reduce emissions and favour e-communication in place of paper communication.
An environmental analysis of the event conducted two years ago revealed that one hundred percent of the waste generated from the Vert Rennes Marathon was recycled: 35% in material recovery and 65% in energy recovery.
A record 8000 participants took part across the five races which made up the programme of this year’s event on 23 October. Kenya’s Justus Kipkosgei won the men’s race in a course record of 2:09:29 while Hellen Jepkurgat made it a Kenyan double, winning the women’s race in a new mark of 2:31:07.
The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running for All:
Website: european-running4all.org
Twitter: @runningforall
Contact: [email protected]