Running Without The Footprint

On Sunday 21st April, more than 250 runners completed a 10.7k or half marathon race around Rathfinny Wine Estate. The sun was shining and many of us enjoyed a glass of Sussex on the finishing line!

This is the third event and one we are very keen to continue as an annual tradition. As a B Corp, considering the environmental and social impact of hosting a race event is essential and it wouldn’t be possible without race director Darren Evans who went above and beyond to ensure every aspect of the race was as sustainable as possible.

Darren came to us with the idea of a race around Rathfinny Estate a few years ago having enjoyed epic runs around the South Downs and watching the vineyard take shape over the years. He’s a phenomenal member of the East Sussex community, volunteering as a brand ambassador for local cancer charity, WOLO and acting as a Director for the Green Runners who raise awareness about reducing carbon footprint through running. He’s also a UK Athletics coach and supports the work of Plastic Free Seaford. If you live locally, you’ll know he’s a top guy!

Darren also used newly produced vine bales (pruning process) to use as natural barriers and for course direction signs to keep with the natural aspect of the race.

Above-Average Female Participation

We’re proud to say that the Rathfinny Run has above-average participation from female runners and is a She Races accredited event (SheRaces.com). Inclusivity in running is a core part of our values, and we were thrilled to see that 67% of sign-ups for the Rathfinny Christmas Charity Run in December were female.

Charities

Not only is this a fun and challenging race for any runner on a personal level, it is rewarding to know that this a race that offers subsidised spaces for runners to raise money for the local charities we support at Rathfinny. We had people running and raising money for WOLO, Rockinghorse Children’s Charity and Cycling Without Age. We hope to see even more fundraising spaces next year!

Medals & Trophies

We awarded recycled slate medals to all runners who completed the course and a Seed of Hope pack of pollinator seeds for every runner that entered. Seed of Hope are a community interest company (CIC) that helps people with mental health issues through recovery-based social and therapeutic gardening. The trophies were made of reclaimed oak by a local carpenter.

Kit

Pair Ups trainer repair kits were available to runners to help upcycle shoes in need of a bit of TLC instead of contribute to the millions of pairs of trainers that are sent to landfill each year. We also organised a ‘kit swap shop’ for anyone looking to donate and breathe new life into unwanted clothing.

Hydration & Nutrition

Darren is passionate about this being a ‘cup-less’ event. Although water is provided at the 2 aid stations there are no single use plastic bottles of water. It was super popular, and it was encouraging to see so many runners using the foldable running cup hack (simply cut a Tetra Pak carton in half). YouTube link https://youtu.be/einvvzMQ2Ec?si=cW9G-p817bIaCq7V

We also kept everyone fuelled with:

• Locally produced vegan flapjack/malt loaf, watermelon, oranges, and bananas

• One Good Thing energy bars – wrapper-free protein bars with an edible coating!

Transport

Travel tends to account for 90% of the carbon emissions of any running event so we provided runners with the option to be picked up from local train stations in an electric mini bus. We also charged £10 for single occupancy cars or free parking for cars with 2 or more to incentivise car sharing.

The total CO2e generated by runner travel is 0.97 tonnes. We will therefore plant 35 trees to offset the carbon travel.

Waste and Recycling

All food waste was composted on site and all packaging was collected, separated and recycled to ensure no trace is left in the environment we run in.