Half Moon Bay International Marathon

2011 Half Moon Bay International Marathon Earns ReSport Gold Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport

In its inaugural year, Coastside event showcases natural beauty and commitment to sustainability along “26.2 Miles of Running Heaven.”

4.16.2012

For more information contact:
Keith Peters, Executive Director
Keith@CouncilForResponsibleSport.org
(307) 690-6803

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2012 – Portland, OR: Organizers of the first-ever Half Moon Bay International Marathon established ReSport Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport as a goal in their earliest planning sessions. Their focus and commitment to preserving the environment along their piece of the California Coast was unwavering, and the result was golden – ReSport Gold Certification.

“I don’t know if there’s an advantage to applying for ReSport Certification in an event’s first year,” said Keith Peters, Executive Director of the Council for Responsible Sport. “But I do know that The Half Moon Bay International Marathon team, along with their consulting group, Athletes for a Fit Planet, took advantage of their clean slate and built a truly sustainable event, piece by piece.”

"This is simply reflective of the focus and determination of our Chief Green Officer, Ms. Jennifer Dill and our consulting partner Athlete's for a FitPlanet," said

Eric Vaughan, Executive Director of the Half Moon Bay International Marathon. "It was through their efforts that we reached our goal in this, our very first year. Our Half Moon Bay coastal community is one of the most beautiful places on earth and it was essential we focus on this aspect of our event to ensure the HMBIM would endure and grow."

Among the race’s many successful environmental initiatives, two stand out: 87.5% of the event’s waste was diverted from the landfill through comprehensive recycling and composting efforts; and carbon offsets were purchased to mitigate the 40 tons of CO2 emissions created by participants traveling to Half Moon Bay to compete. According to the post-event survey, another area that was successful was transportation, specifically the effort to reduce the number of single-driver vehicles; reportedly, 34% of runners carpooled, and 9% walked or rode their bikes to the event.

And event organizers paid just as much attention to the community/social side of the ledger. With the majority of the race being run on Coastside trails, supporting the grassroots efforts of the Coastside Bicycle Coalition made perfect sense. So, too, did event organizers’ work with the Sierra Club to involve youth from San Jose’s Inner City Outings program.

All in all, the sustainability efforts of Half Moon Bay International Marathon organizers add up to one very well done event. Kudos to everyone involved with this effort!

The Council for Responsible Sport provides an independent, comprehensive certification for event directors to incorporate environmental and socially responsible initiatives into their events while informing consumers about events that adhere to higher standards of sustainability. CRS Certified events range in size from the ParalympicsGB Training Camp at the University of Bath in the UK, with some 150 athletes participating, to the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, with 55,077 timed finishers. To date, 37 different events have achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, serving over 570,000 athletes in the process.

The current version of the Council for Responsible Sport’s certification standards were developed by an outside working group of 18 sustainability experts and reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders. ReSport Certification is modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System, which certifies buildings and materials according to resource conservation and energy efficiency criteria.

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About the Council for Responsible Sport:
Founded in 2007 to empower sporting event producers to incorporate sustainably into their events, the Council for Responsible Sport is about inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration. The mission of CRS is to partner with stakeholders in the sports industry as catalysts for sustainable change. From half marathons to football games to lacrosse and snowboarding, the Council believes athletes and spectators alike have the opportunity to encourage sports to adopt sustainable practices.
In addition to administering a certification program for sports events, CRS also offers peer-to-peer learning communities and access to online tools, case studies and strategic partnerships to assist leaders and businesses actively engaged in the sports industry.

About the Half Moon Bay International Marathon:
Featuring "26.2 Miles of Running Heaven", the Half Moon Bay International Marathon (HMBIM) was founded in 2011 to showcase the unique beauty of the California coast along with some of the best weather a marathon athlete could ever hope for. The inaugural event in 2011 featured athletes from 25 states and 4 countries and sold out in two months despite very little promotion. An official Boston Qualifier event sanctioned by the USA Track and Field organization, the HMBIM also focused on creating an eco-friendly event to consider the precious coastal community and worked to attain official status with the Council for Responsible Sport, and received the coveted Gold Certification from this organization in the event's very first year. The HMBIM features a full and half marathon and 10k and 5k events all on the same day.