The temperature is rising, but that doesn’t mean the race schedule slows down. In fact, there are more than 25 road races taking place in the Metro Atlanta area just in the month of June. Lace up your shoes and join your neighbors.
Atlanta Children’s Shelter – June 11
This race takes place in Piedmont Park, which is a favorite spot for runners. As you probably guessed from the event title, proceeds support the Atlanta Children’s Shelter (ASC). The Shelter assists homeless families by providing free, quality daycare for children.
Hand Around the Hill/Race to House the Homeless – June 11
Grant Park is one of Atlanta’s loveliest historic neighborhoods and runners will get to see it up close during this 5K race. The event benefits two organizations dedicated to serving the homeless – Central Night Shelter and Central Outreach & Advocacy Center. The race starts at Talmadge Park, located at the corner of Mitchell and Washington Streets.
Dash4Dad – June 18
Here’s a unique way to celebrate the Father’s Day weekend-- run a 5K that raises money to prevent deaths from prostate cancer. The race kicks-off in the parking lot of the Dunwoody Home Depot at 8 a.m. All proceeds benefit ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer. It’s part of a nationwide series of races that support prostate cancer research.
Save Our Skin – June 25
In its 5th year, the Save Our Skin 5K aims to foster awareness about skin cancer. Dermatologists are on hand to provide free skin cancer screenings for participants from 7 to 10 a.m. The race takes place at Perimeter Mall.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Green Ideas for Sweetwater 420 Fest 5K: Candler Park N. O. and Sweetwater Weigh In
Last month, I provided a recap of the Sweetwater 420 Fest 5K with a few ideas for making it a greener event. Well, I heard back from both the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization (which manages the 5K) and from Sweetwater Brewery (which hosts the Fest). Both offered some interesting feedback on my suggestions – enough to warrant a separate blog post.
Here’s what I learned:
No water stations: With an April race date, I questioned whether water stations were really necessary. The weather was mild for this year’s race, but that wasn’t the case in 2010 when temperatures were much warmer. According to Dave Aynes with the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization (CPNO), the group was criticized in 2010 for not having enough water stations. As Dave shared with me, CPNO is interested in ideas to make the race greener. One way runners can do their part is to bring their own water bottles.
Reduce trash - Sell beer in commemorative mugs: When I suggested this idea, I thought it was a “no brainer.” Boy, was I wrong. Per Steve Farace with Sweetwater, “We did that the first year and it turned into a nightmare game of twister trying to refill specific cups.” Understood – trying to keep track of which beer cup belongs to which person when there are dozens of people in line is a logistical mess. Dave with CPNO also mentioned that “some health departments don’t technically allow it (think new buffet plate).”
Offer a compost bin for banana peels: With 2,000 participants at the race, I suggested offering a compost bin to collect the peels instead of trash cans. This appears to be the only idea I offered that may be easy to implement. If you’re running the race next year, be on the look-out for compost bins.
I’d like to thank both Dave Aynes and Steve Farace for sharing feedback on my blog post. There are a multitude of factors involved with operating an event – particularly one as large as the Sweetwater 420 Fest and 5K. While the hosts of these events strive to be green, it has to be balanced with the needs to make sure the event is also safe and enjoyable.
Here’s what I learned:
No water stations: With an April race date, I questioned whether water stations were really necessary. The weather was mild for this year’s race, but that wasn’t the case in 2010 when temperatures were much warmer. According to Dave Aynes with the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization (CPNO), the group was criticized in 2010 for not having enough water stations. As Dave shared with me, CPNO is interested in ideas to make the race greener. One way runners can do their part is to bring their own water bottles.
Reduce trash - Sell beer in commemorative mugs: When I suggested this idea, I thought it was a “no brainer.” Boy, was I wrong. Per Steve Farace with Sweetwater, “We did that the first year and it turned into a nightmare game of twister trying to refill specific cups.” Understood – trying to keep track of which beer cup belongs to which person when there are dozens of people in line is a logistical mess. Dave with CPNO also mentioned that “some health departments don’t technically allow it (think new buffet plate).”
Offer a compost bin for banana peels: With 2,000 participants at the race, I suggested offering a compost bin to collect the peels instead of trash cans. This appears to be the only idea I offered that may be easy to implement. If you’re running the race next year, be on the look-out for compost bins.
I’d like to thank both Dave Aynes and Steve Farace for sharing feedback on my blog post. There are a multitude of factors involved with operating an event – particularly one as large as the Sweetwater 420 Fest and 5K. While the hosts of these events strive to be green, it has to be balanced with the needs to make sure the event is also safe and enjoyable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
