For us trail runners, nature is a source of fitness and well-being. Taking care of the environment is important for our favorite activity. Therefore also Bodom Trail organization is trying to keep the environmental impact of the event as low as possible. Also you as participant can help to reach that goal. Here’s what’s going on:
Traffic
The main contributor to the event’s carbon footprint is participants’ travel to the location. Thanks to too small parking areas, we are heavily emphasizing arrival by charter buses that we organize from several places around Helsinki and ride sharing for those who arrive by car.
This year a considerable number of participants, almost 400, will arrive by race buses and a few teams are hiring their own bus for Bodom Team. In the future we will have to reduce the amount of cars even more as part of the parking area is lost to a cycle path that will be built from South to the event center.
Waste
In the past years we used plastic ribbon to mark the course and felt bad about the amount of plastic wast that it caused. This winter we crafted re-usable marking flags that will hopefully serve at Bodom Trail and Nuuksio Classic many years to come. We can also borrow them to other trail events.
We are also impacting the amount of wast with our policy towards disposable cups. On the 12/21km course, there will be no cups at the two drink stations in the forest. Water and sports drink is served to own bottles and cups. There will be cups at the finish and at the drink station between the two loops. However, we have reserved only one cup per person per station. If you drink more, ask for a re-fill.
We are using cups made of Stora Enso cardboard that is renewable and recyclable. Please take care of your own cup and take it to the right trash bin. There will be specific containers for sorting cardboard, packaging materials and bio waste in the event center, clearly marked for different materials. They are not waste but valuable raw material to be re-used.
If you are taking energy gels or other packed energy to the race, please make sure that you bring the wrappers to trash bins at dring stations or at the finish. Never litter – that may risk the permit for the event in the future.
Erosion
Over 2000 runners inevitably leave their traces in the forest. Luckily the event timing is in the beginning of the growing season and most footprints disappear quickly. The most sensitive places are the wet spots on the course. Typically runners try to avoid getting their shoes wet, going around the mud pits that we will have also this year. To reduce erosion, have built some duckboards with Espoo city to the most critical places of the 12km course.
You can also choose not to increase erosion: Don’t cut trail corners or go off-trail to avoid wet spots. It will just make you slower and won’t help you to finish dry and clean. Keep the same attitude as the youngest participants of the event: “Mud is fun, we want more!”
Let’s take care of the environment together! If you want to make an impact in your own area, check Plogging.