The New York City Marathon takes sustainability steps
Concrete jungle where runners’ dreams are made of
The history of the New York City Marathon goes back to September 13th, 1970, when a $1 bill could get you on the starting line. That day, 55 of the 127 participants became marathon finishers!
The notoriety of this marathon grew throughout the years, with 1997 marking a major milestone of over 30,000 finishers and the 2013 edition seeing over 50,000 participants cross the finish line.
Since 2006, it has been part of the World Marathon Majors alongside Boston, Chicago, London and Berlin. Tokyo was added in 2013 to this list of the world’s most prestigious marathons.
This year saw 55,644 finishers in Central Park, with Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui taking 1st place after completing the marathon in 2:07:39 and 2:24:35, respectively.
The race is organised by New York Road Runners, a non-profit on a mission to use the power of running to strengthen communities, build healthier lives and protect future generations.
Marathons are exposed to climate change risks
With the rise in extreme weather events and increases in global average temperatures, marathons worldwide have seen cancellations due to floods or extreme heat.
The 2012 New York City Marathon was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy, with the organisers contributing funds and equipment to support recovery efforts.
More recently, an 18-mile training event for the 2023 New York City Marathon was cancelled due to extreme rainfall and flooding in the city.
For athletes’ health, warming temperatures are a significant risk. The 2022 New York City Marathon occurred on an incredibly hot and humid day, and many heat-related injuries were reported.
Extreme weather events, air quality, and the risk of heat strokes are all things marathon organisers have to deal with now to ensure a smooth running of their events.
The New York City Marathon is taking climate action
In the face of these risks, New York Road Runners have decided to do their part to minimise the marathon’s environmental impact and embed sustainability into all aspects of the organisation.
“As we aim to get more people running more often, we must do our part to ensure that we all have a healthy planet on which to run.”
- Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners.
In 2021, they set the ambitious target of reaching Net Zero by 2040. This target is paired with a sustainability strategy focused on emissions, circularity, water, transparency and their community.
For the 2023 edition, they had 81 “Green Team Volunteers” who worked at 9 waste diversion stations to support runners in sorting out their waste.
Notably, 17,500 pounds of unused food were donated to City Harvest, which supports food-insecure New Yorkers, and 86,400 pounds of runner clothing were donated to All of Us Clothing.
As organisers of a race welcoming tens of thousands of runners, New York Road Runners are committed to leveraging their communications to promote environmental responsibility.
Race organisers can use their platform for good
For this year’s edition, the New York City Marathon launched an innovative entry method. Runners could fundraise for NYRR Team for Climate.
“We are proud to become the first major marathon in the industry to launch an entry method tied to sustainability efforts, providing runners the opportunity to showcase their commitment to protecting our environment and making the TCS New York City Marathon a more sustainable event.”
- Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners.
Over $778,000 were raised by these runners to purchase verified carbon credits from Anew Climate, NYRR’s partner focusing on forest management projects in the United States.
As part of its sustainability strategy, NYRR recognises that offsets must be paired with avoiding and reducing emissions from their events.
Through their efforts, they’re demonstrating the power of communities in sustainability efforts and how race organisers can use their voices to create waves of climate action.
