The world’s best triathletes participate in a beach clean-up
The PTO pairs athletic performance with environmental responsibility
Last weekend, Ibiza hosted the fifth race of the T100 Triathlon World Tour. This competition, organised by the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO), has seven races over which the world’s best triathletes battle to become the world champion in long-distance triathlon.
In each race, the triathletes compete over a total distance of 100km. It starts with a 2km swim, leads to an 80km bike ride, and ends with an 18km run. In Ibiza, the Belgian Marten Van Riel won the men’s race by finishing in 3:11:36, and the American Taylor Knibb won the women’s race in 3:30:03.
While it welcomes the best professional triathletes, each T100 race is open to amateur triathletes wishing to compete among the pros. The Ibiza T100 race weekend also allowed athletes of all levels to participate in an open-water swim on Friday.
Sam Renouf, CEO of the PTO, shared that a percentage of the entry fees were donated to a local non-profit, Plastic Free Ibiza. To tackle the issue of single-use plastics on the island, the PTO also collaborated with its partners, the Spanish Triathlon Federation and the Ibiza City Council.
This weekend highlighted extraordinary athletic performances. It also aspired to shed light on environmental issues, presenting how triathlon organisations and athletes can create waves of climate action.
Athletes can create waves of climate action
The professional triathletes added something new to their physical and mental preparation ahead of the race. They took part in a beach clean-up! Alongside the Spanish Triathlon Federation and Plastic Free Ibiza, they collected rubbish from a local beach.
Triathlete superstars such as Sam Laidlow and Taylor Knibb contributed to the collection of 1kg of paper, 3kg of glass, 3.5kg of cigarette butts (over 4000 individual butts), 7.5kg of general waste and 9kg of plastic. That’s 24kg of waste collected on the beach in one afternoon.
It’s a powerful message to have the sports’ best athletes take time ahead of an important race to participate in these environmental efforts. Through such initiatives, the PTO demonstrates how a sport can use its influence to raise awareness on environmental topics such as littering and waste.
“I have lived by the ocean most of my life, so I know how important it is for local people who depend on it, as well as the ecosystems within it. These events are a great way to raise awareness of plastic pollution within our athlete community and further afield.”
Daniel Bækkegård, Danish Professional Triathlete
Triathlon can play a role in the sustainability transition
As a sport, triathlon is heavily reliant on the natural environment. By organising this beach clean-up, the PTO has shown how sports can contribute to environmental preservation efforts and inspire other race organisers to follow suit.
In Ibiza, the PTO’s sustainability efforts went beyond the beach clean-up. Complying with Spanish and Balearic regulations regarding single-use drink containers, no single-use plastic bottles were distributed to athletes throughout the weekend.
At the aid stations on the course, athletes could drink water and isotonic drinks from T100 reusable cups. By reducing waste, they contributed to preserving the island’s beauty and prevented Ibiza's waste management capabilities from being overstretched.
The PTO's sustainability initiatives reach far beyond Ibiza. They recently measured their greenhouse gas emissions and developed a climate transition plan to guide them on their emissions reduction journey.
For global climate action efforts, it’s encouraging to see sports organisations partnering with not-for-profit organisations, using their platform to raise awareness on environmental issues and proactively working to minimize the environmental impact their events can have.
