Back to The Woodlands at Bruin Lake two weeks after Run Woodstock for Dances with Dirt – Hell Edition. In addition to the 100K relay and 50K and 50-mile ultras, RF Events continued with the 30K they offered last year for the 30th anniversary.
As more campers are coming in early for this event, I set up Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning. Not only did this save me setting up in the dark, it gave the RF Events crew a place to put their setup waste. Saturday morning I set up All Waste bins at the ultra aid station and gave the pavilion a box as well. And I removed recyclables from the waste bag by the porta-potties.
After a surge in total waste in 2024, this year’s was back in line with 2022 and 2023 at right around 250 lbs. Not sure why, as attendance has been consistent and the beautiful weather meant people stuck around a while. But with only 3.6 lbs. of landfill, our diversion rate of 98.6 percent was tied for the best ever at this event.
Due to the amount of compostables last year (5 carts worth) I invested in a high-tech compaction device. Presenting “The Crusher” which resulted in only two cartloads of compostables this time.
Okay, it’s a 5-gallon pail with a sandbag in it, but the beauty is in its simplicity.
Other significant waste streams included cardboard, deposit cans and bottles, Gu wrappers, and tear-off tickets for runners to claim said cup of post-race beer. We also collected 15 pairs of discarded shoes, and a few socks.
Many thanks to intern Iki and volunteers Jeff (no relation), Melissa, and Teresa, and especially Mike, who stayed all day. Their hard work allowed me to recover following the 30K. (Yes, I ran and worked the race. I never said I was the wisest person on earth.)
From left: Teresa, Mike, and Iki.
Also many thanks to Mandy of RF for bringing in the aid station bags in the afternoon, allowing us to sort them before the big evening rush, so I could drop off the recycling on my way home.
My only improvement suggestion is to find another method for the beer tickets instead of the bib tear-offs, as it creates a lot of small, hard-to-recycle pieces that can get blown all over in the wind.
Happy Planet Running 