The good news about this year’s Epic Races turkey trot was that it didn’t rain like last year. Instead we had this.
A scooter? There’s a first!
But the 5K, 10K, and “Iron Turkey” races (do both) went on as scheduled, with a hot breakfast awaiting the finishers.
We set up one Zero Waste station near the food tent, and put All Waste boxes by the finish line, building entrances, and inside the building on top of their trash cans, which we covered first. We also had an All Waste box in the kitchen area, along with a box for disposable gloves.
My sister strikes a dramatic pose. See how much fun this is?
Our team was intern Cole and my sister Jen, along with volunteer Ryan, who worked steadily through the snowy morning. The biggest challenge was keeping my hands warm (forget about dry) with handling all the wet waste. My propane heater came in handy there, as did the occasional cup of coffee.
Cole and Ryan greeting runners. Jen in the background. Yep, we used our table covers even in the snow. Zero Waste got standards, you know!
Food was pancakes, egg wraps, bananas, and cookies, served as usual on compostable plates and cups with compostable sporks. No mac & cheese this year, so landfill weight was way down due to no cheesy bags. Compostables were up slightly from last year, recycling down.
Just one small hiccup of a “rogue” trash can near the finish line, which of course got filled up. We were able to sort it during the event, however. The water stop bags I saved for a drier and sunnier day, as the waxed cups need drying before they can be recycled.
This was our final Epic Races event of the year. We’ll see them again next March for the Pi Day Run!
Happy Planet Running 