It’s a Start! Swim to the Moon 2026 Sustainability Report

Last Sunday morning over 600 athletes showed up for the annual Epic Races Swim to the Moon at Halfmoon Lake Beach. Although as the announcer pointed out, the Moon is about 238,000 miles away and the longest distance offered was 15K (9.3 miles) so I’m pretty sure nobody actually got there. (But it’s a start.)Continue reading “It’s a Start! Swim to the Moon 2026 Sustainability Report”

Quick & Dirty: Pines to Vines 2026 Sustainability Report

Here’s a quick one, with nothing much to say except the results, because all HPR did was pick up and sort trash bags after the event (which I heard went well). This was a small event, with most post-race food and entertainment taken care of by the vineyard, so we picked up finish line stuffContinue reading “Quick & Dirty: Pines to Vines 2026 Sustainability Report”

Pterodactyl Tri 2026 Sustainability Report

The Pterodactyl Tri put on by RF Events is the middle of their summer sprint triathlons. Over 300 athletes showed up to do either the sprint triathlon, or the duathlon (run-bike-run). All they had to do was go faster than the dinos! Here dey come. Nummie num num! As it’s identical to their other twoContinue reading “Pterodactyl Tri 2026 Sustainability Report”

Tri-umph! Ann Arbor Tri 2026 Sustainability Report

This year’s Epic Races Ann Arbor Tri kicked off at 7:30 a.m. on an overcast morning, with water temperature at Halfmoon Lake Beach 82 degrees, warm enough that wetsuits were discouraged. Air temperature was warm but quite reasonable for a triathlon. I (Jeff) arrived at 6:15 to do a basic setup, which the Green TeamContinue reading “Tri-umph! Ann Arbor Tri 2026 Sustainability Report”

Ann Arbor Firecracker 5K 2026 Sustainability Report

Construction in downtown Ann Arbor? No problem! The annual Firecracker 5K went on as scheduled, and as the headline photo shows, there were patriotic costumes a-plenty. And for the ninth straight year, Epic Races made the event Zero Waste by having us (HPR) recycle and compost as much waste as possible. The main event isContinue reading “Ann Arbor Firecracker 5K 2026 Sustainability Report”

Tri Goddess Tri 2026 Sustainability Report

It was a wonderful cool morning at Portage Lake for this year’s Tri Goddess triathlons, put on by Epic Races. There were a number of races to suit your style, from various triathlon distances to aquabike, duathlon, and even a relay. And, as evidenced by the featured photo, plenty of family and friends were thereContinue reading “Tri Goddess Tri 2026 Sustainability Report”

Triceratops Tri 2026 Sustainability Report

RF Events kicked off their summer triathlons with the Triceratops Tri on a Wednesday afternoon that started with a bit of rain, then turned into a perfect evening for the nearly 300 athletes doing the sprint triathlon or duathlon. Rocking the 5K to the finish! I set up the main Zero Waste station near theContinue reading “Triceratops Tri 2026 Sustainability Report”

A Fine Day in Hell: Dances with Dirt Sustainability Report

The Michigan edition of Dances with Dirt, a.k.a. “Hell” moved from September to June this year, with surprisingly good weather, given our recent heat wave here. The notable change for the Green Team was being able to set up and take down in daylight, a nice change for this event with an evening rush thatContinue reading “A Fine Day in Hell: Dances with Dirt Sustainability Report”

Island Lake Tri 2026 Sustainability Report

Report written by HPR event captain Marilyn Harbin This year’s Island Lake Tri was the eighth year HPR has supported it, and while there are always a couple of surprises to handle, everything went smoothly, and more or less according to plan. Beautiful morning to swim / bike / run! We first set up byContinue reading “Island Lake Tri 2026 Sustainability Report”

Detroit Riverfront Run 2026 Sustainability Report

For the fourth consecutive year, Happy Planet Running came to Detroit to provide Zero Waste services to the Riverfront Run at Cullen Plaza. We’re proud to support what’s been voted “the best riverfront in America” and the Conservancy that puts on a 5K and 10K run by over 1,500 people. Which includes Mike, who justContinue reading “Detroit Riverfront Run 2026 Sustainability Report”