- Beyond Monumental implemented a new sustainability program at the 2021 CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.
- The program succeeded in keeping 2,122 pounds of event waste out of landfills and incinerators via recycling and composting.
- In the downtown start & finish footprint, organizers recycled or composted 43.4% of the event waste. This result exceeds the nationwide recycling rate of 32.1% by a significant margin.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – Beyond Monumental today announced the results of its sustainability program for the 2021 CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon held on Saturday, Nov. 6. The program succeeded in keeping 2,122 pounds of event waste out of landfills and incinerators via recycling and composting. In the downtown start & finish footprint, organizers recycled or composted 43.4% of the event waste. This result exceeds the nationwide recycling rate of 32.1% (EPA, 2018) by a significant margin.
“We’re thrilled that the Monumental Marathon reflects Beyond Monumental’s care for the environment,” says Julie Brown, Director of Operations and Consumer Experience at Beyond Monumental. “As the organizers of one of the largest marathons in the country, we know it’s important to take responsibility for our event’s impact. We’re proud of these results and know we can do even better. We look forward to taking what we learned and continuing to improve at future events.”
The race organizers partnered with local event sustainability company Ecosystem Events to collect recyclable and compostable materials at the finish line and post-race party. Several water stations along the route also featured compostable cups.
“Beyond Monumental made great strides in reducing the environmental impact of the Monumental Marathon,” says Julia Spangler, owner of Ecosystem Events, who helped design and implement the sustainability program. “Like running, putting on a sustainable event is about challenging yourself and improving your personal record, or PR. This year’s result, an excellent achievement in itself, also provides a great baseline for Beyond Monumental to improve their ‘sustainability PR’ at future races.”
The CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is one of the 15 largest marathons in the U.S. Since its inception in 2008, the marathon has hosted Olympians, thousands of Boston Marathon qualifiers, and countless PR seekers. More than 10,000 participants finished the marathon, half marathon, and 5K courses this year.
Beyond Monumental is a not-for-profit organization that actively supports youth health and well-being by providing access to exceptional events and programs centered around the sport of running.