The following was authored by the Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA) having been approved on May 25, 2023, and reflects the PTRA’s views.
As the number of trail races and events grows worldwide, the PTRA feel that there is increasing need for a set of boundaries and guidelines to help organizers ensure that their events respect the ethics & values of our sport.
The goal of this document is to outline a set of boundaries that we, as athletes, feel are important for ensuring that we feel comfortable participating in an event.
This is not an exhaustive list and individual athletes may have higher standards which inform their decision-making when it comes to participating in events. Nonetheless, this document shall provide a basis of information that PTRA can use when exchanging with races, circuits, federations, etc. It will clearly state the areas that our organization feels strongly enough about, should a clear lack of compliance occur in the future, could merit objection, public communication campaigns or even a boycott.
RED LINES: Items we feel should be respected by every event, under all circumstances. If an organizer chooses not to respect these boundaries, PTRA may take action - including, but not limited to public objection, communi-cation with media and boycotts.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Items we highly recommend as important steps toward a better sport. Non-respect of these recommendations will not automatically trigger public-facing communication. However, PTRA may choose to speak with the media or call out events on social media if organizers do not meet these criteria.
We define Trail Running as the activity of running outdoors and on natural surfaces. We consider trail running to be an umbrella term that includes many sub-disciplines (mountain running, ultra running, skyrunning, fell running, etc.).
While trail running is born of many cultures, territories, backgrounds and motivations, the sport shares common values that we believe form the foundation for the sport. These values are:
Respect of nature
Respect of people and communities
Respect of sport
In order to ensure that these values are shared and respected by all, we believe it is important that our sport does not violate the boundaries found below.
Respect of the natural environment:
Trail running is practiced in natural environments. Without them, the sport wouldn’t exist. The respect and even the preservation of ecosystems and landscapes is deeply rooted in the trail running culture. The value of these ecosystems includes their biodiversity, their natural resources, their function in ensuring ecosystem and climate resilience, and their non material (cultural and spiritual) value. Therefore we strongly believe that all trail running stakeholders - organizers, federations, teams, brands, athletes and spectators - should promote and respect the lands where we run.
“Leave No Trace” principles
Events will have an impact on the ecosystems where we run. That impact can be mitigated by some work before and after the competition and also by limiting the access to those ecosystems to the number of people and nuances that can be held by that particular ecosystem without exceeding their hosting capacity.
It is nearly inevitable that trail running events will have some impact on the ecosystems that they pass through. However, that impact can be mitigated by taking measures before and after the competition, limiting access to fragile ecosystems, and limiting the number of participants. There is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to ecosystem protection or a “magic number” of participants because different environments have different hosting capacities.
The Red Lines outlined here represent the bare minimum expected of events in terms of respect for the environment. The Recommendations are not intended to be exhaustive, but shall provide organizers with some suggestions for improving their event’s impact.
RED LINES
Publicly stated environmental policy. All events must have a publicly-stated environmental policy or commitment that can be consulted online.
Infrastructure. Events shall not build infrastructure (buildings, roads, trails, etc.) that will cause permanent damage to the ecosystems and/or will not have a purpose outside of the event.
Prevent Permanent ecosystem damage. Events shall pay special attention to fragile ecosystems, species and protected areas that risk permanent damage by hosting an event. When possible, these areas should be avoided and in all cases local land managers must be consulted to ensure that necessary measures are taken to avoid unnecessary damage.
Non-polluting vehicles. Races shall not use vehicles that are highly polluting/high emissions or especially loud (motorbikes, quads, helicopters) for purposes outside of security/rescue needs. Races also shouldn’t allow third party companies to use these vehicles in anv action related to the event (i.e. TV filming)
Single use items. Races shall not supply single-use plastics and styrofoam food and beverage containers to race attendees and spectators. This includes aid stations and at the finish line, as well as in pre- and post-race meals.
RECOMMENDATIONS*
Contamination. Events should encourage zero-contamination behavior to help ensure that the event does not introduce invasive species to the local ecosystem. Athletes, pacers, crews and race attendees’ shoes and equipment should be cleaned of dirt, seeds and plant material before and after participating in an event. The race event should provide washing stations and gear inspections at check-in. The athletes remain responsible for cleaning their shoes and equipment.
Transport. Races should provide participants, crew and spectators with public transport, shuttle and carpool/rideshare options to make access to the event easier and reduce the need for individual cars - thereby reducing local pollution and carbon footprint of the race.
Goodies. Races should consider eliminating goodies for participants in favor of environmental protections. In all cases, goodies should be opt-in for all participants and the distribution of promotional material should be kept to a minimum.
Markings. Races should ensure that course markings, and evidence of aid stations be removed after the race.
Trash. Events should provide clearly marked recycling points near the start and finish lines, as well as at accessible crewing and spectating areas. Participants and crew should be prohibited from dropping trash outside of designated areas, and course sweepers should ensure that no micro-trash is left on the course. At aid stations and at the start/finish, single-use plastic bottles should be minimized or entirely eliminated in favor of large-capacity water containers that can be refilled.
Education. Educational information should be provided for participants, crews and spectators to ensure that they understand their impact, including why they should respect established trails.
Sanitation. Races should provide ample bathroom stalls at the event to minimize the use of the area around the start line as a toilet. Where possible, and especially for ultramarathons, toilets should be available at aid stations. Noise pollution. Races and events should take into account the impact of noise (especially at the start/finish lines) on the local biodiversity and community. Noise should be limited to a reasonable decibel level and period of time.
Reporting. After an event, races should attempt to measure and report their impact. This should be communicated to the public and inform choices for improvement at the following editions. *These recommendations may be included in a stated environmental policy.
Greenwashing
Sponsoring is key in the development of the sport, to be able to organize events or develop the athletes careers, but it is also a powerful tool to promote the values of the partners. In certain cases, some companies might use the events or athletes that have values close to nature and its preservation to greenwash the company image.
Sponsorship is key to the development of the sport, both in terms of event sponsorship and athlete sponsorship. Companies and brands may choose to sponsor an athlete or event for a variety of reasons, including a desire to support or promote the values embodied by chosen partner or beneficiary. However, in some cases, companies and even government entities may want to associate themselves with an athlete or event with strong connections to environmental protection or conservation in order to improve their own image.
This practice can qualify as greenwashing. Greenwashing is a deceptive marketing practice that aims to persuade the public that a company or organization’s practices are environmentally friendly. These campaigns are at odds with the organization's actual operations and practices. The PTRA believes that athletes and events should be aware of this practice and refuse to accept sponsorship from companies who aim to use them and their environmentally-friendly image to bolster their own image without backing it up with action.
RED LINES
Races, circuits and/or federations shall not be sponsored by:
Fossil fuel companies (Gas extraction companies, gas distributors, or similar)
Mineral extraction companies
Industrial-scale livestock farming
Logging companies
Tobacco companies
or Any companies clearly associated with environmental crimes
RECOMMENDATIONS
Avoid contracting event sponsors from industries that are highly polluting and/or promote a lifestyle with a big environmental footprint (e.g., car companies, etc. or other equipment or materials that are highly contaminating).
Follow Pro Trail Runners Assoc: https://trailrunners.run/