Antrim Coast Half Marathon goes eco with recycled medals, T-shirts and tree planting

Antrim Coast Half Marathon and street mile finishers will be presented with a recycled wooden medal in a move to make the race more sustainable.

Four-time Olympic champion, Sir Mo Farah, won the World Athletics approved event along the stunning Antrim Coast in 2020 and became a race ambassador the following year.

While his 2022 attendance hasn’t been confirmed, double Olympic and four times World Championship long distance runner Haile Gebrselassie will be taking part.

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And this year, organisers have gone all out to make it as eco-friendly as possible by planting a tree for every runner while race T-shirts will be made from 100% recycled polyester, sourced locally.

The half marathon and ‘classic street mile’ take place in Larne on August 27 and are sponsored by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Speaking about its eco-credentials, race organiser James McIlroy said: “Wooden medals use less energy and have a lower carbon footprint than metal counterparts.

“Also, they are fully recyclable - you can shave the face off any access medals and re-laser a new logo on.

“In all honesty we will probably give the excess medals to local school children but it’s still nice to have the option and we’re not completely discounting it - although there would be travel involved to get this done so not sure how much carbon we’d offset.”

James said all the wood used for the medals will be FSC accredited and that the T-shirts are “100% recycled polyester”.

“For every paid entry for 2022 we will also plant a tree with One Tree Planted,” he added.

As for the issue of throwaway plastic bottles at running events, he admits: “Plastic water bottles are the biggest