Two popular amateur runners Brijesh Gajera and Vaishali Kasture can tell you how. Brijesh Gajera is 3:03 Marathoner who achieved his ‘BQ’ or Boston Qualification at 2017 Mumbai marathon. He is also a member of https://meraterahrun.org/. Vaishali Kasture is a comrades finisher, 1st Indian woman to complete the world major circuit with ‘BQ’ Timing and a regular podium finisher at races. Q1. How do you find waste management at Mumbai marathon? Brijesh: Frankly, I cannot call it Waste Management. It was appalling to see plastic bottles littered on the road. I was only a spectator this marathon and saw many places on the route full of trash. I heard that the plastic bottles were given to runners after the finish too. For the race of such a magnitude, the net effect in terms of waste must be really high. I have been part of some races where there are attempts made to manage waste better. Bengaluru Marathon is one such example. Pinkathon in Bangalore has also made similar efforts. Obviously they can do much more but at least there is beginning. Vaishali: It was appalling to see the road after the race was over. It was a sea of plastic. I have participated in many Global races - most of them are attempting to move over to paper cups.  I don’t find it inconvenient . If the cup is half filled it’s easy to gulp down. I think we need to make a whole hearted attempt to get rid of plastic and other non-recyclable materials. The Boston marathon takes going green very seriously. And it is the fastest race in the world in terms of finish times across each age group. They have a green policy -> http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/going-green.aspx 2. Do you think lack of availability of plastic bottles (or presence of reusable cups) will make or break your run/'PB'? Brijesh: No, not at all. We always use our own hydration(reusable bottles) during our training where we have to stop multiple times during a long run. Over time we train ourselves to reduce that break time and adjust our pace around the breaks. It does not affect the training and I don’t see a reason why we cannot do the same in a race. The presence of reusable cups and resulting minor delay - while we  use it can be easily tackled by adjusting our pace. Don’t we do that so often anyways in a course of a marathon? My experience with marathons is that most of the people do not miss their mark(target or PB) by a few seconds, its normally by a few minutes. That is something we can only correct in training. Thinking that a minor break/slow down for hydration using reusable cups will break your run is Penny wise, Pound foolish. Vaishali: I don’t think so. It’s easy to master the technique once you get used to it. If I remember correctly - at the Boston marathon, which is the world’s fastest race - the polar springs company only uses paper cups - and no one complains! Both for water and for energy drinks. 3. Are you concerned about cleanliness of reusable cups? Brijesh: I myself have volunteered at a few aid stations where we used reusable cups and served water to the runners. We make a point to train all the volunteers about hygiene and utmost importance is given to the cleanliness. Any given day I would prefer a clean and properly washed reusable cup over a paper cup or a plastic bottle. Vaishali: Yes, I am a little worried that the steel cups may not be washed properly - so I prefer single use paper cups. 4. As a fast runner and inspiration to thousands of runners, what is your take on the sustainability component of marathon events. Do you think they should look at it or do you think it is unimportant in the larger scheme of things. Brijesh: Well, fast is only relative and thousand may be too big a number. I am not that popular :) Over the years I have seen the running community grow. More and more  people are joining the running bandwagon. That has resulted in a proliferation of running events. But sadly the growth of running and need to look after one’s health is not matched by equal consideration and efforts for environmental sustainability. We cannot just blame the organizers as we participants also need to demand environmentally sound steps from them. Environmental concern is one of the primary reasons I have stopped participating in many events and I try to carry my bottle in a race as much as possible. Vaishali: It is extremely important to look at sustainability. I feel strongly that we are destroying our planet. We create almost 150 pounds of junk per person per year. Marathon running is extremely precious to my heart but the sustainability of this planet for future generations is far far more important than anything else!  We as runners can do a lot to improve sustainability and reduce the junk that’s generated in the races. Another point is the goody bags - we need to stop giving goody bags as many of the contents are thrown away. Finally consider eco friendly bibs 1. Reusable - Procam could have one permanent bib that you could re-use across all their races. I’m sure the nitty gritty can be worked out. 2. The bibs could be made with reusable material. I heard the SBI mumbai marathon had bibs that contained seeds and pulp - you could water it and plant a tree... need many such innovative solutions to make running and racing a sustainable sport. Well what do you have to say about the running champions who look further than a PB? Leave a comment!