The Haulin' Aspen trail marathon takes place in Shevlin Park, a county park which butts up against national forest land outside Bend, Oregon. The race course utilizes trails in both the county park and national forest. It is fantastic venue with technical and picturesque terrain.

The Haulin' Aspen trail marathon enjoys something of a cult following by trail runners and is considered a must-do event on the trail and ultra running circuit. It includes full and half-marathon races with over 90% of the course on trails. The event encourages involvement through exposure to youth and direct involvement by newcomers to the sport. The event is produced by a local wellness and event organization, Fresh Air Sports, headed by Gina Miller. Bend is an environmentally-conscious town with good intentions and initiatives to do more. Due to the nature of the course, the race is moderately spectator-friendly and provides opportunity to educate and inspire both participants and spectators to race responsibly.

The event is capped at 500 participants. Many participants are local, but some travel from across the country to participate in this unique and quality event.

Waste
Early documentation indicated the primary environmental focus of the event would be to minimize waste through composting and recycling. The event recycled paper, cardboard, plastic and glass, donated leftover food, and strived to reduce the waste generated per participant by 10% from the previous year. Waste stations were provided by the Environmental Center, a local non-profit, and they were accessible and visible to participants. Waste receptables were clearly distinguishable from recycling or composting receptacles.

The event eliminated single-use, plastic water bottles in favor of water/hydration drink in coolers with paper Gatorade cups, which are compostable depending on the composting facility. Food was served using paper or plastic products from recycled or biodegradable sources (e.g., utensils made from corn, etc.).

Climate
The event worked with local businesses, such as Whole Foods, Nancy P's Bakery, Johnny Carino's, and Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, to serve organic and locally grown and/or made food to reduce transportation costs and packaging waste. The brownies were quite tasty and fresh. All fruit was certified organic.

The event provided a shuttle from the designated parking lot to the race start, but nearly everyone from out of town drove or flew into Bend for the event.

Electrical energy for the timing, sound system, and other needs came from a gas-powered generator. Extension cords transported the electricity to where it was needed. While power usage was minimal, the event purchased renewable energy from Pacific Power's "Blue Sky" program. No renewable energy was sourced for power on-site. Next year provides a great opportunity for the event to switch to solar energy because of the small power requirements.

The event hosted a secure bike parking area for participants and spectators to take advantage of, and many spectators (5-10%) made use of this creative option.

Materials
Registration was 100% online - no paper registration forms. Patagonia provided technical tees and not only were they made from 100% recycled material, but they are also recyclable through the company's "common threads" program. Finisher awards were made by a local ceramic artist, but the attached lanyard was sourced overseas. The event required minimal equipment because it used existing structures and picnic tables at the park. The race course was marked by small, reusable irrigation flags, which were gathered by two mountain bikers sweeping the course following the final competitor.

Community and Outreach
The event employed the services of the Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program to disperse waste stations, aid in site set-up, and perform other volunteer activities. ONGYCP is a program for at-risk youth who are one step away from juvenile detention or corrections. The program provides military-based structure and guidance to kids who need it. It provided a great opportunity for exposure to healthy living and a positive environment. The kids worked hard yet had fun.

The event also employed local student-athletes eager to earn money towards their school athletics participation fee. Participants were offered the option to raise $150 (marathon) or $100 (half-marathon) for the Mountain View Cross Country Team and in turn race for free. Aid stations were staffed by local high school teams earning money towards athletic participation in school.

Health Promotion
The event provides an early start for both distances to encourage wider participation for slower runners. Signage and announcements were made during the event to publicize sustainability initiatives. Pre-event press releases were published. The event improved measurably on sustainability initiatives undertaken at the Deschutes Dash, which is produced by the same company. The event capitalized on the opportunity to make participants and spectators more aware of sustainability efforts, and it engaged the public to do their part on-site and after race day. Overall the event did a good job "greening up" the event, and while there is always room for improvement, should be commended for their efforts and successes.