Happy Planet Running

15/08/2024

A beautiful morning, nice setting, live music and wine after the race. Sounds great for the runners! And busy for the Green Team. But we got it done!

Running Between the Vines at Sandhill Crane Vineyards is always a long day for Team Zero Waste, but it has its compensations. The event features half marathon, 5K, and 5-mile distances, and a sophi…

09/08/2024

A great morning for a trail run, and it being cupless, with very little waste, was a bonus!

by Green Team captain Liz Li It was a sunny day for this year’s RF Events The Legend trail run at Sleepy Hollow State Park. The weather was ideal for a run, with plenty of shade along the trail. Ru…

29/07/2024

A great result at the RF Events Pterodactyl Tri - but did our mascot hold up?

This year’s Pterodactyl Tri had good news and bad news for the Zero Waste team. The good news is the low amount of landfill – just under two pounds – and a smooth event, both for the athletes and t…

25/07/2024

Another crazy busy night for the Green Team at the RF Events Oberun 5K. But got 'er done with over 97 percent landfill diversion!

The 2024 RF Events Oberun 5K took place on a perfect evening for a short run with a long recovery with beer and good food. This was great for the athletes – and a lot of work for the Green Team. Bu…

16/07/2024

Things heated up fast at the Ann Arbor Tri last Saturday, but our Green Team stayed cool and knocked out another 95% landfill diversion result!

It was a warm day for this year’s Epic Races Ann Arbor Tri at Halfmoon Lake. With the water temperature at 76 degrees, the swim portion was near perfect. By the time the Olympic distance finishers …

07/07/2024

A sustainable 5K followed by a parade! What better July 4 could you have in Ann Arbor?

This year’s July 4 Epic Races Firecracker 5K returned to downtown Ann Arbor after last year’s construction moved it to Briarwood Mall. As usual, there was a hot dog contest division (eat four hot d…

28/06/2024

Look how fired up these guys are to find out their triathlon is Zero Waste!

The air quality was much better than this time last year, which means the RF Events Triceratops Tri could actually be held! 2023’s Canadian wildfires resulting in cancellation are gone, and we had …

23/06/2024

Another solid Zero Waste effort at the Epic Races Tri Goddess Tri!

https://happyplanetrunning.com/2024/06/23/tri-goddess-tri-2024-sustainability-report/

19/06/2024

Recycle! It's the patriotic thing to do!

A nice day and a great turnout for the RF Events Liberty Run in Canton, with lots of red, white, and blue in evidence. About 750 runners participated in the 5K or 10K (some doing both) and the one-…

14/06/2024

Another beautiful day for a race on the Detroit Riverfront. And HPR was there again to make it sustainable!

Happy Planet Running was proud to return this year to provide Zero Waste services for the Riverfront Run put on by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Over 1,600 runners showed up for the 5K and 10…

07/06/2024

The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run put on by the Ann Arbor Track Club celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 2. And set a new landfill diversion rate. Pure gold!

The 50th anniversary of the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run this year achieved a couple of sustainability milestones, appropriate for the special year: A new low in landfill with only 15.4 pounds out of 1,589…

07/06/2024

Two events in one morning. Was the HPR team up to making both zero waste? What do you think?

For several years “running” now, Happy Planet Running has served two events on the same morning; Flirt with Dirt, put on by RF Events, and the Island Lake Triathlon put on by Epic Races. The follow…

03/06/2024

A smooth start to the RF Events summer triathlon season with the Stegosaurus Tri!

18/05/2024

What a great way to honor Mom on her day. A beautiful morning run on Belle Isle, breakfast, and zero waste!

If you’re a mom, or want to celebrate yours, what better way to start Mother’s Day than to run a 5K or 10K in a beautiful location, then enjoy a post-race breakfast with a fancy non-alcoholic cockt…

17/05/2024

A perfect evening on the Detroit Riverfront for a little run and a lot of beer - and zero waste, of course.

Another perfect evening in Detroit for the RF Events Hightail to Ale 5K at the Atwater Brewery, which meant happy runners and a lot of beer consumed (three 96-gallon carts, or roughly 1,500 cans). …

03/05/2024

The first Zero Waste event for HPR hits its eight year, as sustainable as ever!

The eighth year of Zero Waste at Trail Marathon was another success! It has the special distinction of being the first race I did Zero Waste for, and the first cupless race RF Events put on, which …

19/04/2024

The Martians invaded, they ran, they ate, and they left. And we cleaned up after them, keeping the Earth safe for another year!

Another perfect day for the RF Events Martian Invasion of Races at Ford Field Park in Dearborn, although the back part of the marathon course had flooded from the previous day’s rain, so the full w…

16/03/2024

St. Patrick didn't have to work hard this year. All the snakes froze. But the runners didn't, and we were there at Shamrocks and Shenanigans and the Corktown Races to ensure Zero Waste along with zero snakes!

Mother Nature picked the perfect time to stick a windy, freezing day in the middle of terrific early spring weather. “Perfect” for laughing her butt off. Certainly the HPR crew was freezing its but…

14/02/2024

Lions not in the Super Bowl? Run off your frustration! And top it off with pizza and Zero Waste!
https://happyplanetrunning.com/2024/02/13/the-lions-slept-the-runners-didnt-super-5k-2024-sustainability-report/

03/02/2024

The latest from my world. Snowshoes, a cancelled trip, protein upping, and more.

Wow, it’s been an eventful start to the year. Just a couple short weeks ago it was shaping up to be the kind of Michigan winter I grew up with, snow on the ground for a long time, and I was running…

01/02/2024

First Zero Waste event of 2024 - the RF Events Bigfoot Snowshoe Race! The snowshoers were out in force, and even in costume. And we kept the land of the Bigfoot clean and pristine!

The Bigfoot Snowshoe race in Traverse City went on despite several days of rain beforehand. The lodge’s property had plenty of snow left, albeit wet and slushy, but over 400 dedicated snowshoers ra…

31/12/2023

Final Zero Waste numbers and charts for 2023! See it all here!
RF Events Epic Races Tris4Health Ann Arbor Track Club Detroit Riverfront Conservancy Kurtis Sports Management myTeam Triumph - West Michigan Chapter

Another tremendous Zero Waste year at Happy Planet Running has come to an end, and here’s the summary scoop on it! We performed Zero Waste services for 39 events in 2023, tying the record with 2019…

08/12/2023

RF Events Holiday Hustle - the final 2023 event for Happy Planet Running, featuring over 1,500 runners, holiday costumes, and even a sled dog team! And almost no landfill!

We had another nice day (for December) for the final HPR-served event of the year – the RF Events Holiday Hustle. A good thing, with another great turnout for both the morning half marathon a…

29/11/2023

Another successful RF Events Turkey Trot in downtown Ann Arbor. More than 4,000 runners, and less than a pound of landfill!

The RF Events Turkey Trot in downtown Ann Arbor on Thanksgiving morning is something like a “here and gone” event. I arrived at 6:30 a.m. to set up, the runners were off at 8:30, and we were packed…

16/11/2023

A great day for the Epic Races turkey trot, where I got more turkey than I bargained for!

This year’s Original A2 Turkey Trot promised to be quick and simple, at least from a Zero Waste standpoint, and after the crazy-busy summer I was looking forward to it. And then Epic Races director…

09/11/2023

A perfect day for a trail run, with beer and fire afterward. And Zero Waste! All at the RF Events Bonfyre Trail Fest Run.

This year’s RF Events Bonfyre Trail Fest was what a fall trail race should be all about – cool temps, beer afterward, and, of course, fires big enough to keep warm and roast marshmallows. A welcome…

14/10/2023

It was early Halloween at the RF Events Run, Scream, Run 5K/10K at Wiard's Orchards. But the sustainability report was anything but scary, even with the Grim Reaper overseeing it!

It was Run Scream Run day at Wiard’s Orchards! Over 700 runners showed up, and there were costumes a-plenty. And all were in good “spirits” which should be expected, with cider and donuts afterward…

08/10/2023

A beautiful day for a run through a cider mill, followed by pancakes and cider enjoyed by everyone - including the orchard's pigs, who helped ensure the RF Events Scrumpy Skedaddle was zero waste!

by Green Team captain Rachael Rewitzer What a time to BEE a sustainable race! Sunday was the RF Events Scrumpy Skedaddle at Almar Orchards & Cidery, home to JK Scrumpy cider, a nece…

07/10/2023

The Epic Races Ann Arbor Marathon returns to downtown, and a terrific sustainability result came with it!

Guess who just got back today? Those wild-eyed marathoners who’d been away… For the first time in many years, the Ann Arbor Marathon started and finished in the heart of downtown. Energ…

04/10/2023

Hey, Strava - here's a KOM that actually means something!

This is the collected compostables from last Sunday's Ann Arbor Marathon - 3.5 cubic yards, 400 lbs. (Me at top left.) Here at Tuthill Farms & Composting, Inc. it will turn into high-quality dirt instead of rotting in a landfill giving off greenhouse gases. Kudos to Epic Races for supporting sustainability at its events!