News article
London 10k to utilise You.Smart.Thing low-carbon travel tool
This year’s edition of the Vitality London 10km is set to be the first mass participation sports event in the UK to utilise the green travel tool, You.Smart.Thing, to encourage runners and spectators to opt for low-carbon transport.
Roughly 18,000 people are expected to take part in the event, which is organised by London Marathon Events (LME) and will take place on September 22.
LME has been dedicated to making its operations and organisation of events more sustainable, with its flagship race – the TCS London Marathon – becoming the first major event in the UK to be awarded Gold certification by The Council for Responsible Sport.
The CRS assessment is based on five key areas of social and environmental impact: planning and communications, procurement, resource management, access and equity, and community legacy.
“London Marathon Events is committed to reducing its environmental impact and we know there are key areas where it can make a real difference. One of these is participant travel to our events,” explained Kate Chapman, LME’s Head of Sustainability.
“London Marathon Events is committed to reducing its environmental impact and we know there are key areas where it can make a real difference."
“We already have a carbon removal initiative in place for the TCS London Marathon which is funded by a levy from international participants. Now working with You. Smart. Thing. enables us to encourage people to think about how planning travel can help us collectively reduce our carbon footprint.”
LME’s portfolio of mass participation events in the UK also include the Bath Half Marathon, Brighton Marathon Weekend, Ford RideLondon, Ford RideGlasgow, Vitality Westminster Mile, The Royal Parks Half and more.
“We are delighted to be working with London Marathon Events to elevate its sustainability initiatives and enhance the participant experience for the Vitality London 10,000,” You.Smart.Thing Chief Executive Chris Thompson told Global Sustainable Sport.
“The LME travel assistant deployment represents a step change in addressing the climate emergency and enhancing environmental sustainability in the sports sector. We’re looking forward to working with LME on future events.”
Image: Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash