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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Brooks Makes First Biodegradable Midsole Available in Trance 8 Model

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Press Release: Leading performance running company Brooks Sports, Inc. today announced that BioMoGo, the world’s first biodegradable midsole, is now available to consumers in the new Trance™ 8 premium support shoe. Brooks designed BioMoGo to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoe midsoles, making it one of the most significant sustainable technologies to hit the running footwear market.

BioMoGo midsoles include a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to break down nutrients into reusable byproducts.
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Kate O’Neill:
Powering something other than ourselves?
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

Posted February 18th, 2008 at 4:35 PM by Kate O'Neill

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Kate O'Neill

Hi, this is my blog in TFS’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Bookmark http://kateoneill.thefinalsprint.com/ and check back every other Monday for my latest entry as I strive for the 2008 Summer Olympics!

In terms of energy conservation, I like to think that I’m fairly good to the environment. My reality came crashing down on me this morning when I blew a fuse while using both a microwave oven and a panini press at the same time. It took me a second to realize what I had done and then I felt horrified that I was using that much energy just to make lunch for my boyfriend and me.

I felt guilty about it until going for my second run and listening to a “Science Friday” podcast. (“Science Friday” is weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment on National Public Radio. Read the rest of this entry »

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Brooks Sports Unveils New Biodegradable Midsole in Running Shoes

Posted November 15th, 2007 at 9:45 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

TheFinalSprint.com, TFS Media Network and I would like to applaud Brooks on their commitment to environmental sustainability and for the innovation, as described below, of a new biodegradable midsole in running shoes.

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Brooks Sports, Inc., a leading performance running company, today introduced from its sales meeting BioMoGo, the world’s first biodegradable midsole.

Blazing a new trail in the athletic industry by offering runners more environmentally friendly footwear, Brooks designed its new BioMoGo midsole to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoes.

BioMoGo midsoles include a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to biodegrade nutrients into reusable byproducts. While Traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate™ (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in an enclosed landfill, extensive tests have proven that BioMoGo can biodegrade in roughly 20 years when placed in the same environment. By using BioMoGo in its shoes, Brooks will save nearly 30 million pounds of landfill waste over a 20-year period.
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Runners Take Strides to Lighten Environmental Impact of NYC Marathon

Posted November 3rd, 2007 at 5:57 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Runners at this year’s ING New York City Marathon are taking strides to lighten the environmental footprint of the event — by participating in the first-ever recycling initiative at the Marathon. Poland Spring Brand Natural Spring Water, the Official Water of the ING New York City Marathon, is introducing a recycling program to make it easier to recycle water bottles used during the event.

Poland Spring, in partnership with the New York Road Runners, who organize the Marathon, arranged to recycle the 75,000 one-gallon Poland Spring containers that provide hydration for the runners along the 26.2 mile course.

And that’s not all — recycling bins were installed at Sunday’s Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff Race in Central Park to recycle more than 13,500 Poland Spring water containers that provided water for runners.
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Podcast 76: Mary Chervenak of the BLUE PLANET RUN Team

Posted September 10th, 2007 at 9:45 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, SPOTLIGHT

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Episode 76 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Mary Chervenak; one of the 20 members of the Blue Planet Run Team who just finished an around-the-world, 95 day and 15,000 mile running adventure to raise money for safe drinking water projects, increase global awareness and to demonstrate the need for the world’s population to band together to bring an end to this problem (Click here to watch a YouTube video about the BPR!).

In the interview Mary discusses her team’s efforts, training for and completing this international running and philanthropic quest, and it’s impact, both emotionally and physically, the Blue Planet Runners.

Download the podcast to hear Mary discuss these topics, as well as, her response to critics who deem the Dow Chemical’s sponsorship as “hypocritical”, why the route did not go through Africa, plans to continue the run every two years, and much more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Mary Chervenak
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 19.3 MB | Length: 28:14 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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2007 Blue Planet Run Concludes in New York City

Posted September 4th, 2007 at 8:54 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

An historic around-the-world relay run reached its finish line today in New York City, marking the completion of an unprecedented three-month athletic endeavor that is raising funds to deliver safe drinking water to some of the 1.1 billion people who currently live without it.

The inaugural 2007 Blue Planet Run, an event made possible by the generous support of The Dow Chemical Company, ended at noon at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport.

The twenty original Blue Planet Run team members who circumnavigated the globe, and two alternates who joined the journey along the way, ran through a crowd of fans, family and friends who were gathered at the landmark New York City waterfront locale to celebrate with the group as it completed its epic 95-day, 15,200-mile expedition through 16 countries.

Beginning from the United Nations in New York City on June 1, the Blue Planet Run team has run relay-style 24 hours a day, seven days a week across Europe, Russia, Asia, Canada and the United States. The runners have endured some of the world’s toughest conditions, from swatting flies through the Gobi Desert to navigating city streets in Beijing to coping with the blistering summer heat of America’s heartland.

Along the way, the Blue Planet Run inspired people around the world to donate to the Blue Planet Run Foundation (BPRF), the non-profit group that organized the Run. Because of Dow’s support, BPRF dedicates one-hundred percent of the money raised to fund grassroots safe-drinking-water projects in rural communities.
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Exercise and Air Pollution: Exposure may increase risk of lung, cardiovascular damage

Posted July 9th, 2007 at 7:10 PM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Health & Fitness

The American Council of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released the following news article on exercise and air pollution May 31, 2007.

An unfortunate aspect of today’s environment is the significant amount of noxious air pollutants including ozone, carbon monoxide, fine and ultrafine particulates. This problem is especially troublesome in urban settings, near major highways, and in indoor ice arenas. Exercising while exposed to air pollution puts people at increased risk of lung and cardiovascular damage. A featured science session at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) addressed the issue of exercise and air pollution, outlining the dangers of air pollution and possible actions to help reduce risks from exposure.

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Six “running-centric” strides to help the environment

Posted March 12th, 2007 at 10:30 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” was a powerful and enlightening documentary. While viewing it in the theater last year, I was inspired by the tips that rolled during the ending credits on how to take action and make a positive environmental impact. As the movie’s website phrases it:

“You have the power to make a difference. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big changes in helping to stop global warming.”

This statement both challenged and motivated me. Changes need to come from both the top-down and the bottom-up. It’s not just national and state governments’ responsibility to fix problems, but also my own! Personal responsibility is a powerful concept in the workplace, in our relationships, and yes, in the environment.

While there are many methods for making a positive difference in the environment through day-to-day living, my “running-centric” view of life leads me to relate everything to running. So I pondered the question, what can I do as a runner to aid the environment in which I live and play? Below are some of the ideas I came up with …
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What’s Up With the Weather?

Posted January 19th, 2007 at 9:45 AM by Megan Hueter

Section: News & Results

It has been an unusually warm winter in the Northeast and Midwest United States; leaving many questioning the cause of such a phenomenon. Many health-conscious individuals and athletes are left wondering the impact of such temperature changes on the body and its ability to perform.

The National Climatic Data Center listed the average temperature for the 48 adjacent states last year as 55 degrees Fahrenheit; 2.2 degrees warmer than average. Worldwide, it was the six warmest year on record. Experts are pointing in three directions: El Niño, global warming and a combination of both.
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