Spring marks marathon season in the UK and around the world, when thousands of runners don their trainers to take on the ultimate challenge and professionals push to break records🥇
This year’s London Marathon set a new record as the world’s largest marathon, with 56,640 runners crossing the finish line . It’s a moment worth celebrating, but these increasingly large events can also trigger an often-overlooked surge in single-use plastic consumption. At BRITA, we want to see a marathon season that is not only defined by the determination, courage and success of the people taking part, but by a commitment to cross the line into a more sustainable future. Sporting events are a powerful platform to challenge outdated habits and champion a refill and reuse culture.
Marathon’s Plastic Footprint💧
The UK already faces a significant plastic problem, with 3.5 billion single-use plastic bottles sold every year. Marathons compound this issue, as thousands take to the roads with a need for near-constant hydration. The London Marathon alone is estimated to produce at least 750,000 waste plastic bottles in a single day, many of which pollute our streets or rivers.
This year’s London Marathon brought an additional challenge of unseasonably high temperatures, with runners facing temperatures of up to 22 degrees. The hot conditions mean runners need more water, but with limited access to public water fountains, this only increases reliance on plastic bottles.
In fact, the UK ranks 53rd globally on the number of public fountains per capita, with just 2.08 per 100,000 people. Sporting events like the London Marathon spotlight this scarcity, highlighting the critical gap in our infrastructure which limits the public’s ability to conveniently access free water. With temperature records being broken on an almost annual basis now, better access to sustainable water sources at events will be vital for both the environment and runner safety.
A Stage For Change🌍
With over 800,000 spectators and millions more watching worldwide, the London Marathon is more than a race, it’s a global stage. It also reflects the wider challenges we face: how to reconcile convenience with sustainability.
While some events are beginning to showcase greener practices, single-use plastic remains deeply embedded in the race-day experience. That needs to change. Marathons can help shift public habits around hydration and waste.
Time for a reset.
BRITA is calling for a cultural reset - a shift away from single-use plastic and towards refill and reuse. Organisers of sporting events can lead the way by installing more refill stations and encouraging participants and spectators to bring reusable bottles.
We know this approach works.
Our partnership with the LTA saved over 220,000 single-use plastic bottles by installing refill points and providing reusable bottles at all major LTA events.
But we also need structural change.
The National Planning Policy Framework currently makes no mention of public access to water. BRITA is urging the Government to update planning guidelines to ensure towns and cities are equipped with enough clean accessible water fountains.
This is a solution that is likely to receive concrete public support.
With polling showing that 70% of adults say they would be happy to reach for a reusable bottle instead of buying single-use water bottles if it were easier to refill in public spaces.
At BRITA, we’re calling time on single-use plastic.
Choose to refill, not throw away. Now, more than ever, is the time to make marathon season the moment we run towards a more circular future.
