Why the OUC Orlando Half Marathon is recognized for sustainability

When thousands of runners take over the streets of downtown Orlando for the OUC Half Marathon Saturday, they'll leave quite the footprint. But it won't be a carbon one.The half marathon is recognized for its sustainability, even earning a Silver Level Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport.WESH 2's Stewart Moore found out what that means, and it all starts with a fire hydrant.When you see an open fire hydrant, you may think it's the opposite of saving water, but that's exactly what they are doing when you see hydrants open on race day for the OUC Half Marathon.Related: WESH 2 to broadcast the OUC Orlando Half Marathon"Of the nine water stations on the course, we tap hydrants so that we are utilizing only the water that we need for the participants on course. We are eliminating essentially 1,800 single-use one-gallon jugs from our course," Alicia Albert from Track Shack said. So how does it work? Crews from OUC, like Corey Johnson's crew, walked us through it."Basically, on the morning of race day, we come out before time, and we hook up taps onto the hydrant so that we can use a spigot and put water and two cups and two jugs or whatever they have so that the water can have the run us can have fresh water to drink," Johnson said. Related: OUC Orlando Half Marathon parking and road closuresBut water isn't the only thing that makes this race certified as sustainable."We have to plan accordingly in regards to sustainable sourcing and purchasing. So, for example, are our race shirts right for, oh, you see, half marathon, we have 4,800 race shirts we need to purchase," Albert said. "And so we partner with a vendor who is able to provide us with recycled polyester. So we are essentially getting recycled polyester for our participants."Even down to the bibs themselves, they're all recyclable. And if you think you need a little help, the people from Track Shack will be there to point you toward sustainable options.Related: OUC Half Marathon: Everything you need to know"It'll say 'Sustainability Team' on the back with our Track Shack recycling logo on the front. Those are the people that you really want to look for at the race. Those are the people who are going to be educated to know how to separate your waste on site," Albert said. "So it's as simple as giving that to them at our main waste diversion station. Or if they are standing by a recycle and trash bin, they will help you determine how to make the right choice of where your waste should be going so that we can do our best to be as responsible as possible and divert as much as we can from a landfill."You're probably wondering if water from a fire hydrant is safe to drink. We asked all the experts.Related: Be the ultimate OUC Orlando Half Marathon spectator"This water is pristine. It's great tasting. It comes all the way from the lower Florida aquifer. So, in some spots, it's coming from under 1,300 feet underneath the surface of the ground, gets treated at our facilities, piped all throughout our service territory. It's fantastic tasting water. It's disinfected. It's wonderful," said Dave Mayor, an OUC conservation specialist. So remember, on race day, all the runners looking to hydrate on the course will be getting a glass of water straight out of the tap as they have for years before.WESH 2 is your home for the OUC Orlando Half Marathon Saturday.Our dedicated race broadcast begins at 7 a.m.WESH 2's Meredith McDonough, Jason Guy, and Nancy Alvarez will be your hosts.We'll have a team of reporters across the course while Stewart Moore, Sheldon Dutes and Michelle Imperato run the half marathon.Related stories below: OUC Half Marathon: Finish camHow the OUC Half Marathon is connected to the 2024 U.S. Olympic team trialsWhat runners need to know before OUC Orlando Half MarathonOUC Half Marathon runners share unique stories ahead of race dayTwo runners have participated in every OUC Orlando Half Marathon since 1977