The first race of the weekend and one of the most star-studded runs I’ve joined, this event was one of those nice fun runs because it was for a very good cause: the environment.  I can’t see how joining this race could be wrong: you can dispose your hazardous wastes (broken cellphones, chargers, batteries, accessories, etc. of any brand) for recycling, you get to join a race for free, and there are prizes to be won.   As for Nokia, it does give them a good impression to consumers that they, as a company, are concerned for the environment and are not just there to sell you their products.  They were also able to get some materials that could be reused or recycled.

The turnout was quite good and the event started on time, even though it was quite late (7AM) as compared with the usual.  Thankfully the weather was nice so it didn’t get very hot during the race.

The organizers included a warm-up session for the participants (which I didn’t join, I was busy taking pictures!): something that was new for me.  I was missing the race clocks on the start/finish line though.

The fun run had two courses, a 3K and 5K, and for a race that wasn’t very long there still were water stations all around so it was very friendly to beginners.  The only problem I found were the insufficient direction signs (for 5K at least, I’m not sure with the 3K which was a different route).  Most of the signs point straight ahead, and for a course with a lot of corners and crosses a lot of streets, it was fairly difficult to navigate (unless you’re in a pack).  Since the signs only point straight the organizers’ solution were just to place it in an angle so you really have to look to the sides for those “hidden” signs.  On the good side they have people on strategic areas to guide runners (but still they only cover key areas).

Freebies
After crossing the finish line the runner is treated to a free bottle of a popular sports drink and a bottle of mineral water—a free race with more freebies than some commercial races!

A pleasant surprise
We were really surprised that Nokia was generous enough to give a finisher’s shirt!  For a race that you got to join for free it was something you won’t expect.  Not only that the shirt was free, it was really good!  These shirts have some bragging rights because it’s made of high quality material and the design was of good taste.

The shirt was made of Bamboo, and judging from the decimal point being a comma, I’d say it was for a European market.  According to the shirt’s print, it was made from 2.5 kg of Bamboo (make that 2,5 kg), incredible!  Even the shirt’s tag was made of Bamboo.

Why Bamboo?  According to the shirt tag:

This item and tag are made of the fastest growing plan in the world – bamboo.  It didn’t even need irrigation or fertilizers to keep up the speed.  We believe in evolving the way things are made by being clever with raw materials.

Very nice indeed.  Even the plastic packaging of the shirt claims to be environment friendly.  The label on the plastic bag states that it is a “100% biodegradable bag.”

Let’s go back to the race.  Here are my verdicts:

• It’s FREE!
• It’s for a good cause
• It was well-organized
• It started on time
• The race routes were nice
• Ample water stations
• Freebies after the race

(Not so) Bad:

• Hardly any, only the insufficient signage

This was a great initiative on the part of Nokia.  They helped in spreading awareness of saving the environment, and they showed that it can also be fun.  Well done Nokia!  Hopefully other companies follow suit.

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