As if running a full marathon wasn’t already draining, last Sunday’s Paris Marathon harvested energy from the 40,000 runners who joined the event, literally!
Part of the route along Champs-Elysées was paved with flexible tiles by Pavegen Systems Ltd. These tiles made from recycled truck tires generate as much as 8 watts of kinetic energy when stepped on, the company claims.

the first low carbon marathon with Schneider electric
(Courtesy Green Energy from Footsteps with Pavegen)
There’s no word on how much energy this event actually harvested, but the technology is quite interesting. Who knows, maybe one day this technology could be embedded in our running shoes to help power our energy-hungry devices. 😀
Just in case you’re curious, Paris Marathon 2013 race results can be found here. 😉