The Royal Parks Half Marathon, presented by Royal Bank of Canada, has announced it will be launching a Plant-Based Food Village, presented by Quorn, at the event’s Food and Fitness Festival, set to take place on Sunday 9 October.
In partnership with Quorn, the half marathon’s official Sustainable Protein Partner, the Plant-Based Food Village is being introduced to encourage runners and spectators to think about how their food choices impact the environment.
The Plant-Based Food Village, presented by Quorn, will feature a selection of plant-based food stalls, all focused on refuelling runners after their epic run. The broader festival will include eco-stalls featuring environmentally friendly products to purchase.
The Plant-Based Food Village, presented by Quorn, contributes to the half marathon’s aim of becoming as sustainable as possible.
This pledge is further enhanced by its partnership with Trees Not Tees, whereby runners are given the opportunity to plant a tree in lieu of a finisher’s shirt, in order to reduce waste.
The race maintains its pledge to ban single-use plastic. We encourage runners to be largely self-sufficient with their water supply, but only for those that are comfortable doing so.
Water will be readily available both at the start and the end of the race, and there are three on-course water stations.
Alun Mainwaring, Head of Events at The Royal Parks, commented: “We’re very excited to launch our Plant-Based Food Village, presented by Quorn, at this year’s event.
We want runners to explore plant-based options as a healthy, sustainable lifestyle choice that takes care of the planet around them.
“We’re so excited to provide runners with an afternoon of great food and enjoyable activities, following an unforgettable running experience through one of the most famous cities on earth.”
Gill Riley, Marketing Director at Quorn Foods, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Royal Parks Half Marathon this year and support the first ever Plant-Based Food Village.
It’s now more important than ever that shoppers make more sustainable food choices, so we can’t wait to share our delicious Quorn products with the runners and spectators to show them just how easy and tasty these choices can be.
As well as being a great source of protein, all our products contain our super-protein Quorn mycoprotein, which is naturally high in protein and fibre, low in saturated fat and has a lower environmental impact than some animal proteins.
The carbon footprint of Quorn’s mycoprotein is at least 35 times lower than beef mince and its water footprint is at least 16 times lower than pork*1 – making it a great choice for runners and the planet alike.”
The Royal Parks Half Marathon will be returning to its original route this year, meaning the 13.1mile run will lead its 16,000 participants through four of London’s eight Royal Parks, including Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens.
Internationally recognised landmarks also form part of the race’s backdrop, including Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, Canada House, and Buckingham Palace, allowing the marathon to retain its title as one of the most visually stunning races on the planet.
Though the ballot for the 2022 Royal Parks Half Marathon has now closed, you can still guarantee entry by running on behalf of one of the event’s charity partners.
*1: Quorn’s Footprint Comparison Report (The Carbon Trust, 2021) is now available at https://www.quorn.co.uk/assets/files/content/Carbon-Trust-Comparison-Report-2021.pdf.