FINALLY we can tell you about this year's medal - which we are so proud to have achieved!
Oslo Marathon has existed for over 40 years and brings thousands of runners and spectators to Rådhusplassen every year. We are now working hard to become a more sustainable event, and are therefore taking major steps forward. One of the biggest adjustments we're making this year is to rethink the medal. Let us tell you the story of how this year's medal is created.
We challenged Trofè, our partner and supplier of medals, to come up with a more sustainable production and delivery of the medals. Trofè got thinking and approached another medal supplier "TrophyMe", which has a side project called "Team Recycle". Based in Coventry, England, this company works with sustainable solutions and specializes in the use of recycled plastic. They were asked the question, "We need 20,000 medals. How do we make this happen?"
The answer was really quite straightforward and simple. "We collect plastic, and from that we make the coolest medals!".
But where do you get the necessary plastic?
This is where the genius comes in. Team Recycle involves the whole community in plastic capture through local primary schools. Here, students learn about the importance of caring for the environment and the value of recycling plastic, and they learn about helping each other, working together towards a goal to make society a little better, plus even a bit of geography about where the heck Norway is and how far you can get if you run a full marathon!
Together with Trofè, Oslo Marathon traveled to Coventry to visit the primary schools that help to collect plastic. Here we were greeted with a standing ovation from over 200 children waving the Norwegian flag with thunderous music in the background. Here we got to experience how Team Recycle's teaching program works, and what commitment the whole project creates.
"A large plastic bottle of milk can make a medal"says Team Recycle's project manager Stuart Giddings to the children. With amazement and excitement, the pupils clap their hands and can't wait to join in collecting the milk bottles they have at home. They're actually going to help make the Oslo Marathon medal!
The response from the children has been tremendous!
The response from the children throughout the project has been tremendous. They can now take ownership of their recycling. This is because their recycling ends up on the finish line during the Oslo Marathon to the delight of thousands of happy runners.
That's why we're proud to present a truly unique medal. A medal with meaning. A medal that symbolizes the dedication of the children at the local schools in Coventry, who have worked together to ensure that YOU get to wear it around your neck after an unforgettable journey through the streets of Oslo. Take care of it, it was made just for you. No one else has a medal quite like the one you have hanging around your neck.
