Melissa’s Road Race is an annual 5K, 10K, and half-marathon and music festival with live music in Banff National Park. The event is held in late September and regularly sells out to 5,000 participants.

In 2025, the event partnered with reuse service provider Muuse as part of ongoing sustainability efforts to reduce waste. The Road Race provided water and gatorade in Muuse’s blank reusable cups to participants at post-race “Hydration Stations”. The cups were collected in designated return bins to be washed for reuse by Muuse.

In 2025, this prevented the use of 5,000 single-use cups, contributing to a high diversion rate of 95.3%, and demonstrating that reuse can effectively cut waste in participatory sports events. 

More information:

https://www.melissasroadrace.com/sustainability

Information about the reusable cups and dishes https://www.instagram.com/p/DPUwueVAbhU/?hl=en 

Thanks to Muuse for the photos and Isabel Fazio, UofT intern for the research.