Reforestation with Evergreen Endurance

Following the inaugural Evergreen Endurance Ironman distance triathlon from Lac Montriond to the Chamonix Valley last month, a team of organisers and volunteers got together this weekend to fulfil the event’s pledge to plant a tree for every participant.

This event has a strong environmental responsibility as a key message. Taking athletes through a range of stunning mountain settings as they battle through the gruelling course, the race is aimed at those with a real love and respect for the environments where they train and race.

This philosophy exhibits itself in everything from the motto ‘Hammer the race...Leave no trace…’, the efforts of the athletes, organisers and volunteers to clear any debris from the event, the aims to educate spectators and participants in a positive and responsible environmental attitude to reinvestment in the local community.

As such, finishers of the first Evergreen Endurance triathlon were awarded the greenest of medals - a tree to be planted and enjoyed as a lifelong symbol of their achievement. Some athletes were able to take this medal with them to plant and enjoy at home. For those who had travelled from further afield though this was not possible, and so the Evergreen Endurance Garden was born in Chamonix’s Bois du Boucher.

A group of green fingered supporters gathered on this lovely autumnal Saturday afternoon to plant 40 trees. Not to be put off by digging through tough ground and stubborn undergrowth, the team had soon placed all of the small fir trees around their plot, just behind the aire de parapente.

The event marks a great conclusion to the very successful first Evergreen Endurance triathlon. Entries for next year’s edition are set to open soon, with new shorter distance races on offer too, so keep an eye out on their website for news of how to get involved in a great, responsible local challenge.