Plastic-free in '23: Sustainable hydration at 10K

Runners at this year’s Darlington 10K will be going plastic-free for their hydration this year.

The local Aldi Distribution Centre, which has supplied the event’s water for more than five years, has sourced a new sustainable product that provides a plastic-free hydration.

Notpla Ooho Pop and Go is an edible bubble designed to be consumed whole. These will be available for runners out on route of the 10k at the usual hydration station on Carmel Road North.

The Notpla Nip & Sip Ooho are designed to be sipped and the biodegradable pouch can then be discarded like a piece of fruit . These will also be at the finish line for the Junior 3K and 10K.

An Aldi local representative said: “Working closely with Darlington Borough Council, we are excited to announce that for this year’s Darlington 10K we are going 100% plastic free, replacing the usual 500ml plastic bottles we’ve provided in the past, with Notpla’s  Ooho ‘pop & go’ plus ‘nip & sip’ pouches. You may have seen these used in the London Marathon in the past.

“Both products are made from seaweed, echoing Notpla’s mission, ‘to make packaging disappear’ and reiterating Aldi’s commitment to reducing and removing unnecessary plastic and packaging from our products.”

A team will be going around the Market Square race Hub prior to the start on Sunday (6 August), offering participants the opportunity to try the product before the runs begin.

Notpla has created a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic with their unique, natural packaging solutions made from Seaweed. Their hero product - Ooho - are edible bubbles and provide a revolutionary answer for packaging liquids for consumption on the go. They offer the convenience of disposable packaging, without the plastic waste. Not only are they fun to consume, but they are also entirely plastic-free and can be eaten or discarded like a fruit peel.

Ooho are made from seaweed, one of nature’s most sustainable resources. Globally abundant and fast-growing, seaweed doesn’t require freshwater, land or fertiliser. It is one of our greatest weapons against climate change – reducing ocean acidification and effectively absorbing carbon.

Race director Phil Haymer said: “This year’s 10k promises to be another fabulous occasion. We are proud to be going plastic free for our water this year and extremely excited about the Notpla Ooho seaweed pouches being part of our event.”

Councillor Matthew Roche, Darlington Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Health & Housing, said: “The team behind the 10K do a fantastic job, putting on an event that runners come back to year after year. Being able to offer runners a completely plastic-free, sustainable way of keeping hydrated during their run is another huge bonus for what promises to be another wonderful event.”

There is still time to enter the 10K. You can enter via the Enjoy Darlington website before the closing date, midnight on Wednesday (2 August).