The Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced the introduction of structured, on-course refill stations in partnership with Culligan International, the global leader in water services. The new initiative marks an exciting sustainability and social responsibility milestone for the event, enabling race participants to refill personal hydration gear on course with cleaner, great-tasting water while reducing plastic waste.
Part of Culligan’s multi-year partnership with the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series, the on-course refill stations reinforce the events’ commitment to environmental responsibility with a first-of-its-kind approach in the United States and a first for World Major Marathons, leveraging Culligan’s water services expertise to reliably hydrate participants while accelerating practices that protect the planet.
“Sustainability has been one of our core focus areas for more than a decade, and the introduction of on-course refill stations represents an important next step,” said Carey Pinkowski, Executive Race Director, Bank of America Chicago Distance Series. “Working with our partners at Culligan helps us sustainably meet the evolving needs of runners while continuing to reduce race day waste across our events—a win-win for everyone.”
The Culligan Water Refill Stations leverage proven science to deliver cleaner, better-tasting drinking water at high flow rates. Using high-capacity activated carbon filtration, the systems effectively reduce microplastics and unpleasant tastes or odors while ensuring high-quality hydration for participants throughout the course.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon course will feature four Culligan Water Refill Stations, located immediately prior to Aid Station 4 (Mile 5.7), Aid Station 7 (Mile 10.1), Aid Station 12 (Mile 15.7), and Aid Station 16 (Mile 20.3). Chicago is the first Abbott World Marathon Major to formally enable personal hydration refills on course as participants can now refill their own approved self-carried hydration gear with Culligan-filtered water at each station.
“We are proud to innovate and leverage our expertise in service, science, and sustainability right here in our hometown with the new Culligan Refill Stations,” said Al Hamood, President and Chief Operating Officer, Culligan International. “Our partnership with the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series reflects our commitment to improving lives while protecting the planet, setting new industry standards in endurance races and elevating runner experiences.”
Sustainable advancements like this are only possible with collaboration across industries. HydraPak, an Official Vendor Partner of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, is supporting this innovative new experience providing race-day hydration products to help participants comfortably and safely carry their own gear while training and throughout major events like the Chicago Marathon.
Together, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Culligan International, and HydraPak aim to build a scalable model for sustainable hydration at endurance running events.
Source: Culligan
