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Monterrey CAMTRI Triathlon Winner Mark Barr will go on to compete in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.[/caption]
Lots of companies say they are trying to do good for the world. But as Lisa Leone so candidly put it in her recent viral post, Ad Girl, Interrupted, diversity and empowerment buzzwords in the business realm are often used as band-aid solutions that "sound swell but don't play out in reality."
Diversity buzzwords, empowerment initiatives, and corporate social responsibility programs have grown massively popular in part, due to high Millennial demand for socially conscious brands and products: 73% of Millennials are willing to pay more to support socially responsible businesses that align with their values. As you can imagine, big brands across industries - from Sony to Walmart - have been sprinting to build CSR programs that meet the idealistic values of this new consumer.
Yet a 2016 study posted as an article in the Harvard Business Review stated that such socially conscious initiatives, while productive and inclusive in theory, may be more effective in protecting companies from lawsuits than actually making diverse individuals feel included within the organization, or even as part of the company's consumer base. This is because CSR initiatives are being tacked onto companies as a form of good public relations, as opposed to aligning a company's social and environmental activities with its business purpose and values. In sum, there are a lot of companies out there who front with their buzzwords but flail in their actions. Nuun isn't one of those companies.
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U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Patricia S. Collins - a distinguished paratrooper - crosses the finish line at the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton.[/caption]
Nuun (pronounced "noon"), founded itself just over a decade ago on the principal of making the sport clean and accessible to as many people as possible. Nuun's product alone could easily position them on the "doing good" verbiage vehicle: nuun is a 100% plant based electrolyte replacement tablet, free from junk calories and questionable additives found in many sports drinks and sports performance supplements. Nuun instead formulaically enhances hydration through non-GMO sourced dextrose, and an optimal blend of electrolytes so your body absorbs nutrients and fluids faster, while keeping you hydrated for all levels of activity longer.
But nuun's commitment to clean sport doesn't stop there. For nuun, the idea of a clean sport extends far beyond a clean product. Nuun believes that part of the ethos of clean sport is ensuring fair and equal access to participate in athletic events for as many people as possible.
"Our guiding light is to help everyone beat their own best, help everyone take that extra step, take their health further (and) achieve their athletics goals." Says nuun brand manager, Arielle Knutson.
For nuun, clean sport is creating a playing field to ensure everyone can play. With this in mind, nuun is coming together with the Challenged Athletes Foundation to sponsor a virtual 5K/10K race called The Challenge Dash — Make Your Miles Count.
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2x Paralympian and 2014 USA national champion Chris Hammer will represent Team USA at the 2016 games.[/caption]
"We've long admired their desire to make sports accessible to everyone." Knutson says of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), an organization that provides unparalleled sports opportunities for individuals with varying physical disabilities. Nuun has been working in an unofficial capacity with the organization for over two years, and in an official capacity for the past six months, initially sponsoring hydration stations at CAF races, and eventually evolving into an official sponsorship of their triathlon team.
This August, four CAF athletes will be participating at the Paralympic Games in Rio. The funds raised from The Challenge Dash will be used to send these elite para-triathlon athletes to the Olympics, which include team USA members Mark Barr, Chris Hammer, Patricia Walsh and Patty Collins. Additional support for the event stems from like-minded partner organizations that include Triathlete Magazine, Garmin, Oiselle, Ciele, and FitFam.
Best part? You, my dear woke reader, can be part of this race too. That's right, UNDO-Ordinary is challenging you to turn your own buzzwords into action by participating in The Challenge Dash -Make Your Miles Count to change the playing field for athletes with physical disabilities while sending some of the world's top competitors to the Olympics in the process.
Participation is simple. Sign up for The Challenge Dash virtual race fundraiser at thechallengedash.com before August 3rd and get an awesome swag pack sent to your door, filled with a custom zinc-alloy finisher medal, cotton-poly blend t-shirt, Tyvek finisher bib and giveaways from event sponsors (not to mention up to 600 dollars in prizes).
You can even join our own UNDO-Ordinary team here! And don't worry - if you're late to the game, you can sign up at a discounted rate until August 25th for a digital entry.
The race itself is easy: between the dates of August 26th and August 28th, get on a treadmill, get out the door, get on a trail, a track, or a sidewalk - whatever is convenient for you. Bring your dog, your running partner, your baby, a friend, a family member, or go solo. You can even run at midnight. Wear your race bib on the run, take pictures with your phone, and promote the event on social media with the hashtag, #ChallengeDash. Then, upload your results using the honor code to enter your own data, or enter a file from your GPS watch.
Once you've completed your miles for either the 5k or the 10k, celebrate sending off some of the world's best Olympians with an online community from all over the world.
Want to support theThe Challenge Dash -Make Your Miles Count? The best way to get involved is to sign up and participate! Or help spread the word and share this post with your friends using the social media icons below.
