Carbon Footprint

I am a hypocrite!

I bicycle to work for environmental reasons, but travel around the western United States (primarily the Rocky Mountains) to run in races that I have no chance of winning or even competing in as far as it relates to the elites. I keep telling myself that I will develop a local races only mentality and then find some new excuse to sign up for a more distant race (or I'll simply exaggerate the idea of local and take it to mean within the state or maybe even neighboring states) . . .

Beyond my personal hypocrisy, I have been wondering for some time now if travel distance could become a new handicapping factor in lotteries. Maybe RDs of lottery based races could add an extra ticket for in-state, in-region, or in-town applicants as a way of reducing the carbon footprint of ultras . . . not sure what in-town would mean for a race like Wasatch, but I think the idea is not completely absurd. It would preserve a sense of local community in some of the most desired races, but still allow runners a chance to race in more distant lands and gradually make it to all their desired venues.

Anyhow this is just a random rambling . . .