At London Marathon, Runners and Environmentalism Had Legs

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Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s division of the London Marathon on Sunday in 2:02:37, his second-fastest time ever, while Brigid Kosgei dominated the women’s race with a 2:18:20 finish.

As the elite athletes added to their trophy cases, steps were also taken in the interest of environmentalism, according to CBS. Some 30,000 edible seaweed pods filled with an elecrolyte drink were handed out by volunteers at mile 23 to replace water bottles and cut down on plastic left in the wake of the long-distance run.

Bite-sized and tasteless, the pods made by Skipping Rocks Lab, a seaweed-tech London start-up, are designed to be edible and biodegrable, CBS reports. If they’re not swallowed along with the contents they break down within six weeks. Biting down on the jelly-like skin of the pod releases the liquid inside, an experience likened to “eating a cherry tomato.”