OUC Orlando Half Marathon expands its commitment to sustainability as Florida's only sustainable race. November 6, 2026. ORLANDO, Fla. (November 6, 2026) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ - The OUC Orlando Half Marathon continues to build on its commitment to sustainability as it prepares for its 50th running on Dec. 5. Track Shack Events is building on the event's Gold Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport with new initiatives to reduce waste, expand composting and recycling, strengthen community partnerships while educating participants, staff and volunteers about sustainable practices. The event is pursuing Gold recertification in 2026, continuing its 10-year commitment to responsible event production. This year's efforts include working toward a transition to compostable cups, expanding waste diversion and recycling programs, using recycled materials for participant shirts and continuing partnerships that promote sustainability throughout Central Florida. Longtime event sponsor OUC - The Reliable One also brings sustainability to life throughout the event to educate and inspire attendees. Water stations along the race route are supplied directly from local hydrants, reducing the need for thousands of individual plastic water bottles. Participants have also been given trees to plant in support of a healthier urban canopy, while event entertainment has been powered with clean energy supplied by the utility's all-electric trucks. "Sustainability is an ongoing effort, and it takes collaboration to make meaningful progress," said Katelyn Presti, senior event manager for Track Shack Events and race director for the OUC Orlando Half Marathon. "Working with OUC and our sustainability partners, we're continually looking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of our events, from improving waste diversion and composting to making more responsible choices about the materials we use. Each step brings us closer to our goal of producing a more sustainable event." To help make the transition to compostable cups possible, Track Shack is working with Racing for Sustainability, an organization that helps races operate more sustainably, and pursuing grant funding through its sustainability support fund to help offset the higher cost of the cups. Green Paper Products will supply the cups, which O-Town Compost can process through its composting system. "Our partnership with Track Shack Events reflects a shared commitment to sustainability and the communities we serve," said Linda Ferrone, OUC's Chief Customer and Marketing Officer. "Together, we work to showcase environmental stewardship throughout the race, from operational considerations to creative ways to engage attendees. As the event celebrates its 50th running, we are excited for its continued success and the positive impact it makes in the world." Track Shack's other sustainability initiatives for the event include: * Waste reduction and recycling: Trash, recycling and composting stations will help participants sort waste. Track Shack is also partnering with Orange County Public Schools Green Schools to collect and recycle soft-film plastics, with a goal of collecting 1,000 pounds to earn a recycled plastic bench to be donated to a local school in Track Shack's name. * Responsible race amenities: Participant race shirts are made with recycled polyester and printed locally using sustainable, phthalate-free inks. Leftover shirts, medals and awards will be donated to A Gift for Teaching, a local provider of free school supplies to teachers. * Community engagement: Track Shack continues to participate in the OCPS Green School Judging Program and work with Keep Orlando Beautiful on community cleanups. The organization is also planning a plogging event that combines running with litter collection. * Sustainability education and partnerships: Through its consulting relationship with Tina Muir of Racing for Sustainability, Track Shack is identifying additional ways to improve event practices and share sustainability information with runners and the broader community. * OUC Tree Giveaway: Participants can take home a free tree, compliments of OUC - The Reliable One, and learn how small steps can make a lasting impact on our community and environment. The tree giveaway is Dec. 3-4 at the Expo and Bib Pick up presented by Brooks. The Council for Responsible Sport evaluates events across five categories: planning and communications, procurement, resource management, community legacy, and access and equity. The OUC Orlando Half Marathon was the first event in Florida to earn certification from the council and has previously received both Silver and Gold recognition. The 50th running of the OUC Orlando Half Marathon takes place Saturday, Dec. 5. Registration and course information are available at OrlandoHalfMarathon.com. Follow on social media at @OrlandoHalfMarathon on Instagram and on Facebook at ouchalfmarathonand5K. About the OUC Orlando Half Marathon Celebrating its 50th running in 2026, the OUC Orlando Half Marathon is Florida's first half marathon and one of the Southeast's longest-running road races. Produced by Track Shack Events, the race has earned Silver and Gold certifications by the Council for Responsible Sport. It is the first event in Florida to earn any level certification by the Council, the world's leading sustainability certification program which recognizes sporting events for their commitment to sustainability and responsible event management. Visit OrlandoHalfMarathon.com for more information. About OUC - The Reliable One For more than 100 years, OUC - The Reliable One has provided exceptional value to its customers and community through the delivery of sustainable and reliable services and solutions. The utility provides electric, water, chilled water, lighting and solar services to more than 400,000 accounts in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties. As OUC prepares for the next century, it remains committed to its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while supporting its community with conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency resources. Visit www.ouc.com to learn more. About the Track Shack Family of Companies Track Shack of Orlando opened for business in 1977 as a small retail operation focused on selling running shoes and apparel. Owners Jon and Betsy Hughes were awarded Florida's Retailer of the Year 2015 by the Florida Retail Federation. Jon and Betsy also own Track Shack Events, a sports marketing company that specializes in marketing, management, and production of active lifestyle events. The award-winning professional staff has earned Track Shack Events a reputation as one of America's top sports marketing companies. Track Shack Events co-produced the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon in Orlando. The mission of Track Shack Events is to produce events that benefit the entire community, including runners, walkers, sponsors, and charities. Run to TrackShack.com. Company info. Track Shack Events Contact info. Follow us on. Editor's picks. November 5, 2026.

UCF Awarded $500,000 Grant from JPMorganChase to Support STEM Education and Strengthen Pathways to UCF for Parramore Youth. Today, UCF announces $500,000 in philanthropic support from JPMorganChase to deepen the university's commitment to developing the next generation of STEM talent and expanding opportunity for young people in Parramore. The investment advances priorities central to Go For Launch: The Campaign for UCF's Next Mission by strengthening pathways to student success and preparing future innovators, creators and problem-solvers for high-demand careers. "This important collaboration between UCF, JPMorganChase and the Parramore community is a significant step toward expanding economic opportunity and building Central Florida's next-generation workforce." - Betsheell "Billie" Udofia, vice president and program officer for global philanthropy at JPMorganChase An initiative driven by the UCF College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE), the newly funded Parramore Launch Pad initiative aims to reach K-12 students in Orlando's Parramore community earlier, helping prepare them for STEM-related higher education tracks and careers, while creating clearer pathways into these in-demand fields and improving long-term opportunity for students and their families. Over the next three years, this funding will allow CCIE and UCF Downtown, which borders the Parramore community, to implement a holistic educational approach that integrates academic enrichment with community-based support. This approach is intended to support student success in STEM in and out of the classroom while also addressing broader community needs that contribute to sustained achievement. "This important collaboration between UCF, JPMorganChase and the Parramore community is a significant step toward expanding economic opportunity and building Central Florida's next-generation workforce," says Betsheell "Billie" Udofia, vice president and program officer for global philanthropy at JPMorganChase. "Efforts like this help ensure students at every level have the skills, tools and support they need to succeed and build futures they're proud of. We're committed to supporting strong STEM pathways and the resources students need to reach them." Bolstering STEM education. Expanding on an established relationship between UCF and Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), CCIE professors and teacher education students will work with leaders and educators at the OCPS Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), a pre-K through eighth-grade community school located in the heart of Parramore, to engage students in innovate STEM instruction during the school year, as well as throughout the summer. A free week-long STEM summer camp for third to fifth graders launched in Summer 2026. Delivered through a partnership between UCF, OCPS ACE, and the Boys and Girls Club Levy-Hughes branch, the program is open to all students in the Parramore community and includes a complimentary Boys and Girls Club membership to Levy-Hughes branch for the academic year. Going beyond academics, prioritizing well-being. While academic rigor is important, well-being also influences success. Stressors outside of school can interfere with a student's capacity for learning. Creating a safe space for them to work through life's hurdles is key to improving student outcomes. By integrating both the Healing Oasis for Peace and Empowerment (H.O.P.E.) Circle, a positive youth development afterschool program with the Central Florida Boys & Girls Clubs, and the complementary in-school H.O.P.E. Huddles program for Parramore youth at OCPS ACE, Jones High School, and Evans High School, UCF hopes to help students build positive, emotionally safe bonds with their peers, as well as reliable relationships with caring adults and mentors outside of their families. Programming focuses on helping students build critical skills around research, leadership, conflict resolution, teamwork and more. "Central to the youth development programs is a reciprocal approach that redistributes traditional power dynamics between adults, researchers and youth in the community. While this model is less conventional, it is this shared ownership and co-creation that will ultimately drive meaningful, sustainable impact in the lives of youth, their families, and the broader Parramore community" says L. Trenton S. Marsh, associate professor of urban education and founder of the H.O.P.E. Lab at UCF. Growing social and civic prosperity. Launch Pad will also provide support to the Parramore Community Engagement Council (PCEC). University researchers and community leaders will work together on research-informed solutions for PCEC's pillars of education, affordable housing, employment and holistic health. Further, there is a collaborative partnership with UCF and PCEC through a new university-community fellowship program. This summer an asynchronous open-source training with nine sequential modules was developed to support the fellowship. Over the next two years, the program will award two fellowships per year to university-based researchers and two per year to community leaders active within the council. The program is intended to serve as a model that can be replicated in communities across the country. "We've already seen such positive impacts from UCF Downtown and its proximity to our community. I'm thrilled for this evolution in our work with UCF," says the Rev. Robert M. Spooney, outgoing chair of the Parramore Community Engagement Council and pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. "What makes this next phase so meaningful is the university's commitment to not only being present, but to ensuring our community is resourced, supported and positioned to benefit from this work." A shared vision for a thriving Parramore. In 2019, JPMorganChase, the Helios Education Foundation and the Kresge Foundation funded the Parramore Education and Innovation District, through which UCF aimed to ensure residents of the Parramore community benefited from incoming economic growth and development and had access to the UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown campuses. This latest support from JPMorganChase represents an evolution in this work, and a shared alignment in growing opportunity within the Parramore community. "At UCF, we are building a future the world has only begun to imagine. A robust talent pipeline of STEM professionals is critical to that vision," says Rod Grabowski, senior vice president for UCF Advancement and Partnerships, and CEO of the UCF Foundation Inc. "These skillsets are already sought-after, but they'll be increasingly important with the evolution of AI, space, themed experience and more. By investing in students early and surrounding them with the support they need to succeed, we're helping create pathways to higher education, meaningful careers and lifelong impact for our region. That commitment is at the heart of Go For Launch."