Mike Foote, founder of the Rutt Mountain Runs, told the Sustainability Slam that the race grew from 400 runners in its first year to 4,500 across multiple distances and that the organizers introduced a three‑pronged sustainability approach as the event expanded.

Foote said the event reduced its paper cup use from nearly 12,000 in a weekend by asking participants to carry their own water bottles and by requiring vendors to minimize single‑use plastics. Organizers partnered with local waste management to sort compostable and recyclable materials, and Foote reported that the 2025 event diverted 74% of waste from landfill, up from near zero in the early years. He also described fundraising built into registration that raised nearly $15,000 for Climate Smart Missoula over two years and partnerships with local conservation and inclusion organizations.

Foote presented sustainability at the race as iterative: reducing immediate operational impacts, leveraging the community for fundraising and using the event as a platform to showcase partner organizations. He did not provide a third‑party audit of diversion rates at the presentation; figures were reported by the event organizer.