No, the runners did not have to eat them, but they could.
The golf ball-sized pouches made from seaweed and filled with a sports drink were handed out to thousands of runners for the London marathon on April 28.
The marathon offered “race organizers and company officials a mass experiment in the use of an alternative sustainable material,” according to an article in the Washington Post.
The pods, known as Ooho, are biodegradable and dissolve in about a month.
The pods were created by a London-based start-up called Skipping Rocks Lab, according to the Post.
There is no screw cap. Runners had to bite into the pouch or chew it their mouth to get to the sports drink, and apparently did just that at Mile 23.
A video by Skipping Rocks lab shows runners taking the pods.
We are at mile 23 Of London Marathon handing out Lucozade Sport orange in Oohos! GOOD LUCK to all runners! We can’t wait to cheer you all on!! Any of our followers who are running? #londonmarathon #VMLM #madetomove pic.twitter.com/sFdTTWRjIj
— Ooho! (@OohoWater) April 28, 2019
The success of the pods could bode well for the future as plastic water bottles continue to grow as a major source of litter and pollution.
According to a 2017 article by The Guardian, the number of plastic bottles bought around the world will jump by another 20 percent by 2021.
