An evening run that ended in North Portland’s Cathedral Park has left some community members upset with the amount of confetti littered across city streets.

Residents of the St. Johns neighborhood say Take the Bridge, a grassroots running event that challenges racers to sprint several miles without standard race parameters like mile markers and a pre-planned route, is responsible for the mess.

Kelli Pennington lives near Cathedral Park, under the St. Johns Bridge where the race began and ended. Race volunteers seemed to lack a well-defined clean-up plan, Pennington said.

Pennington lent two brooms to clean-up volunteers following the event and noticed the volunteers get visibly frustrated by the cleanup.

“It was flying everywhere, they weren’t prepared,” Pennington said.

Photos on Take the Bridge’s Facebook page suggest confetti was used under the St. Johns Bridge at the beginning and end of the men’s and women’s races.

Confetti and chalk spray used for the event were biodegradable, according to a social media post from the race planners published Sunday. But residents pushed back in the post’s comments. One man posted a video showing plastic stars within the confetti.

Darcy Budworth, director of Take the Bridge, acknowledged to The Oregonian/OregonLive that traditional confetti cannons were used at the winners’ arrivals, but then switched out for a biodegradable confetti, Flutter Fetti, for the remainder of the event.

“Seeing that we were in Portland, where it rains often and had been raining during the days leading up to the race, we thought this was a good solution," Budworth said. “It was dark and windy that night, and they did their best.”

Take the Bridge said on social media that it was a new product, and organizers underestimated the volume released.

Flutter Fetti’s own website includes a disclaimer against the dye used in some of its products: “Some confetti products are colored with dye that may stain if they come become damp or wet. Please remove wet confetti immediately upon discharge.”

Race volunteers also spent Saturday morning cleaning at the park, Budworth said. But Pennington said community members spent the rest of the weekend getting the remaining confetti out from bushes, gutters and more. Pennington said they spent three hours Sunday cleaning the east side of Cathedral Park.

Residents’ main concern is the environmental impact. An event that takes place under a bridge will not get as much rain to wash away chalk or biodegradable confetti, Pennington said. As of Monday, most remaining confetti is in park hedges and sewer grates.

“We’re in the middle of climate chaos,” Pennington said. “It’s all or nothing right now. If we don’t care, if it’s all about [social media] likes, then we’re doomed. [The race volunteers] didn’t see it as littering in any way.”

Other community members commented on Take the Bridge’s social media posts asking for more responsibility in the future.

“Being a small organization, as we grow, we are learning,” Budworth said. She promised future events will use only biodegradable confetti and encourage cleanup through volunteers and runners.

The race has occurred in Portland three out of the last five years, according to Take the Bridge’s website. Other locations include Austin, Boston and London.

“It breaks our heart that Take The Bridge has caused concerns within the St. Johns community as our races are meant to uplift and empower the local communities where we hold races,” Budworth said.

-- McKenna Ross

mross@oregonian.com

503-221-5776; @mckenna_ross_

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