10 Things I'd Love to See More Of In Racing

An unranked and by-no-means comprehensive list, formed out of 10 of the first 12 things that came to mind.?

I’m often accused of coming across too sharp in my constructive criticism, and I’m sure there’s more than once that my post-race debriefs have read like a complaint sheet when in reality I am just obsessed with thinking of ways that a great thing could be even better.? (I know at least one person that’s probably reading this and nodding their head....)

“Come out to the Run For A Cause Saturday Morning 5K in The Usual Park” - I’ve seen a thousand of these; and they usually pain me - not because I have anything but the most respect for the passion of the people who think it’s a great idea to get a handful of people to run outdoors. ? These are perfectly good little events for people committed to said cause, and every once in a while one will strike gold and become something special.? ? But I have also seen too many ‘cookie cutter’ races that plop said race in place assuming people will come out without anything that differentiates it.???

Differentiating yourself in one or two special ways can make all the difference in standing out from all the other races in your areas. Here’s just a few thoughts on how you can do this:

1. Evening races - weekend or weeknight - with a festival and family vibe?

These were done to such success in Rochester and especially Buffalo when I? started in racing that I was blown away they are so uncommon.? It probably correlates to the number of people I’ve heard say “Runners are healthy and don’t want to eat hot dogs and drink beer, right?” Ha! That's why half of us run! Better yet - PPU and post-race at a bar or party patio.

?? Of course, these can be difficult, in particular finding a course that can be used in the evening, which means you either get really lucky in a small town or you find a good park or trail to run on.? This can be done.

• Check out amongst many: Moonlight on the Falls (My client, West Virginia) Dirt Cheap Trail Series (Rochester, NY), Moonlight Run (Buffalo area) , Night Nation Run (National)?

2. Better and more thoughtful cutoff management

I’ll harp on this once more.? Take care of the back of the pack - they pay your bills and often have the best stories. See my article from the other day on this topic here.

By putting some effort and thought into the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the tail end of your race, you can take a lot of pain during- and post-race - both for your participants and your staff.

Want an outside-of-the-box solution on this? Try...

3. Early Starts for slower participants (and courses designed to support them)

These can make the end of? the day a bit more climactic and put less pressure on last finishers.? They take a little work but again were sort of common in Upstate NY when I was there.? Courses may have to be set early, or the early portion of a course needs to be on land that doesn’t need closures - or else it defeats the purpose of saving money. ? If you have the right course (or ability to close roads earlier rather than later), you can make this work with a little math.

Example:? First 3 miles of a half marathon on park trails allows for 15 minute pace walkers to start 30 minutes earlier than 5 minute pace runners, arriving at the same point at the same time where road closures begin.??

Broader Example:? Starting 45 minutes early, and using the first 2 miles on trail,? 15 minute-pace walkers are only adding 15 minutes to closures instead of 45 minutes at the end.

All of this, of course, requires you to be willing to say “you can not cross this point if you are faster than this pace” or else it may break down.??

4. Creative, functional giveaways and awards (not just t-shirts)?

I? still drink from my 2003 St. Petersburg Turkey Trot Age Group winner coffee mug from my 'fast' days - where are my plaques and trophies?? In a dump or a closet.?? And I don't just mean the 'bottle opener' medals that have seemed to proliferate although they do come in handy post-race..

Things I’ve seen that I like?? Collapsible drinking cups (communicates saving waste).? Plastic/metal sporks at a trail ultra.? The Savage Race “Axe”. Dozens more I'm not naming. ? Put your award time into something that either furthers your mission, gives you a good photo op, or at least makes someone walk around with pride for the rest of the day.

The topic of t-shirts is a contentious one.? When done at a high quality, they can be something participants will truly wear often and advertise your race around town. ? Every day I run here in Houston I see a few “Houston Marathon” finisher shirts and it creates a nice feeling of community.??

But if you’re not going to make a quality t-shirt that people will wear beyond race day, there are better ways to get a sponsor logo out there.??

5. Meaningful sponsor activations (especially on-course) and more EVERYTHING on course.

Have you SEEN what they do in Europe?? We need a Tour De France here to inspire the rest of races to hype up race courses with activities.? Signs.? Activations.? Designated cheer zones to guide spectators where to go.? Break up those mile-long straightaways, please and thank you.

Check out:? A whole lot of European races.? But also, search back for the 2019 San Francisco Marathon Biofreeze activation,? The 2018 Twin Cities Marathon Brooks Mile, and go look up Hippy Hollow on Ironman Texas or my personal favorite, Aid Station 2 at Ironman 70.3 Michigan where the captain each year ties together a theme, signs, chalk, costumes, a playlist, jokes…??

6. Races partner together as ‘tuneup series’

This is such a no-brainer to me but I think that the trend of two major marathons / half’s teaming up together as a ‘challenge’ is only half (no pun intended) way there, particularly when they don't align well in a training schedule.

String together a few races - yours or others - that lead into a natural training and tune-up cycle for a major race.? It can cost you little or nothing and not only support your runner’s training journey, but ensure they become a member of your series and sign up for multiple races.??

• Check out:? HARRA Warm-up Series (to the Houston Marathon)
• 7. Races with a city, state, or region in their name doing more to be the representatives of that and hype it up.

I often tell people when they do this a few things:??

1. ?Think of yourself as the Sports Tourism Bureau of your city, or a member of it.
2. ?When you take the name of something, you imply that you are THE representative, not any other races, and you have a responsibility to showcase your city to every person who would not otherwise attend it.?
3. You can work your course and festival to showcase special areas of the city, but think beyond it - bring it popular restaurants to serve food, promote ‘things to do’ while people are in town, and in general show why they should visit YOUR city instead of the next one.??

Check out former client the Irving Marathon Series, who basically owns racing in this growing suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth.? But I’m sure there are many good examples, some of which I mention in the next point.

8. Related - community management, YEAR ROUND.?

This can be as little as keeping a Facebook group, working Social, and having some course preview runs. It can be as much as community social runs, trail work or garbage clean-up, and far beyond.

Oh, I’ll get some crap for this. ? There are some large races that marquee their city / state / region that do very little throughout the year for their city. ? There are others that do a lot and are great models -? Sure, there are the BAA and NYRR and CEM of the world that do a lot outside The Majors, but I also love to look at the ATC (Atlanta),? P3R (Pitttsburgh), TCIM (Twin Cities), and on smaller levels Fleet Feet Rochester / YellowJacket Racing (Rochester NY and my first employers in racing), and no doubt many others I’m forgetting for brevity.

If you’re doing #7, think about how you’re doing #8.??

I would be remiss not to make my twice-yearly mention of my new idol for putting on a race series that shows commitment to his community - Brett Harrison of Red Knot Racing in Tanzania.?

9. Hyped up kids races?

I’ve worked on a lot of Ironman’s IronKids 1 Mile / ? Mile / Toddler Trots? and let me tell you something - I could joke “this is the most over-produced kids race”, but it is truly in every way an attempt to give those kids every amount of attention, respect, and hype that the adults get at the race and is a model for how everyone could do it .

?Schedule your kids races along with your site plans in a way that make them a microcosm of your whole race experience. ? They can take little to no extra effort and can make a kids’ (and family’s) day.??

10. Light and functional vs not just aesthetic signage and wayfinding - i.e simple cone toppers and directionals vs. fancy signage.?

I’m just throwing this in as an ops nerd, but I am on a huge kick for cone toppers and wood landscaping sticks. ? A single a-frame can do the job, but I often say “a runner needs wayfinding in 5 places - on the ground, eye level, up high, blocking their path, and smacking them in the face”.??

They’re tired out there, and having portable and small items to supplement your course marking can go a long way not just to giving that extra bit of insurance, but giving your course teams something easy to deploy and move on the fly.??

Think about what will not just be durable and large, but easy to move and adjust. 3 little signs (or tape arrows) can do twice the job of one sign that someone might miss if someone else is in front of them or a butterfly catches their eye.

More on this, undoubtedly, in a future article.