Race Directors, Are You Listening?


Various Awards and finishers medals that members of the
Burlington Runners have earned since 1973.

Is it just me, or has the quality of local races, as a whole, dropped? There are always the races that are run well, measured accurately, marshalled and managed to perfection, for example, any of the Burlington Runner races. However, I might be accused of being prejudiced on the topic of BRC races.

Even in the short time I've been running, I have not only seen an increase in the number, but also a decline in the quality of local races. Maybe you have too. Maybe it's just the state of racing in today's world.

I know that the prices of food, licences, policing and insurance are driving the cost of running a race up. There has to be a way to deliver more running bang for our buck. How to do it? I'm not sure how to do it, but I do know what I don't like.

The money factor. First there is the number of "for profit" races that seem to be cropping up. I think that most of them suck the life right out of the running community without giving anything back. Minimal race for maximal profits. If these races were bringing in top athletes for the prize money, then we might be getting value for our money, However, you aren't going to pull in many Olympic calibre athletes by offering shoes as the prize for first place.

Bigger, better, larger. The biggest race I've participated in had 36,000 participants. That's a lot of Gatorade. These types of races have to be expensive to put on and difficult to manage. The just the logistics of keeping track of all that baggage is just mind-boggling. However, to get that big, you have to have generated a reputation for putting on a great race.

There is a local race that is trying to get to that stage, but I'm not sure that they deserve to play in the big league yet. They are getting better at putting on the race, but it still has elements that strike me as very minor league. From community support (the lack of spectators and diversions along the route) to the supplied race services (paying extra for baggage check) there is a long way to go for a certain large spring race in Hamilton. The most annoying problem is that the race director seems oblivious to conserns and issues raised by participants and sponsors. This isn't the way to ingratiate a event to the local running community that helped support the race in the past and can help grow the it in the future.

There are too many races. Yeah, you heard me right, there are way too many races in the Toronto-Hamilton area and there doesn't seem to be enough thought going into organizing and setting the dates for most of them. With more races struggling for the same runners dollar, you get fewer participants and a smaller cash base per event, so you have to cut corners to keep from losing money. Competition makes for tight budgets and if everyone is putting on cheapo, scraping the profit margin races, all runners lose.

Run for Charity. It also seems like every charity or group wants to hold a race to raise money for their cause. Now I don't have any problems with raising a little money for a good cause, but I'm starting to think that the charitable societies think that the running community has deep pockets and will just show up if you print up an entry form.

Potentially there's a pile of money to be made if you hold a race. There must be, because there are so many races to choose from. Unfortunately, I've been to more than a few of these "races" where only fifty people show up. By the time you figure in the cost of food, printing, permits, timing and prizes, they are lucky to clear $100.00 profit. That's a lot of work and drain on the volunteer base for not a lot of bucks. There has to be another type of event that will satisfy everyone and generate more cash for the effort expended by these organizations.

What do runners want? Don't get me wrong, I really like racing. Races are the spice that gives the day-to-day training runs meaning and focus. Sometimes it's a reason for a party, sometimes it's an excuse to visit somewhere you've never been before, sometimes it's a reason to push harder than you've ever done.

No, I don't expect to run for free. I know the costs of putting on an event and the chance you take if people don't show up for your event. However, when I put my money down, I expect to get reasonable value in return.

Three types of races: I think that we want different things from different types of races. Generally, we want races that start on time, that are well marshalled, that are accurately measured, with correct and timely results. If you want to charge a premium, you better be willing to supply the extras to make that race special.

First: I want the cheap, local races that I can use as focused training runs. I want the option of not getting a T-shirt to save $5.00 off the cost of the race. I'd love to see the return of the low-key sub $20.00 five-kilometre race. Whitie's 15k in May is a perfect example of this type of race. Minimal frills, just racing at it's basic best.

Second: Give me target events that I can use for training goals and PB (personal best) attempts. These should be events, races that are more than just the mileage beneath our feet. I want an overabundance of water stops, a great finish line and a party after. Give me a reason to go, to look forward to attending more than just to run. I'm talking about the summer races in Buffalo. These are events with entertainment, food and refreshment after. Whoop-it-up city.

Third: I want one or two big events each year. Yeah, they are expensive to put on, and logistical nightmares for the race director and committee members. They also need word of mouth about the event and that takes years to generate. This is the build it and they will come type of race. However as race director, you have to earn the runners through advertising, good management and value. There is something about running with 10,000 or more fellow athletes that every runner should experience at least once.

How do we make these changes? By not supporting the marginal races, it only rewards race directors and organizations that think that they can get away with putting on a sub-standard race. It means that we, as members of the local running community, have to let them know when they are not doing a decent job. It also means that we as runners need to lead by example and keep hosting races that shine like jewels among the gravel.

By Mark G. Collis

Revised: April 13, 2004.