Support The Smaller Races

Chances are, your first race with a distance of a 10K or more, just so happened to be a “large capacity” race. A race with thousands of registrations and a big, often overwhelming and packed expo. Chances are, you have no idea who the race director is or even what they look like, or any of the other staff.

You register and train for a race, maybe even in a different state, because of the publicity and how you have heard quite a few others talk about it. You attend expo to get your bib & swag, walk around to all of the vendors trying to sell their product then you go home, hotel, wherever you are staying and go about your pre-race routine.

Race morning, you will wake up and in due time make it to the start line (more than likely corral you were predetermined to be in by the race), run your race, cross the finish line all while navigating your way through the crowds throughout the racecourse itself as well as in the finish line area.

Did you have fun? Chances are you did. Are you wearing your medal? Probably So. Are you enjoying your beverage? More than likely.

But then what? You may or may not hang out for a while before deciding to leave and go about the remainder of your day.

The race staff and volunteers are the ones left behind to clean up and store everything until the next year. You have no idea who they are and they have no idea who you are other than someone that paid to do their race.

But what if you run a race that doesn’t have to be that way? Smaller races are the complete opposite! This is why you should consider running a smaller, local race:

~ The race director is more than likely is also a runner or has been a runner. With this, they know how to make sure a race should be handled and what they should and should not include because they have completed more than enough races to know what runners appreciate and need.

~The race director is usually present at expo and on their social media so you know who they are and they are interactive / approachable.

~If a problem or issue is to arise, they want to know about it so that they can correct it.

~They care about your registration and truly think of you as a person, not just a quick $75 for their pocket. Most smaller races will take the time to select / design the medals and swag since they want you to love it and because they know their name will be on it. Runners talk about swag and medals and are usually brutally honest. How many races have you registered based upon the swag & medals alone?

~The finish line is usually a big party with volunteers ready to hand your medal to you with a smile and water just steps after you cross. (I recently ran a large capacity race where I had to walk 3.5 blocks in the hot sun to get to the water that had been sitting out since the morning before.) You can easily navigate to find “your people” that came to support you.

~You will meet sooooo many new friends and will hear about the races they have done. You may even go to their “hometown race” just to run it and to have a chance to hang out with them for the weekend.

~It literally just becomes one weekend of socializing with your friends with a run tossed in. It doesn’t get any better than that.

How much more exciting is that? Less crowds, more local flare, more personalization, and a race director and staff that truly cares about you and engages with you throughout. There are smiles all around, trust me.