Crummy little race or is it?
The race registration line moved slowly as sun rose and the mercury hit the 80 degree mark. The start was 45 minutes late. They ran out of T-shirts for pre-registered runners, luckily it was a no brand 50/50 blend with some cheesy clip art and a bunch of poorly placed sponsor logos. The course was short, mile marks were in the wrong place, cars forced runners off the road and volunteers steered us the wrong way. Some guy was giving split times at the mile, nice touch, times that were off by 2 minutes. The early aid station ran out of water, the later one ran out of cups. The finish shoot was backed up and I was forced to stand in place as some guy puked on my shoes. They ran out of water at the finish area and the only food left was some green bananas. The results took hours to get posted, the times were off and the awards ceremony dragged on for an eternity. The award was a small medal with a wreath on it, no date, distance or information pertaining to the event. The entry fee was $20early.
We have all ran in a race with some or all of the above glitches. Could we have avoided entering such debacles? Sometimes. By just looking over an entry form you can usually get the idea of how the finished product will end up.
Ive seen entry forms that have no address to return them to and no phone number to call. Ive even seen forms with the date of the event omitted! Such forms are usually on white paper and have been typed in some basic word processing program. Many are first time events. I am surprised how upset people get when they get what is, in a way, advertised!
The people who put on such awful events often do so with the best intentions. The reality is that these one time race directors probably lost sleep and put in a ridiculous amount of hours to organizing these disasters. They are usually volunteer directors who have little or no experience in events but have tried their best. After running in such events it would be a shame to complain to these hard working, generous people. In reality they deserve a thank you and a pat on the back, something directors of even well run events rarely get.
Like many of you, Ive run in hundreds of races over the years. Awful races like the ones Ive mentioned and races with slick forms, huge budgets, interactive web sites, thousands of well-trained volunteers and finish line parties with live bands and cold beer. Events run the gamut and I enjoy them all. I believe it comes down to attitude. Happiness is most often a choice. Expect the worst.
As runners, we are fortunate to have such an affordable sport, from the minimal equipment needed to the abundance of affordable events. Thanks to sponsors and volunteers we get to toe the line and strut our stuffcheap! If volunteers were paid minimum wage for the hundreds of hours put into events and if no sponsors stepped up, race entry fees would be $50 to $100 per runner just to cover the costs of most events. As a rule of thumb I thank these folks every time I get the chance and try to volunteer to work a race for every one I run. Give and you shall receive. My hero is Delores Hensley, co-director of the Run through Hell (With her old man Harrison) and volunteer of over 50 Michigan races each year! Ya got to love her and love this sport.
I do believe we need to support the well-run events by returning each year, supporting the sponsors, telling others about our great experience and thanking the people responsible. On the other hand I think seeking out a couple hoaky little po-dunk runs each year and running them with an open mind and sense of humor only adds to the sport and keeps it alive and fun. . Despite what Ive said, once in a while I enter events with low to no expectations and have my socks knocked off by a first class, almost private, event. I was thinking of listing the seemingly crummiest little races in Michigan, until I gave it some thought. You know the kind of races and know how to find them, fortunately, or unfortunately, there are hundreds of them. I just hope you pick a different one than me because these days they are the only ones I have a chance of winning some hardware!
Run Forever,
Randy Step