Tying It All Together for Endurance Sports Events

 Working the Mic at the recent Monster Dash run in Toronto*. Picture - MyNextRace.com

I just finished reading digital marketing guru, Mitch Joel's new book Ctrl-Alt-Delete. It's a highly recommended read. Three big take-aways:

1. Social media, and marketing through social media is big!

2. The current buzz with brands, is wanting to speak directly to end-user customers.

3. Everything is going mobile!

Endurance sports events be they, running, cycling, triathlons, MOB's or themed runs, sit at the intersection of the above. By their very nature, these events are social - with lots of social interaction going on. I mentioned this briefly in a previous blog. However, this week I came across an info-graphic that spelled this out in more detail with some interesting data and stats.

These events are also the meeting up point for brands(sponsors), and the large amounts of numbers and data that these events are starting to generate and put together - to say nothing of the gathering of hundreds, if not thousands of people in one spot, at one time. Remarkably, few events seem to be taking full advantage of this. Some are, but more could and should do more. 

It goes without saying that the demographic attracted to most endurance sports events are plugged in to a high degree via mobile devices.

At the Running USA conference last winter, a marketing executive who works in the endurance sports space, said to me, "Consider you are at an NHL or NBA game, with 10,000 or more spectators. Think about how much marketing and promotion you have been exposed to from the time you buy your ticket, to the time you leave that game. Now compare that with the promotion and marketing that goes on an endurance sports event with similar numbers from the time you register, to the time you are finished and heading home". Many events, are not taking full advantage of the opportunities here.

It's a great opportunity to leverage the social nature of these events, the social interaction that is organic to them, the high adoption of social media of the participants, and the want for brands to talk directly to end-user customers.

An example of linking that up with mobile follows:

With my frequent work as a Race and Event Announcer*, I often see the collision of the old and the new at the events that I am working at and where the above opportunities go wanting. Often the number one question that I get asked when I am on the mic at an event is, "Hey - where are the results being posted up?". Many smaller to mid sized events still post up printed hard-copy, for participants to check their times/results - if the event is a timed event, with results. In the online, digital age, this now is passe. I'll often announce, where on the race site, that hard copy of the results are posted up, and you'll see that huddle of people surrounding the posted sheets of paper checking their results. However, if a company such as Ottawa, ON based Sportstats is timing the race and producing the results, those results now go almost instantly on-line when a person crosses the finish-line (or timing mat out on the course), to that events page on the Sportstats web site. If people, have a mobile phone with internet access, they can go right there, and see their own results on their own mobile device in the palm of their hand! Even more, Sportstats has a App that ties all of a persons results together that can be customized for that person. People can even "follow" a friend doing an event that Sportstats is timing around a race course. I make the announcement over the PA about this new way of accessing results to. I think it's catching on! 

See the linkage and possibilities with all of the above?

If you are an endurance sports event organizer:

- Are you taking full advantage of the social media opportunities for your event?

- Are you allowing your event sponsors to speak directly to your event participants?

- Are you tying this all together for mobile?

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Race More?

 Recharge with Milk Wasaga Beach Triathlon Finish-line - Photo http://www.mysportsshooter.com

I was about to embark on writing a blog straight-up, about the benefits of racing more, for triathletes. I was and still am of the belief that many problems and challenges that the modern triathlete encounters, in races, particularly longer distance triathlon races, could be over-come in part, by racing more.

Then, two things happened:

1. I attended a local social event in my area where over 30 triathletes, many of whom I knew personally, were in attendance. As some know, I work as a Race/Event Announcer almost every weekend at triathlons, running and cycling races. As I stood there in the room filled with triathletes, I realized that I had not seen any of these athletes, with the exception of one, at a race all year!

2. The following day, I asked the question, "Why doesn't the modern triathlete race more?" on my Facebook page. There were an enormous number of responses - some very detailed and informative. You can see the thread of responses here. It's a good read.

Both of these previous points, caused me to re-think things a bit.

From reading the Facebook thread, it's clear that these days, time and costs are the key things that limit the number of races that triathletes do each year. There is no question that races are getting more expensive - for obvious reasons: The costs to put these races on have gone up substantially. As for the time issue, if you look at the largest age-groups in the sport, most active, modern triathletes are right in the middle of their key child-rearing years with 1, 2, 3 or more young kids at home, and also at a time in their careers, when time-on for work, is at it's highest. Add all that up and, and it makes sense why, the modern triathlete races less now, than a previous wave of triathletes did 10+ years ago.

I still believe that many triathletes, particularly newer athletes, in the sport for four years or less, would benefit greatly from more frequent racing. I am backed up on that point by some of the leading local coaches, who also feel the same way, but are pushed back on this, by the athletes they coach. Knowing this, and reading the responses on my Facebook posting, one wonders where the cart and horse are with this. Many athletes want to get better. They want to go faster. A proven way of doing this is to race more frequently (within reason, of course).

Which leads me to what is the definition of a race? My sense is that for many modern triathletes , their definition of a  "race" is a big production + long distance triathlon = expensive.  However, not all races have such big production, and there are certainly many shorter race options (and are hopefully less expensive). Despite what athletes think, these outings can be very helpful and valuable experiences in their overall development.

Also there are "other" racing options - standalone, running, cycling, and swimming events, that again, can be if you look around, not terribly expensive and time efficient. As an example, many local cycling clubs, offer weekly time-trial races, that for club members cost from nothing to a few dollars (with club membership). While not a triathlon race, these standalone races in individual sports can provide great feedback, and serve as outstanding training efforts for the triathlete. Some of these are mid-week, and because of their short and brief nature, can take up less time, than a "normal" triathlon training session.

What do you think? What is your definition of a "race"? Knowing that racing more, will make you better/faster, is that something that you would commit to?

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Have Endurance Sports Events Gone Retail?

 A long line of porta-potties at a recent large running event in Toronto*

I have written in this space before recently about what's been going on in the endurance sports events business, here, and here. A lot is going on! The growth right now is impressive. If you add up all the running, triathlon, cycling, themed running events, and also the mud/obstacle races and events in North America, you are looking at a impressive double digit growth in participation numbers and an aggressive addition of new events along the way. It's hard to keep up with it all.

With all this growth has come competition - serious competition. So much so that, from what I have seen events have gone retail, where everything about an event starts to matter. Your brand. Your logo. Your date. Your route or course. How hard or easy your event is? Your registration process. How many porta-potties you have*. The enthusiasm of your volunteers. Your charity. Your timing and results company(if needed). It all starts to matter. Even stuff you have no control over, like the weather starts to matter! Get two years of lousy weather for a start-up event, and it might be done right there!

Onsite experiences on race/event day are critical. People will come, and maybe they get spoken to in a wrong tone by a volunteer, there are not enough porta-potties or registration/kit-pick-up takes forever. Just like in retail, they will silently go away, never to return, and even worse, they'll most likely tell more than a few people about it. On average, people tell 4 people about good customer experiences, but tell 13 people about bad customer experiences. And that's what RD's need to do and understand these days, beyond getting the cones in the right places, and the directional arrows on the road right - they are in the business of delivering positive participant experiences.

Even the process of race and event registration, these days almost 100% through online services, can be critical in the whole event experience. Some are complicated and unwieldy - with high abandonment rates. In other words, that person who was going to register for your event, gave-up part way through the actual registration process, for one reason or another. You got them to the door . . . but then lost them! Check out some of your sports online forums, to see what people are saying about your registration provider. You might be surprised.

It's important that events think more like businesses, albeit small ones and even non-profit ones, about their brand, and about their image, because, as noted, it's all starting to matter.

The mud & obstacle events and the themed runs, have really driven this point home. How else to explain, the extraordinary growth? Some of these event series did not even exist two years ago. Some will surpass a one million participants this year! In these situations, branding, and imaging matter greatly. There is a buzz. People want to be going to the cool event that everyone else is doing.

Now you may be thinking, "I run a triathlon or a running race. Why should I be concerned about a mud run or zombie run?" Be concerned - they are competing just like you for mind-share and commitment from reasonably young, and active people. And some of those events now really have some serious momentum, behind them and mega-buzz. You run a cool and great event, but it's just a 5K run. You have to think about everything at your event and every touch point with your event participants. How is it impacting them? Is it a quality and a positive experience, or at least matching up with their expectations?

I know the organizer of one of the largest triathlon series in North America, who stands at the finish-line of all of his events, regardless, of the weather, and personally says, "Thank you", and shakes the hand of every finisher who comes across the finish line at every event. Sounds corny, but that's the kind of thing that people remember - just like in retail they remember the good and the bad, experiences. Events need to do everything they can to make sure that everyone's experience at an event is an outstanding one. If so, just like in retail, they will be back!

Whether you like it or not, events have gone retail. What are you doing to make your event stand out? What are you doing so that each and everyone of  your race/event participants have an extraordinary experience?

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More On Sharing The Road

There has been an ongoing situation in the Kitchener-Waterloo area regarding the altercation between the driver of a horse trailer, and members of the Waterloo Cycling Club. It's not going well, and it points out the frustrations of both motorists and cyclists. For more on sharing the road, see my last blog!

There have been charges laid against the driver of the horse trailer, and several of the cyclists. Apparently there is a local bylaw that does not allow 2-abreast riding.

This has lead to columns such as this one in a the local Kitchener-Waterloo paper of record, The Record:

 http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/3886628-d-amato-cyclists-should-respect-rules-on-rural-roads/

My response to columnist Luisa D'Amato, who's eMail address is, ldamato@therecord.com, is as follows:

Ms. Damato,

I am going to respond to your recent editorial in The Record, in two parts:

1. Indeed, cyclists need to respect the rules of the road. I do all the time. What I find odd is the behavior of motorists, who despite the fact that I am observing the rules of the road to a T, seem to want to take some form of hostile action against me (Mostly verbal assaults, but occasionally physical actions). I ride several times a week - and have been for 30 years. On at least one of those rides each week, almost without fail, there is always at least one completely unprovoked altercation with a motorist, or the motorist drives their vehicle in a manner that puts me at extraordinary risk. Hopefully I don't need to explain the basic physics surrounding any contact between motor vehicle and cyclist, other than, it ALWAYS turns out very bad, and even fatal for the cyclist. 

Many motorists seem to have a poor understanding of the rules of the road, and they are also extraordinarily cavalier in their attitude when it comes to the safety of others, who share the road with them, and indeed their own safety. May I suggest here, that MOTORISTS need to respect the rules on rural roads!

2. To understand the rationale for 2-abreast riding, requires some counter-intuitive thinking:

Say there is a group of 20 cyclists out riding. If they are riding single file, they are strung out in a long single file line. On a two lane road, with no shoulders, as is the case on many rural roads in Ontario, many motorists think it OK to try and squeeze by the cyclists while staying fully in their lane. This places both the cyclists, and the motorists less than 1/2 a meter apart moving along at a reasonably high speed. The passing of a long line of cyclists takes some time. ANY false move on the part of the motorists, or the cyclists will result in . . .  Now, compact the group to 20 riders, riding 2-abreast. If it's a group of good riders, they will be riding tightly together. They will be taking up more of the lane, but not that much more, and the distance from front to back of the group will now be less than half of what it was. However, this will force, the motorist coming up from behind, to slow down. Otherwise, they will run right over the cyclists - something I hope they would not want to do. They will then have to wait for a safe place to make the pass around the cyclists - just as they would if they came upon a slower moving car, farm vehicle, police vehicle, etc . . Yes this a minor inconvenience. However, that safe place to make the pass, as it always does, will come up in a few seconds. Now, the pass is made by, moving into the adjacent lane, giving the cyclists a wider berth, AND, key here, passing the group of cyclists in significantly less time. This is safer for EVERYONE - the cyclists, other motorists, and the driver of that particular vehicle! Think about it for a bit.

To FULLY understand, #2, you need to embrace the thinking of  Share The Road, headed up by Eleanor McMahon - the philosophy is that we ALL need to share the road - motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and other vehicles, because, we all have a right to be there!

I ride frequently with the Newmarket Eagles cycling club in and around Aurora and Newmarket, ON, in central & northern York region. It is the club policy to ride 2-abreast, where appropriate. We are lucky that most of the roads of our regular routes are on reasonably quiet 2-lane rural roads probably not unlike the roads outside Kitchener-Waterloo . We rarely have any major issues when riding 2-abreast - but do from time-to-time get verbally harassed by motorists( see #1). We even get passed by York Region Police officers in their cars, and we exchange friendly waves.

At the risk of being accusatory, your views are very motorist-centric, which is understood, because that is most likely the only experience of using the road that you have. Ditto for almost all motorists. To better understand, the view of cyclists, I would suggest spending some time on a bike, on either urban, or rural roads, to better appreciate the situation that cyclists are in, and the challenges that they face. If you did, I am sure your views may be altered.

Best regards,


Steve Fleck


What say you? Do you agree or disagree with Ms. D'Amato. Please feel free to express your feelings here or via an email to Ms. D'Amato, or The Record.

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Do You Share The Road?

"Get the-f. . off the road"! I have just been subjected to this offensive shouted blast, through the rolled down window of a car from a passing motorist, while I ride along the road. Then he leans on the horn good and long, as he massively and aggressively, accelerates away, leaving me in a dust and carbon-monoxide cloud!

What have I done to deserve this? Nothing really. Just been riding along the right edge of the road minding my own business. Completely legal and holding up no one. Of course, I am offended by it and taken aback. Where does it come from, this open hostility on the part of motorists for cyclists?

My sense is a big part of this hostility comes from the fact that almost all motorists, see cyclists in a one dimensional way. They are people on bikes - full stop. They can't make out the nuanced differences between, a savvy road-rider, or the newbie triathlete, or even the dramatic difference between the kid riding to school, the typical bike commuter or the hipster riding a fixie. They are ALL cyclists to the motorist.

Now, I am not giving the motorist who just blasted me with his voice and horn, any excuses. He was being rude and offensive. However, I am guessing that part of his hostile reaction to me, was the fact that, five minutes before he came upon me, some other cyclist, perhaps cut him off at an intersection, while running a stop sign and, for good measure gave, the motorist the finger as he road off and away. I'll not tell you what type of cyclist who, I think that was - it could be any cyclist actually. It matters little. What matters is that the motorist, thinks we are all the same, and more cyclists need to know this.

You see, in most areas, bikes and bike riders have every right to be on the road - to take their place in the lane, and share the road with motor vehicles. Of course, there is a responsibility that comes with the right to be there - to follow the rules of the road. Hence the picture at the top and a campaign that I came across on Facebook today to promote this. Original link from Cycling InForm, an Australian based coaching service, is here. Please promote and share further.

In Canada, we have an advocacy group called Share The Road, that advocates for exactly that - a sharing of the road for all users - motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians!

Cyclists, as a group, we can do our part by following the rules of the road, and respecting the spirit of the Share The Road message, of truly sharing the road with our fellow road users. I know it's hard. The easy thing for me to do, given my encounter with the irate motorist that I started out talking about would have been to lash out and give-as-good-as-I-got. However, that would have only reinforced in the motorists mind that all-cyclists-are-asses, thought process. Instead, I give the guy a friendly wave, while a choke on the dust and excess carbon-monoxide!

Again, I know it's hard, but collectively as cyclists, its what we need to do.

Do you follow the rules of the road while you are riding?

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Boston Marathon - The Bombing Will Not Stop Us!

 "We're going to keep running . . . . This isn't a hobby! This is who we are. This is our tribe"

- Bob Babbitt, Publisher, Competitor Publishing

The events of last Monday at the Boston Marathon, were truly, terrible and tragic. Others, have described much more eloquently than I ever can, the horror and the massive out-pouring of emotion from the bombing of the Boston Marathon.

I'll try and take a slightly different approach here.

In a way, the Boston Marathon is the Grand-Father of ALL participatory endurance sports events and races. Before all the other big marathons - there was Boston. Before - triathlons, and the Ironman - there was Boston. Before all the other big running races of any distance - there was Boston.* Before - gran fondos and century rides - there was Boston. The Boston Marathon came before all of this!

The Boston Marathon defined, what is a large participatory endurance sports event, and the concurrent, embracing of that event by the host community. On Patriots Day in Boston and all along the route, from Hopkinton - everything and everyone stops, and focuses on the Boston Marathon. There are no complaints about road closures or other inconveniences. There is no whining about not being able to get around. It's an all-in thing for everyone! Every last runner, is cheered for, heartily and with vigor all along the route. As women's marathon running pioneer and the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer put it so, succinctly, "If you are losing faith in human nature, go and watch a marathon"!

The Boston Marathon is the template, the hope, and the wish, that I am sure every event organizer who ever starts up something, even the humblest 5k fun run, tries to get to - or at least envision. Wouldn't it be great if one day, we could be like the Boston Marathon?

I sense that's why, other than the absolute outrage over the tragedy of what happened on Monday, that this has been such a unifying phenomenon. Even if we've never been to Boston, or done the Boston Marathon, we've either all wanted to, or took part in, or stood on the side of the road cheering, at a very similar event. We all felt like we were there. That we had been attacked and violated. It was personal.

I saw it written somewhere this week, that - "these guys picked the wrong group of people, if they thought they were going to stop us". Hence, Bob Babbitt's great quote at the top. Everyone who's ever pushed the aerobic envelop, is part of this tribe. That's why after the horror and shock of Monday, there has been this extraordinary force of unity amongst all endurance sports athletes, and an emboldened feeling of, we must go on!

The Boston Marathon will go on, all endurance sports events will go on and endurance sports athletes will keep going on!

*Note - I would be remiss, if I did not acknowledge here, that indeed the oldest foot-race in North America is, the Around The Bay 30K, race in Hamilton, Ontario. In fact, Around The Bay, has a catchy slogan that they use from time to time to promote their event "Older than Boston" - which I think is great!

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The Last Triathlon - A Possible Exit Strategy

At the time it seemed a bit odd. I was giving the keynote address at the Toronto Triathlon Club's AGM, and I was going over in detail, how to get out of triathlon! Well, to be true, it was the details of my last Ironman triathlon race which also happened to be my last triathlon. Whatever the case, it's always good to have an exit strategy!

For those still new to the sport of triathlon, or still in pursuit, of that first Ironman race, please ignore the following, but book-note this for the future. You may want to come back and review this at some point!

In 1997 a lot was going on for me. My son was born in July. I was entered in Ironman Canada (Penticton) in August of that year, and I had also started a new, very exciting, but demanding job at Sugoi. Matthew was born on July 13. Training had been sporadic that year to date. If I was being honest with myself, my enthusiasm to keep training and racing at the same level, was starting to wane. Two weeks after Matthew was born, I had a bit of an epiphany while out for one of my last long runs before IMC. I decided on that, run, that IMC would be it - the last triathlon!

Much to my surprise, the race at IMC went extraordinarily well - swam OK, biked strong and, pulled a rabbit out of the hat on the run. It was particularly satisfying because my age-group had been fairly competitive with a close battle for 2nd - 5th spots, that went on step-for-step, deep into the run - rare in long distance triathlon. I managed to finish 2nd on the strength of what had always been my strength in the sport - a strong run. I held, my one month old son in my arms, just over the finish-line and wept, genuine tears of happiness and gratefulness. This was it! Not my best race. Not my best finish at IMC, but on that day, in that race, in that moment, it was fantastic!

The lesson here, with the luxury of hind-site, is when you have a really good/great Ironman race, and you know you are towards the end of your triathlon, "career" . . . . . . walk away!  I see many people grimly struggling on, still trying to have that amazing or prefect Ironman race, and unfortunatly for them it never comes. It's a race with so many variables and can be brutal and uncompromising - you have to take your "victories" when and where you can. Rarely does an Ironman triathlon go completely to plan. Knowing when to pack it in is sometimes, just as important as knowing when to start things up!

Years later, I am pleased that I did decide to end it there. It's always good to go out on high note. To be able to look back at that last race, with happiness and satisfaction that, you gave it your best on that day, and that it went well.

Sixteen years on, I have no regrets. It was time to move on.

Final Thoughts: If you have moved on from triathlon, hopefully you've stayed active. Moved onto another endurance sport - you have a great base and experience in three, from all that hard work in triathlon!

If you have moved on, what have you moved on to?

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