Monday, February 18, 2008

Race Directors Unite...

Ok... I went to my first board of directors meeting for the Adamstown YMCA tonight. And, let me tell you, there was no pate and I went to the bathroom and the toilets were not golden. This was not going well. Then, the subject of fundraisers came up and I opened my fat mouth. That's right, I brought up the idea of an Adamstown YMCA 5k. Hmmm... I like running. I like my YMCA. Let's mix the two, right? Well, I'm not sure it's really that easy.

This is the part where I reach out to my friends and find out how crazy I really am. Anyone know anything about this? How many participants does it take to have a profitable race? How many volunteers does it take to run a race of say... I don't know... 100 people? Do organizations usually reach out to have a professional race organization run the race? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I haven't committed to anything yet (outside of my own head). But, I'm very intrigued by the idea. What do you all think?

4 comments:

stevespeirs said...

To be honest, I've no idea what it takes to make a successful race. I guess a lot depends how you define successful I suppose....

I would imagine it may take a few years to build a core base of runners /racers, but I know locally there are several successful YMCA/local race combinations, so it must be possible.

If you do get a race off the ground, let me know if you'd like any help with a logo for the event. I've created a few for local race management/timing company KaleRunning.com which have proved to be quite popular:

http://www.cymru66.com/web-design/logos/logo-design-a-few-examples/

You could even email them and ask their advice about putting on a race. They're a great bunch of people and I'm sure they'd be happy to offer a few words of wisdom.

Good luck!

--Steve

Bill said...

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/5/5_1/266.shtml
has a pretty nice summary. I'd definitely find a few people that have organized races recently in your area and ask about their experiences.

Eric Gervase said...

Steve... How much would you charge for creative? I may take you up on that. I'm going to be trying to pitch some corporate sponsors in the near future and may wanted limited specialized logos.

Bill... Thanks buddy. It's obvious I've got some work to do.

stevespeirs said...

No charge, but credit on your race flyer/t-shirt would be nice.

Just let me know ok?

Good luck with the plans...

--Steve