Head Start

Professional race timing is one of those things everyone’s come to expect when entering a race. And, for more than three decades, RFID has been the undisputed gold standard when it comes to timing races.

But, with new technologies coming on to the market, cheaper and more widely available alternatives to RFID timing are fast becoming a reality. Alternatives like Bluetooth, which can be programmed to deliver highly accurate race times at a fraction of the cost of RFID.

Does that mean you could soon be timing your race on your own, using just a pair of phones? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to be getting into today with my guest, Atlas Live Tracking Founder, Jean-Louis Lafayeedney.

Things covered in this episode:

• Bluetooth race timing: what it is and how it works
• Tags and components for a Bluetooth timing system
• Setting up multiple timing points using a Bluetooth timing system
• Types of races Bluetooth timing is best and least suited for
• Bluetooth vs RFID timing accuracy
• Bluetooth vs RFID timing cost
• How to hire or buy a Bluetooth timing system

Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 21,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.

You can find more free resources on planning, promoting and organizing  races on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about race marketing or anything else in our race directors Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Send us Fan Mail

On May 22nd, tragedy struck when severe weather hit the Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon in China. Caught between checkpoints along the 100km race course, runners found themselves exposed to hail and freezing rain at 3,000ft. When rescue teams finally reached the area, 21 people had died.

Today we're talking to Lindley Chambers: race director, first aider and former Chair of the UK Trail Running Association, about what went wrong in that fateful race and how trail race directors (and race directors of all kinds of races) can work to better prepare themselves and their events for when the worst happens.

Things covered in this episode:

• Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon: What went wrong?
• How to write a sound, common-sense risk assessment/emergency plan for your race without going overboard
• Deciding on how many safety personnel you'll need
• Will runners be happy to pay a premium for a safer, but more expensive, race?
• Things race directors can do to better prepare participants for risks they might face in a race
• Should there be more regulation and/or special certification requirements for high-risk races?
• What should go into a participant mandatory gear list

References:

• Why the Ultra-Race Tragedy in China Wasn’t Surprising (Outside)

Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 21,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events, visit runsignup.com.

You can find more free resources on planning, promoting and organizing  races on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about race safety or anything else in our race directors Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Send us Fan Mail

2021 is shaping up to be a year of two halves for the endurance events industry. The first half, like most of 2020, has been an almost total write-off. The second? That is shaping up to be one of the busiest race seasons ever, with oversaturated race calendars and intense competition among events for participants making their return to racing.

So, what should you be doing to promote your race in this market?  And what channels and strategies should you focus on to stand out from the competition? I’ll be getting into all that and more in today’s episode with the help of my guest, Big Run Media Managing Partner, Thomas Neuberger. 

Things covered in this episode:

• Lessons learned from marketing The Woodlands Marathon (sell-out event in Texas that took place in early March 2021)
• How participant signup patterns have shifted towards late registration - and will remain so for the foreseeable future
• Facebook ads: Do they still offer good value for marketing your race?
• The rise of Instagram 
• The importance of race photos in expanding your race reach
• Promoting your race with Strava clubs

Don't miss in this episode: 

• Thomas' tips for helping your race stand out among major races this fall
• The one thing about your race you need to be advertising as soon as you can (hint: it's the swag!)

Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 21,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.

You can find more free resources on planning, promoting and organizing  races on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about race marketing or anything else in our race directors Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Send us Fan Mail

Waste is a big problem in the events industry and endurance events are no exception. And it’s not only about water bottle waste. Sometimes the things we offer our participants, like medals and T-shirts, end up discarded or in a cupboard somewhere never to see the light of day again.

Change may be just around the corner though. In today's episode we'll be hearing from Chris Zair on how UK-based Trees not Tees is helping race directors offer participants the option of planting a tree instead of (or often on top of) receiving the traditional finisher shirt and medal.

It's a really interesting discussion with lots of details on how the Trees not Tees model could incentivize change in the industry through a win-win for participants and race directors alike.

Things covered in this episode:

• How Trees not Tees was born from the frustration of trail runner, Jim Mann
• The Trees not Tees model: good for participants, good for race directors, good for sponsors, good for the environment.
• The economics of Trees not Tees: What does it cost for the race director to offer a tree-planting option? What does it cost Trees not Tees to plant the trees? 
• The secret sauce: How can Trees not Tees plant trees at a loss and still make it work in the log run (hopefully!)
• Trees not Tees' ambitious roadmap for planting 50 million trees by 2025

Don't miss in this episode:

• How Trees not Tees' sustainable reforestation at scale helps turn wasteland into vibrant wild ecosystems 
• Trees not Tees' plans for US expansion

Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 21,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.

You can find more free resources on planning, promoting and organizing  races on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about race waste, sustainability or anything else in our race directors Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Send us Fan Mail

To say it's been a challenging year for the endurance events industry would be an understatement. So what can we learn from what we’ve been through to help us improve the way we manage risk in the events industry going forward? That’s what we’ll be exploring in today's episode with the help of our guest, Nathan Nicholas, Managing Partner at specialist insurance broker Nicholas Hill Group. 

When it comes to 1-in-1,000-type risks in the industry, Nathan has dealt with it all, from severe weather and natural catastrophes to terrorism and, now, pandemics. So he’s the right person to help us understand what happens when things like COVID come around, how events are affected, and how they can protect themselves going forward with the help of event cancellation insurance.
 
Things covered in this episode:

• What's been happening in the race insurance industry during the COVID pandemic
• Race cancellation insurance: What is it? What does it cover? Does it pay out? How much does it cost? 
• Communicable disease cover: What is it? Is it part of your race cancellation policy? Can you buy COVID cover today?
• The state of race insurance as the world (and races) begins to open up
• A brief look at virtual event insurance: Do you need it? What does it cover? How much does it cost?

Don't miss in this episode:

• The remarkable story of a mystery event which got hit with terrorism, thunderstorm and COVID in consecutive years and had to cancel the race two years in a row
• Nathan's take on whether COVID infections in your event would be covered by your insurance policy

Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 21,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.

You can find more free resources on planning, promoting and organizing  races on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com, where you’ll also find a 10% OFF offer on race insurance from Nicholas Hill Group, as well as other exclusive vendor offers.

You can also share your questions about race insurance or anything else in our race directors Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to episode zero of Head Start, the podcast for race directors and the business of putting on races. 

In this first short episode, Panos sets out what you should expect from future Head Start episodes, namely: 

1) The best and coolest innovation happening in the mass-participation endurance industry that you may not know about

2) Top tips and actionable advice from industry experts to help you better plan, manage and market your race.

Stay tuned and subscribe for the roll-out of our first 6-episode mini-season, featuring the following episodes:

E1.  "Race Insurance in the Age of Pandemics" with Nicholas Hill Group Managing Partner, Nathan Nicholas

E2.  "Trees not Tees" with Trees not Tees Director, Chris Zair

E3.  "Marketing Races in 2021" with Big Run Media Managing Partner, Thomas Neuberger

E4.  "A Guide to Bluetooth Timing" with Atlas Live Tracking Founder, Jean-Louis Lafayeedney

E5.  "Mastering Charity Partnerships" with CharityTeams Founder, Susan Hurley

E6.  "Notpla/Ooho" with Notpla CFO/COO, Lise Honsinger

Send us Fan Mail