Head Start

Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet.

In this episode, Phil sits down with Dawna Stone, CEO of Abbott World Marathon Majors. Together, they unpack the latest milestones in global marathon events, including Sydney’s entry as the seventh major and the tantalizing possibility of Cape Town joining next. What does it take to become a World Marathon Major? And what’s the bold vision behind a possible Nine Star Medal?

Dawna and Phil also dive into some of the biggest trends shaping the future of running — from the rise of Gen Z runners and their mental health-driven motivations, to tech innovations like real-time glucose tracking and performance-boosting nutrition strategies. What does the future hold for race formats, participation, and the marathon experience itself?

This episode is a must-listen for race directors who want to stay ahead of the curve. With insider insights from one of the most influential leaders in the sport, plus practical takeaways on race excellence and community impact, it’s packed with ideas to inspire your next big move.

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In 1897, the Boston Athletic Association, then only ten years old, decided to organize the first ever Boston Marathon, thus giving birth to the longest continuously running marathon in the world. Of the 15 people who took part in the race, ten finished. And to commemorate the achievement of its members in that inaugural Boston Marathon, all ten finishers came away with a medal, thus giving birth to one of the most enduring traditions in mass participation sports: the finisher medal.

So, what makes a great medal? How should you choose a medal that works best for your race’s theme and budget? What kinds of things should you look out for in designing your medal and managing those all-important order quantities and delivery timelines? And how can you use your most important race bling to attract new participants to your event?

That’s what we’re discussing today with my guests, mother and daughter, Kim and Morgan Ashworth of veteran medal suppliers’ Ashworth Awards. Now in its third generation, Ashworth Awards has been the go-to medal supplier for some of the greatest races in the United States for over 60 years. And with Kim and Morgan’s help we’ll explore every aspect of race medals, from production and design to order management and - seeing as the world’s heading that way - the effect tariffs may already be having on the price and availability of that all important finisher bling. 

In this episode:

• Pros, cons and costs of different types of medals: die-cast, stamped, acrylic, wooden medals.
• Medal platings and colours
• How race medals are produced
• The popularity and versatility of utility medals
• Made in the USA dimensional steel medals
• The effect of tariffs on medal imports and costs
• Working with a vendor to design your race medal
• Obtaining samples before a production run
• Managing order quantities and lead times
• Tips for reusing and recycling leftover medals
• Pros and cons of ordering through a vendor vs ordering directly from an overseas manufacturer
• Using your medal in your race marketing
• Offering personalized medals

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about liability waivers or anything else in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/ 

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Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet.

In this episode, Phil sits down with Stacey Embretson, Senior Director of Operations for the LA Marathon, to go behind the scenes of one of the most iconic races in the country, exploring how the LA Marathon has evolved since 2008 and where it's headed next.

What does the future of major city marathons look like? How do you innovate in an event with decades of history, while keeping pace with the new technology and runner expectations? And, how do you navigate complex, multi jurisdictional logistics while adapting to climate change and wildfires? 

Whether you're a race director and event organizer or just passionate about where endurance sports are headed, this episode is packed with insights into what it really takes to put on the races of the future.

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Today we have something a little bit different for you: we are announcing the upcoming release of “The Future of Running” mini podcast series, a limited, five-episode podcast series hosted by Brooksee CEO, Phil Dumontet, here, on your Head Start podcast feed.

Many of you may know Phil personally or may have heard of his work (or may even have listened to him on this podcast discussing the growth of his Boulderthon race). If you have, you would know Phil as a very energetic, forward-looking leader in our industry. So putting him in the driving seat of his own mini interview series and benefitting from his perspective and that of the great guests he’ll be hosting I’m sure will add a lot of value to the podcast and to your listening time.

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RunSignup’s annual RaceTrends report is the closest thing we get in the endurance events industry to a market-wide survey of what is happening in events and event participation. And the latest RaceTrends report for 2024 is out, shedding a unique light into the long-term trends taking shape in the race management industry.

So, how are we doing? Is the COVID-era hangover well and truly behind us? What do the numbers say for current and future participation growth in endurance events? And are the bullish pricing trends we saw in 2023 still holding up in 2024?

With me today to discuss all this and more is RunSignup’s Director of Marketing, and person responsible for this very important piece of research, Johanna Goode. And with Johanna’s help we’ll be making sense of the numbers, diving deep into some of the most important factors driving industry trends, and thinking through some of the implications of these findings for the future of endurance events.

In this episode:

• On the right track: strong growth in participation carries through to 2024
• Repeat participation across different event distances
• What is holding back growth in larger events? 
• Understanding regional differences in event participation growth
• Promoting locally: reaching out to local running clubs, other events and timers
• Using referral rewards to grow your race
• Are events getting better at attracting younger runners?
• Registration patterns: are runners really procrastinating in signing up?
• The importance of keeping registrations open as long as possible.
• Year-on-year entry fee changes across different event distances
• Keeping race costs down through optional swag
• Could introducing more price increases lead to more registrations?
• Mobile registrations: using Apple Pay vs storing credit card details
• Price transparency laws: what they are, and how they will affect the presentation of registration prices for your race
• The decline of social media traffic to race websites

You can download the full 2024 RaceTrends report for free: https://runsignup.com/trends

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about liability waivers or anything else in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/ 

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When it comes to putting on races, obtaining a permit (or permits, as the case may be) is one of the most fundamental aspects of the race planning process. However, with increasingly busier local event schedules and ever-changing permitting requirements, obtaining a permit for any event is becoming both costlier and more complicated than ever.

So, how can you best navigate the event permitting process? What things do you need to prepare for and focus on before reaching out to your local council or police department? And how do you manage the timeline of permit approvals alongside the 10,000 other balls you’re juggling in delivering your race?

That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, Glass City Marathon award-winning race director, Clint McCormick. It’s a pleasure to welcome Clint back to the podcast for our first episode of 2025 and to be able to share in his expertise in the topic of permitting. 

With Clint’s help we’ll be looking at all aspects of the permitting process, from figuring out whom to contact first and when, understanding what authorities might expect from your event, preparing your application in a way that gives you the best chance of success, as well as managing a denial of permit deep into your event planning cycle, should you be unfortunate enough to have to face such an eventuality. 

In this episode:

• Do you really need a permit to operate your race?
• Who issues permits and where to go to get started.
• The curious case of the the Malibu Triathlon permit switch.
• How the proliferation of events strains local communities and increases competition for permits.
• What things you need to have ready to get started with the permitting process.
• How early should you look to start the permitting process?
• How to handle the uncertainty of permit approvals while planning your race.
• Does your experience as a race director factor into the permitting process
• What other factors can improve (or hurt) your chances of obtaining a race permit? 
• Does securing a permit this year give you a head start in securing a permit next year?
• Alternative routes and weather contingency plans in your permit application. 
• Appealing against a permit application rejection.
• What to do if your permits are rejected at the last minute.

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about liability waivers or anything else in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/ 

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Running USA’s annual Global Runner Survey has always been an important gauge of runner attitudes and trends for the endurance events industry. And in 2024, following some key content additions, the report is more valuable than ever.

So, how can you leverage runners’ fitness and social habits to increase the reach of your event? What is it that runners really value in a race? And how can you remove obstacles holding back your race’s growth from its full potential?

That’s what we’re discussing today, alongside a plethora of interesting data points from the 2024 Global Runner Survey with the help of my guest, Running USA Director of Operations, Michael Clemons. Michael - soon to be Dr.Clemons PhD - is an endurance events man through and through, having held various roles in the industry in a career spanning over a decade, and in his latest role at Running USA has been responsible not only for Running USA’s marquee industry conference, but also all pieces or Running USA research, including the Global Runner Survey. 

And with Michael's help we’ll navigate the most important findings of the report, tracking annual trends in runner habits and preferences as they evolve over time, as well as trying to make sense of what the numbers mean for your race, in terms of concrete, actionable takeaways. 

In this episode:

• The Global Runner Survey: what it is and how it is compiled
• Demographics of survey respondents: age, gender, income, ethnicity
• What increased inclusion means for running events
• Making group runs part of the event lifecycle
• Promoting your race where runners are: gyms, fitness centers, race expos
• The growth of recreational running vs competitive running
• Runners' top criteria for choosing what race to enter
• What runners value in a race: swag, water stations, hygiene facilities
• Runner's entry fee expectations
• How far runners will travel for 5Ks, marathons, ultras
• The importance of solid pre- and post-race communications
• Income-based entry fees and other ways to broaden race participation
• Understanding runner sub-segments with the help of runner personas

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about liability waivers or anything else in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/ 

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A couple of episodes back, we looked at event liability insurance: why it’s important that your race is covered by a robust liability insurance policy, the circumstances under which a liability policy would kick in, and what happens when it does.

But there was a significant part of that discussion we only briefly touched on in that episode, and that was the importance of supporting your liability protection with the use of a liability waiver.

So, what is a liability waiver? What needs to be in it? And how does a waiver protect you, the organizer, should a participant or volunteer decide to pursue legal action against you?

That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, industry veteran Laurel Park. Laurel is not only an experienced academic researcher in data analysis and survey design, but also an incredibly active member of our industry, having served as the President of the Ann Arbor Track Club and a long-time contributor to Road Race Management. 

During her work, Laurel has developed a keen interest and expertise in liability waivers for races and with her help we’ll take a look at what waivers can and cannot protect you against, the different aspects involved in drafting a solid liability waiver, and how waivers work alongside your liability insurance policy to deter and defend against frivolous litigation directed against you and your company.

In this episode:

• Waivers: your first line of defense
• Waivers in contract law 
• Participant waivers vs volunteer waivers
• Understanding and laying out your event's "inherent risks"
• Waivers for minors and kids runs
• The legal enforceability (or un-enforceability) of waivers
• Ordinary negligence vs gross negligence
• Waivers and insurance: one or the other, or both?
• Using waivers to support insurance claims
• Are online waiver signatures as good as paper waiver signatures?
• The pros and cons of using waiver templates

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about liability waivers or anything else in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/ 

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If you’ve ever directed even a single race, there’s a good chance you would have received at least one email from a frustrated participant complaining about the distance they ran not matching your race advertised distance. They do have a GPS watch, you know.

And although it’s easy to jokingly dismiss these kinds of demands - most people do - there often is an uncomfortable point to the complaint: How do you know the actual distance of your race course, if it hasn’t been accurately measured and certified?

The answer, of course, is you can’t really know. In fact, if empirical evidence from professional course measurers offer any kind of hint, it is that your actual course distance is likely much more off the distance you advertise than you think - most likely much shorter than the advertised distance.

So what’s involved in getting your race course professionally measured and certified? Why don’t all the other methods we’re all familiar with, like drawing lines on a map or using a measuring wheel, work as well? And, at the end of the day, do participants really care whether your course is actually 10K rather than 9.8?

That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, Matt Slocum of Precision Course Design. Matt, although a very accomplished runner, is a relative newcomer to the business of races, but what he lacks in industry mileage he more than makes up for in his dedication and obsession with the craft of course measurement. 

And with Matt’s help we’re going to be going behind the scenes of a race course measuring operation to look at how professional course measurement works, why most other DIY methods tend to underestimate the distance of a race course (often by a lot), and how investing a modest amount in professional course measurement can actually benefit your race for years to come.

In this episode:

• Do your participants care about an accurately measured course?
• What types of races is course measurement relevant for?
• The process of professional course measurement: how it all works
• Why the course you've measured yourself on a map is probably short
• Designing a road course to match the race distance you aim for in your event
• How course certification works
• The cost of measuring and certifying your race
• Making small changes to a certified course

To find a course measurer in your region, use the links below:

• USA: rrtc.net
• UK: coursemeasurement.org.uk
• Canada: athletics.ca

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting the podcast:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

You can also share your questions about course measurement or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

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If there’s one thing you can’t have enough of as a race director, it’s race insurance. Particularly - knock on wood - when the unexpected happens and you’re faced with a dreaded lawsuit that threatens to take away your livelihood and your piece of mind.

So how can you best protect yourself and your business from the risks associated with putting on a race? What will your standard event liability policy cover? What does it exclude? And how should you expect to be protected against legal and medical claims should your race be held liable for a participant injury or loss of property?

That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, Nicholas Hill Group partner and event insurance veteran, Nathan Nicholas. Through Nicholas Hill Group, Nathan has helped develop some of the most robust and widely-used specialist insurance policies for the endurance events industry, and with his help we’ll try to understand where the boundaries of liability insurance protection lie for you, the event organizer; how event liability insurance ties in with other types of business insurance you may be buying; how the type of race you put on affects the cost and availability of insurance cover you might find in the market; and how the diligent use of participant waivers and incident documentation can help reduce the risk of frivolous lawsuits being filed against you.

In this episode:

• Event liability insurance: what it is and what kinds of contingencies it covers
• How event liability insurance differs from Business Owner's Policies (BOPs) and other types of general business insurance
• Will an event liability policy cover me for event-related work outside of race day?
• Will an event liability policy cover volunteers, spectators and third-party vendors on site on race day?
• Negligence and gross negligence in the context of liability insurance.
• Understanding an event liability policy: deductibles, claim limits, additional insured's. 
• Getting insurance for obstacle races, ultramarathons, night races, races serving alcohol.
• Liability waivers: do they work?
• What to do (and not to do) when sued for liability by a participant or other party.
• How are your legal costs covered in the event of a lawsuit? Will you have to pay out of pocket?
• Does a virtual race need liability insurance?
• Race cancellation insurance: what it is and what it covers
• Will a race cancellation insurance policy cover the costs of postponing instead of cancelling a race?

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:

RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.

Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.

You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.

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

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