#239: Will We Race in 2021?

On this week’s episode, Tim and Jess welcome an old friend and a new expert to The BibRave Podcast! Mark Colpoys, Senior Race Director/VP Event Production at EnMotive/Ventures Endurance, joins the show to share his take on racing during COVID and beyond.  Tim and Jess have known Mark since the EARLY days of BibRave when Mark was working as the main race director at Fleet Feet Chicago. Their first meeting was a bit… standoffish, and the trio have a good laugh at how Mark was a bit skeptical of BibRave back then. Mark has directed MANY races across the country, varying in event size, market, distance, age, theme, and every other variable. He talks about how directing races changed after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and how that experience might give us a glimpse into what racing is like post-COVID.  He also shares what it’s been like to support races during the pandemic, and how things vary not just from state-to-state but also from city-to-city. Mark and his team have experienced everything from “mask shaming” (i.e. “Why are you wearing a mask!?!?”) to hyper-vigilance and everything in between, so his perspective is really interesting. For a deeper podcast dive, check out this week’s show notes