Interview: 37th Longmont Turkey Trot Race Director Karen Charles

There are some Turkey Trots that are on Thanksgiving day, yet you draw a huge crowd by scheduling the race a few weeks before. How did that come about?

Karen Charles:
The City of Longmont was approached to continue the Turkey Trot race 18 years ago.  Prior to that time, the Longmont YMCA ran the race for 19 years, but had decided not going to continue it.  I'm having a harder time remembering 18 years ago, but either the date was already set or we looked at other races during the same time frame within Boulder County and surrounding areas and came upon a non-conflicting date. 

 
Talk about the organization required for such an event :

Karen Charles:

Many races are done by companies that are solely set up to plan and direct races.  The City of Longmont, Recreation Services currently holds 3 running races (Mud Hen, Rogers River Run and Longmont Turkey Trot) and a youth and adult Triathlon.  These races are in addition to our other workloads of running other special events, day to day programming and facility operation.  Teamwork is instrumental in organizing and implementing our races and everyone chips in.  The hardest part of organizing is getting things started and then getting busy with other irons in the fire and then picking up the pieces again to make sure everything is run smoothly and efficiently.  I am very grateful and proud of our team and how well we support each other to make the most of our events.

The Longmont Turkey Trot turns 37 this year. Why do you think the race has been so successful? 

Karen Charles:
Consistency is the key to running a good event.  If I haven't been the race director, I have been involved with the Longmont Turkey Trot since the City of Longmont took reins.  Also, I have been a race director since 1983 and have been competitive in many races from this same time period.  Running in events and knowing what people appreciate are key to being successful.  One thing that helps considerably is having a reliable timing company.  They are key to how well people perceive your event.

 

How would you describe the course this year?
Karen Charles:The 10k course is fast and almost completely flat.  Last year in our first year with this course, I received a lot of positive feedback.  The 2 mile course was changed this year to give people more elbow room and make it wheelchair accessible.  It will also be mostly flat and a good course for viewing the mountains. 

 
Most running events have a great set of sponsors. Talk about how you have been able to engage the local community?

Karen Charles:
Sponsors are key to races.  They really help make it a community event.  It has been a pleasure working with Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage after our local Butterball plant was sold.  Outback Steakhouse provides a fabulous meal, grilled right on sight and has been great to work with as well.  Even though our local newspaper, Times-Call was sold, they have been willing to help with the much needed advertising.  They have been gracious to come to most of the races which is a huge help as the race participants love to open the paper the next day and see all the photos and read the stories.  We were fortunate enough to have a grant from State Farm last year that provided middle school youth with free entries into the Turkey Trot.  Although the grant is over, we established a group rate for all schools to participate so we can keep encouraging our youth to stay active.  

The thing that makes me most proud of this event, is the number of families that participate.  It is so cool to see multi-generations running and walking together just to get out and enjoy our beautiful Colorado weather and scenery!

Monster Dash 5k

Saw lots of Halloween costumes at the recent Monster Dash 5k in Louisville.

The 2^nd year event drew another large crowd, with most of the runners showing up about 30 minutes before race time. One unique aspect of the Monster Dash is that the kids run is after the 5k.

I wasn’t planning on running, however the sunshine combined with cool temps offered a nice change of pace to a scheduled speed workout. This is one race that I work from the event director perspective. I volunteer for the event owner Craig Mintzlaff who is owner of Endurance Sports Marketing. Timing was provided by RedLine Running Company.

An uphill first mile thinned the pack out nicely. I settled in easily to a 7:20 pace. Once I made the right hand turn on to the sidewalk, I decided to gas up a little and cut mile two in 7:00 minutes flat. Knowing that I had a full mile of downhill to the finish, I cut loose on the last mile for a split of 6:14-giving me an overall time of 20:23. Good enough to win my age group, but far off of the winning time of Brice Cleland at 15:19. Still, it was a good run for me especially since I lost my hat after mile 2 and had to run back and pick it up!

Overall, I felt good to get out and run for speed after a long 10 mile run the day before.

I plan to race the Longmont Turkey Trot before closing the books on the 2011 season.

It's time to Rock and Roll-Part One of our interview with Alan Culpepper-Rock and Roll and Competitor Events

Tho-Run: Runners can enter a lot of different races when choosing a half or full marathon. The Rock and Roll series is unique with music, support along the course, and a great post race experience.  What do you expect runners will enjoy the most during the race?

Alan Culpepper: 

Well first and foremost we hope runners have an experience they look back on and say that was a very well run event. Organizers did their best to think through all of the various elements of the race, they didn’t cut any corners. That’s always our goal-put on a world class event. Every time in every city. But as far as how r&R I s unique is the band element and the variety and amount of music and really the cheer out there on the course. We do all lot of sponsor activations out on the course. Our goal is to have as many distractions as possible out there on the course and also to just break the course up. It’s a long way to go whether its 13 or 26 miles.

Tho-Run: When you think about the race cities across the country how was the decision made to come to Denver? And thinking about each of those cities where might you rank Denver over all?

Alan Culpepper:

Yeah I don’t know if I can speak to the ranking, that’s pretty hard to quantify. But yeah, Denver was definitely a market we wanted to come to. its clear Colorado is an endurance minded state and health conscious state. So it just made a lot of sense to have a race here. A world class event that attracts people from all across the country to Colorado, similar to the cycling event that was just completed here. So it is easy to rally to have people come here. This location was on the radar for a long time.

Tho-Run: Speaking of world class, you know about that being a former world class runner. What are some of things that you have encountered between running on the international stage and then organizing a major event such as the Rock and Roll event.

Alan Culpepper:

Well yes, it’s definitely been an interesting transition. But one that I am very pleased with thus far. From a personal perspective its been fun to be on the other side of a running event. The backside as it were to see the inner workings of an event. Its been great and I excited about it. I’ve really enjoyed it. As someone who has participated in events since he was 12 years old, well I can use that experience that insider knowledge and first hand experience to put together something that I know runners will appreciate—and that keeps me engaged in each event. And it has been great working for a company like Competitor. They are progressive, cutting edge. Looking for that next thing to make an event great. Always has the runner experience top of mind. And being good city partner.  So for me it’s been great. You know it’s been more rewarding than I expected. I came from an experience where it was extremely gratifying as a runner where I did not deal with a lot failure. I was able to have success, had achievements that I met after applying myself to training. There were a few goals I did not hit but for the most part, I’m happy when I look back at what I accomplished. That is extremely gratifying. To train for something, to apply yourself, and see the goal met and so that was one thing I guess I’ve transitioned away from. Now I have more of a corporate life. I’ve been really pleased that I’ve been able to have a different vision or a high level of satisfaction in doing something I am enjoying right now.

Tho-Run: I ran the half marathon event last year. It was a fantastic experience. I liked the music and especially liked all the cheer squads across the course. Everything was so well organized, there were so many people out there bands, aid stations, post race. It was just great. Highly comparable to the Bolder Boulder which I consider the gold standard. That comes with a lot of work from a lot of people. Talk about the coordination that happens on race day and before to make all of this happen.

Alan Culpepper:
 It’s a testament to our staff, all of the people we have on-board. Everyone has a commitment to the brand, to the company and to the goal. We don’t want to let out participants down—we want them to have a great running experience. And so that is one benefit of having a larger company. We are more specialized. We are able to hone in and fine tune our specific area. This allows us to work on more events and to prepare week to week. Unlike maybe some of the other individual city events, where maybe they do on or two events a year and have people that work full time at other jobs. So we can work on our specific piece of an event all year long and really get to know what we are doing and doing it well. Its amazing how much you learn from each area as you see what it takes to put on a great race. It just a frenzy at each race. There is so much going on that people don’t ever see. So much communication

Heart and Sole Half Marathon

There is a lot to like about running at the Boulder Reservoir.

And even more to like about running in a Heart and Sole event. There is always plenty of parking no matter what time one shows up to run. On race day runners can also count on lots of port of potties-and even more volunteers both on the race course and at the start and at the finish line. Oh wait, did I mention that there were aid stations every two miles? I think there were even if I never did the math. And the best part of those aid stations was at mile 9 they had COLD sponges! That was a first in a race for me a cold sponge to go along with all the water, gel and energy drink at each stop.

There was a super cool tech shirt for the race, but the best part (other than finishing in a personal best) was the outrageously full selection of food at the post race party. I feasted on a sandwich, a bratwurst, bagel, fruit, Popsicle, cookies, chips, two or three drinks (no beer) and a finishing medal. 

But before all that celebrating, there was an actual race. Teammates Patrick Rizzo and Tyler McCandless placed 1-2 again in a USATF Colorado event, this one a half marathon. A few weeks ago the duo, sponsored by Mizuno, finished 1-2 in the USATF 10k Colorado Championships. The pair bested 650 other runners, with

Rizzo besting McCandless by a mere 13 seconds winning in a time of 1:08:18 (5:13 pace). Brianne Nelson won the women’s race in 1:21:45 (6:15 mile pace). Nelson won by 15 seconds over Michele Susek.

The race circles around the Boulder Reservoir, offering sweeping views of the Front Range. The horizon was dotted with hot balloons on race day, giving runners a colorful send off for the 7AM race start.  I found the slightly rolling course to be moderately difficult due to the mixture of paved roads, trails and dirt roads. I decided to wear my racing flats, and on the whole I would say that was a good decision. The biggest challenge on the course is the lack of shade. That of course is far better than being punished with a strong headwind, which we were lucky enough to avoid all day!!

After heading west out of the reservoir, runners turned to the North slightly before heading east on a dirt road. I ran 6:58 for the first mile but at that pace, the lead runners were already disappearing in the distance. No matter how fast one runs in Colorado, there are always lots and lots of runners that are so much faster.

As I watched the leaders blaze away, I settled into my own 7:21 pace with a small group of 5 other runners. I ran with these folks most of the race, occasionally leading but mostly content to follow. I’m still pretty new to the half distance with this being my fifth  attempt at the distance. Miles 2-5 were traversed dirt and paved road and I motored along with my small group. We made the turn at 10k in under 45 mins before heading back over paved roads for another two miles. These were the fastest splits of the race for me, and even at that my group decided to go even faster. I let them go not knowing for sure if I could run a couple of 6:30’s in a half and still have five miles to go.

I was happy I kept my pacing pretty close to 7:21 but paid for my efforts later when we hit the north part of the reservoir trail. I picked my way through a couple of miles a little two gingerly (racing flats) topping out with a 7:48 and 7:35 miles before winding up for an almost on goal pace of 7:26 for my final mile.

Kudos to race announcer Craig Mintzlaff who always inspires me to run hard at the finish. He mentions my name at the finish (along with many other runners) and always inspires me to finish strong no matter what the distance. I mean how many runners don’t like hearing their names announced over a loud speaker at the end of a race?

Happy running!

Evergreen - Colorado State 10k Championships

The Colorado State 10k Championship is history for 2011. This magnificent race course brought out all of the top runners in Colorado to compete for prize money as well as the title of Colorado State 10k road champion. Patrick Rizzo of Boulder won the men’s race with a time of 29:59 good enough to beat Tyler Mccandless, also of Boulder by 18 seconds. Cassie Slade won the women’s championship with a finishing time of 34.40. Wendy Thomas was second in35:07. 

                                        Tyler Mccandless above, powers his way to a second place finish.

 The Evergreen course is downhill, so runners focused on leg turnover as they wound their way down Upper Bear Creek Road. The road is closed for the racing, making for an interesting scene of colors as racers stretched across both lanes of pavement. I entered the 10k after having completed two editions of the 5k race. Breaking from previous tradition, I started a little faster than normal running the first mile in around 6:20. Normally I would be better off to run a 6:40 first mile in this race but the excitement of racing against so many top level racers got the better of me and my race strategy disappeared shortly after the gun sounded. (I recovered though for a great Pearl Street Mile with a much slower start-more later)

I did however battle through my fast start and came in with a personal best of 41:23 which left me very happy if not a little overheated at the finish.

There are so many positives to talk about with this race. There is ample parking for either race (5 or 10K). The buses were right on time, transporting hundreds of runners to both start lines. There is a sag truck to dump gear in for those who prefer to warm up at the start and then change into racing gear or to store fresh gear at the finish. This is a huge benefit that I really like about the race. In addition there are plenty of bathrooms at both the start and finish lines PLUS plenty of water. 

All of this reflects tremendous race organization, so major kudos to John Wells and the race group for an A+ job. If the 10k race could somehow start about an hour earlier I would give this race top honors next to the Bolder Boulder as one of the top 2-3 races in Colorado. In fact, I am going to give it those honors anyway because it is a great race despite the hotter temps that come with an 8:45 morning start. Uggg—I really suffered the last 15 minutes of running in the heat but that is just because I tend to run so early in the morning.

Race to Help Save Lives in Evergreen- Run, Fun and Speed

The USATF Grand Prix makes a stop in Evergreen August 7 for the Colorado 10k road championship. In addition to an ultra fast downhill course, the race series offers more than $12,000 in prize money this year.  Almost $2,500 in prize money will be in play when the runners hit the start line in Evergreen.

The event  is one of four  in Colorado where racers accumulate Grand Prix points. But there is more than just Grand Prix points for racers to consider. Running with some of the fastest athletes in Colorado is also a major draw. Running is one of the few sports where novice competitors can line up in the same event as an elite athlete. And don't forget that the opportunity for a personal best on Colorado's fastest race course is part of the overall package too. You choose your race ( 5k or 10k) and then hope you can keep your legs turning over fast enough to navigate the course.

Combine all of this with a great cause and you have the makings of an Epic year.  Race Director John Wells sent me an overview of the event highlighting the 32 year history of this race. The Alpine Rescue team is one of just twelve nationally accredited mountain rescuer team in our state. According to a press release, Alpine Rescue is the only rescue team to serve three Colorado counties ( Clear Creek, Jefferson and Gilpin). One unique aspect of this team is that they never charge for their services. They are completely funded through events like the Evergreen Town Race. In fact, the race proves almost 1/3 of the teams total funding. This partnership began almost 20 years ago when they got together with the Colorado Road Runners.

There is a first class volunteer organization that helps with the event as well. Each year the race looks to expand the number of runners, and this year having the State 10k Championships promises to be a great draw. Last week Clint Wells won a local 5k with a time of 15 minutes even-and that is lighting fast. But in 1998 the fastest 5k ever run in Colorado was at the Evergreen Town race-an amazing time of 14:07!!

If all of the above wasn’t enough, the race also offers a great post race brunch. Runners are treated to drinks, beer, and fresh cooked ham, egg cheese bagel sandwiches. Oh and don’t forget there is a great tech racing shirt this year too.  The tech shirts are a direct result from monitoring feedback from participants according to John Wells, race director.

Link below to sign up and run in this signature event on the Colorado racing calendar.

http://www.evergreentownrace.org/

Redline 13.1 at Longmont

Saturday July 16^th was race day for the inaugural Redline Longmont Half Marathon . Almost 300 runners and walkers participated in the hugely successful event. The slightly downhill point to point route traveled West to East traversing through much of Longmont before finishing at Sandstone Ranch Park.

     Most runners began the morning at the finish, parking at Sandstone Ranch. The 125 acre park is open yearly from sunrise to sunset and features soccer and baseball fields, a skate park, playgrounds and sweeping views of the front range. Runners boarded two buses and headed west to the start line at Mcintosh Lake –which rests on the far Eastern edge of Longmont. I missed the bus, but caught a ride over to the starting line with some other runners after a quick detour for some last minute supplies. 

     The start area was well organized, and as in many first time races, the event organization gave last minute registrants ample time to sign up. While I heard some comments here and there about the delayed start, I expect some delays for a first time event and just went with it. 

 

     The start was even in that the trail at Mcintosh lake offered plenty of room for any sub 7 minute mile gazelles to move up to the front. I hung back, intending to average 7:20 miles for the run (I did) and found a small group of 4 runners that I paced with for most of the race. The lake is scenic enough along the trail with great views of Longs Peak to take ones mind off of the 13 miles ahead. In fact, the first two miles were quite comfortable along the trail. 

      Just before Rogers Road, we broke to left and headed East. As most of you know, when you head East in Colorado, you are usually running downhill. The course profile indicated a drop in altitude of about 300 feet which made for some nice running. (there was however a nasty little hill at 12.9 miles that we were warned about by the race director). 

     We passed Golden Ponds Nature Area at mile five and Izaak Walton Park at mile 7. I gulped my second of three gels at the seven mile marker and took two waters before leaving the shade for good at about mile 8. Running without shade for the last 4-5 miles made pacing and drinking critical, so I paid close attention to both—mainly water as I kept plugging along the route. I still traded pacing with the 4 other runners in my group-but we gradually spread out between water stations.

     I was certain once we hit the 10 mile mark that I would hit my goal time, so I eased up slightly. I was also pretty gassed anyway. The last hill was definitely as tough as advertised, but once I got to the top, I sprinted in for a final time of 1:36:27.  The winning race time was a blazing 1:20:54.

     Overall I have to give the event high marks. The post race food was outstanding as title sponsor Great Harvest Bread provided sandwiches, and lots of tasty bread for hungry runners. In addition, other sponsors provided lots of drinks and food. There was plenty of shelter for the heat, and even more prizes for the post race raffle.

     I can see this race becoming a signature event for the city of Longmont. Race Organizer Josh Melver indicated that the start time will probably be moved to 6am next year to beat the heat. I have no doubts that next years race may top 500 runners.

Sunrise Stampede 10k, Taste of Louisville

Every weekend brings a new race now that summer is here.
And while I won't be racing again until mid July, the last couple of weeks have been busy with a mile, a 5k and two 10ks.

Normally I would not race that much, but my form has been good and I knew I had a break coming anyway after the Sunrise Stampede. So I decided to full speed racer.

The Lucky Seven Mile Series was simply fantastic. The four race series was sponsored by Human Movement

I was delighted with the race organization and the overall atmosphere in downtown Louisville. This is a series that will make for an excellent tune up for the Bolder Boulder next year. Plus it's just plain flat out fun racing.

Same for taste of Louisville. Great race course, fun race.

The 26th running of Sunrise Stampede was blessed with great weather this runner. More than 400 runners signed up for the 10k. The sun hid behind the clouds just as the race was about to start and that made for excellent running conditions. I really like the Sunrise course. It has some nice downhills that are mixed in with one large hill and some slightly uphill sections. Good course and wide open...

No wave start in the Sunrise but the race clears out pretty fast with the sub 40 gazelles taking off leaving the rest of us behind right from the start. I ended up running a personal best of 42.23 so I was delighted with the race and the event overall.

Bolder Boulder 2011 Wrap up

2012 Bolder Boulder is less than 364 days away…so that means were finished with the 2011 edition.

The course change seemed to play pretty well with most of the runners I spoke with. I actually made the strategic error of running my first mile about 25 seconds too fast—even with the slightly uphill start. I paid for my exuberance in miles four and six however. I achieved my primary goal of finishing in the top 15 of my age group (49), but honestly think I had another 30 seconds in me on overall time.

But, there are no mulligans in road racing so I accepted my fate and ran through my fast start all the way to the finish. My final time was 43:17, good enough for 14^th place out of 408 runners in my group.

I made one decision that I will stick with for next year and that was running in a slower wave overall. Last year I was in AA and that was way too fast. I got passed by about a thousand people I think, So this year I moved back to B. I felt much better overall running with people who ran my pace. I also think not getting passed by a gizillion people on the course helped me retain my edge throughout the run.

Given that my finish group was in the stadium before 8AM, I had plenty of time to take in the expo. I collected lots of treats and wolfed down enough liquids to feel up to walking back to Folsom and Arapahoe to watch the rest of the runners come in.

After a quick trip back home, I decided to watch the professional race this year as well. Ryan Hall, pictured above, ran this years race. He also holds the US record in the half marathon at 59:43!!

I’m happy I watched the pros.  Seeing them run on the same course that the rest of us did was pretty cool.

I think the Bolder Boulder is far and away the best run race on the Colorado calendar. I know there are folks who don’t run it because of the crowds, but it really is a great running experience and should definitely be a must do for all runners.

BB 2011 less than a week away. RD Steve Bosley interview Part Two.

Tho-Run: So Steve part of the big news this year is the course change. I can’t imagine that you just decided to change the course over night.

Steve Bosley:  (Laughing).Well that was us. Yeah that was us. We’ll jump to that.

How it came about is a much longer story but let’s hold off on that. It was in one of our brainstorming sessions, you know maybe such and such might work because if we really look at this we can bring more buses into this new area. You know where the buses came in before with the drop offs the traffic was just terrible. So we said let's move the start closer to the finish line, then buses will have a dedicated route in to town and cars for drop off will have two dedicated drop off zones.

Well; taken together rather than separately, that’s all huge....all those things. Some people talked about tradition and you're giving up the history of the start, the race will lose something. And you know we’ve been planning this for three years! (laughing) We’ve probably got 1200-1500 hours into this.

Judging and planning and all the ramifications and we know we will have missed some things. You just can't, like know for example what is the optimal placement of the port o potties?

But we’ll know after we that first race in. But the issues of how and when you shut the streets down and what time. All that we are really good at. Then we think about just the confusion of two thirds of the runners coming this year will have been to the other starting line. So what does that look like? So there is going to be something that pops up but we don’t think there will be anything of major importance we just look for every single detail.

Tho-Run: There is also the dynamic of the father son pass off of the race that Cliff is running the event.

Steve Bosley:  So many times in a business the son or daughter takes over and all of these changes happen, but Cliff said  I don’t want to change anything, I don’t even know what going on! Well he’s worked on the race since the first one.

He and his sister sat in Frank Shorter's office door when they were…let’s see 12 and 13 registering people on the weekends. And they talk about how cheap I was back then because for doing that they got to eat at the New York Deli which was right next door (laughing). Which they loved!!

So Cliff has literally, before he took over as race director he has been in charge of every aspect of the race.  And all he did, no the only thing he did, I want to emphasize the important, he looked at streamlining everything he possibly could. Like a watch….and you can't you say for years we maintained a reputation as the most innovative race. Cliff helped insure that.

We’re always coming up with something. For several years the media would say what are you doing differently this year? Well how do you measure the thousand little things that smooth this piece out and that so when suddenly you put them all together the race just has a different feel to it. That everything just works.

Tho-Run: I blog and race each year and look at all aspects of a race. How easy is it to register? Where do you park? What does the shirt look like? Is the course accurate? Is the timing accurate? Marshalling, everything—even post race food. I talk to folks too- I have to tell you as  impressed as I am with the race, it’s really one of the few events I run each year where my only concern is how fast I’m going to run!

Steve Bosley:  laughing…We send our guys to other races all the time. And one of the instructions Cliff gave them was go in and register for the race. Be an ordinary person. Do all the things someone would do on race day. And then write down when you are done…where were you nervous?

Where were you wondering what was next? And, the fun part of that was that hey we found you know we are doing all of that!! The great part of going to other races, and Cliff and I still go to other races, is that we come back with pages of notes and ideas that this almost happened what do we do here? Or can we prevent that? Not in any way, shape, or form to say we never have that problem-baloney-we know there’s a fine line between being inches away from problems all the time.

Tho-Run: Another aspect of the race is the chip timing. There are some races I do where I don’t see results for days or even a week. In BB you have results immediately-- for thousands and thousands of runners.

Steve Bosley:  Isn’t that neat? You notice we didn’t go to the chip system for ten years?

That’s when it first came out. But every time we looked at it and looked at the races and the prices and looked at what it was, well the prices were a killer. But we weren’t driven to move to chips because the accuracy of our timing system was so great.  Before the chip, our timing was so good that it really created a question—how do you do this?

It really was a system that evolved in the first few years that we perfected. We would ask people in the surveys How accurate was your time? And one answer would be what is your perception of how accurate was your time? If you think three seconds is ok, then it’s accurate. If you buddy says three seconds off is not accurate then it’s not. It’s all about customer or runner satisfaction. When we would ask more specifically –were we right on, were we plus or minus one second, three seconds, whatever, the accuracy rate was, or the customer satisfaction rate was phenomenal. Well again the media started writing about us and we were accurate with our timing so we weren’t driven to it, to the chip. We waited a couple of years, well then we just developed our own system and went with it.

Tho-Run: It seems like there are really three races on the big day. You’ve got the professional race, runners and then you have the joggers and walkers.

Steve Bosley: It’s all within. It’s all one big race organization and you really hit on a key point. Most races back  then were really emphasizing the race, the non-professional aspect of it. We never called our race the non-elite race as that would then get into the amateur status of our race—and that is another subject entirely what is considered professional or amateur.

It’s only been in the last 8-10 years that we called the one of the races “The Professional Race”.  We don’t have a VIP party, we have a special guest party-I don’t like those terms, VIP, Elite.

Other races would specialize in having a so, so race (citizens) and focus on the professionals-I never believed the two to be mutually exclusive. In the end for us, how much is all that attention to just a pro race worth to your sponsors or to the thousands of runners who run in your race? We like to hear our runners and sponsors say hey that is really a cool event we are a part of! And we will keep working to keep that going.

Lucky Mile Series in Louisville

Interview with David Janowiec

Partner/Chief Marketing Officer  Human Movement

Louisville is getting its share of run events, but a 1 mile run is new. When did you decide to put the event on and also turn it into a series of weekly runs?

A: We wanted to put together a run/race that was very community centered. Something where locals and surrounding area runners could both get to know each other more, but also allow for runners who already know each other to compete against each other on a regular basis. Another goal was for training purposes – in the Spring many runners are pushing short distances at a fast pace on a weekly basis as part of their training programs. So this series really compliments everybody. Kids/families: 1 mile is perfect for kids. Serious runners: can compare their weekly times and compete against others in the exact same course from week to week.

You must have been able to get a lot of buy in from the business owners in downtown--that takes a lot of work. How long have you been planning to run the series?

A: actually, the only business owners we’ve really dealt with on this series are Lucky Pie and Sweet Cow, as it doesn’t affect the others all that much. And the branding is really in line with our main partner – Lucky Pie, so to discuss sponsorship/partnership with other local businesses, especially restaurants, wasn’t really possible. Our other event, the Taste of Louisville Half marathon & 5K touches more on your question – incorporating all of the local businesses much more.

What do you think will surprise people about this series?

A: Hmmm… The biggest surprise to us has been the amount of kids involved. There are a ton of kids running. I think the biggest surprise to the runners, will be how much we put into a ‘1 mile’ run. We set this race up like it’s a marathon, including awards, finish line area, and effort. Another thing that may surprise the runners is how much fun this race and series is. I can’t even count how many people have thanked us for organizing a series based on community and ‘fun’! Our goal is for the race atmosphere to be light-hearted and laid back, but still very high quality and very professional. I think this series will have 400 runners per night in a year or so.

How do you think the race will fit into the overall season calendar for local runners?

A: I think it has a lot to do with part of my answer in #1 above. Putting in ‘speed work’ just before the weekend. Many runners will do speed work 2-3 days before a race, and the Lucky Mile Series offers exactly that. I know people doing the race who have broken their 1 mile PR’s each week! Runners who have been running for 20+ years! It really pushes you to go fast when you’re up against a bunch of other runners in a 1 mile run.

Folks can make an evening of the run as well with lots of goodies after the race. How do you see the event changing as word gets out and more people show up?

A: Our sponsors such as Avery Brewing, Lucky Pie, and Sweet Cow will adapt to the increase in runners and will be happy to do so. The only things I could see changing are the addition of a cash purse possibly, and the addition of more sponsors who want to be a part of such a unique event series. We’ve had several regional ‘industry’ companies already ask about sponsoring the Fall series. Which I’ll have to tell you about. Haha… http://www.tasteoflouisvillehalf.com/lucky-mile#!__lucky-mile

Bolder Boulder 10k 2011 Countdown...interview with Steve Bosley Part One

The 33^rd annual Bolder Boulder 10k is less than a month away.

The race is one the most successful races in the country and highlights the racing calendar for me along with thousands of other runners and walkers.

I’ve always said that the event is the most seamless race I have entered—it’s the only race on my calendar where my only concern is how fast I can run. 

All of the other details such as registration, course safety, accuracy of timing and distance, results, post race food and expo, plus much more, are simply first class. 

Bar none.

The Bolder Boulder is on the short list of must do races for runners along with such classics as The Peachtree Road Race (Atlanta on the 4^th of July) and of course The Boston Marathon.  Runners travel from all of the world to race here in Boulder on Memorial day.

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I sat down over breakfast recently with race founder Steve Bosley to learn more about the race. Bosely is a runner, and a successful businessman. He has combined his business acumen with a lifelong passion for running to create the signature event of the running season for many of us. Bosely talked at length about the history of the race, the course changes for this year, and what he sees in the future for the event.

Tho-run: Talk about the history of the race, how did it come about, when did you decide to organize a road race?

Steve Bosley: I’ll give you the history. It’s quite interesting. It was President Lincoln who said something like victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan, or something like that. Here’s the story. I’ve always loved athletics. My father was a coach. I participated in a lot of sports but was not outstanding in any. I ran mostly for fitness. My father had a heart attack at age 50 and he died at 60, so I was running from heart disease. At the time, my five children were in track programs. I would go to the track meets and I was so disgusted with the coaches and parents, I decided I was going to put on a track meet—but I was going to keep the coaches and parents in the stands!

I knew Frank Shorter who won the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in the marathon. I told him I wanted to organize a track meet for runners. Shorter told me that a track meet has lots and lots of events-you want to run a road race. So I asked him (laughing) —what’s a road race? This was in February of 1979.

So I’d go to races along the Front Range each weekend, as many as I could find. I studied the races and what I found was six or seven things that you really needed to do to take care of your customer. I called the racers customers because I felt that if my event did not do a good job of keeping those runners/customers happy, they would never come back and pay an entry fee to run in my event.

I was President of the Bank of Boulder and called a staff meeting and said we are going to put on a road race. We are going to take all of things, and this is no meant as disrespect to clubs or groups that put on running events, but we are going to take all of those things and do them better than anyone else and run this race correctly just like it was our business. There were so many things that were not being done—take age groups for example. Most races have 12 and under, 13-17, and so 17-20 and so on. Well how can a nine year old race a twelve year old? Or what about a 45 year old racing someone who is 23? It just doesn’t work. So I said lets do it by age. And that first year we gave away ten places! And we have a number of people who tell us each year that they love the race because of the age groupings by year. It’s just one of the many things we identified as being essential to making the race a first class experience for everyone—runners, sponsors, the city, everyone. And there are others too.

Tho-Run: It would seem that being a sponsor of the Bolder Boulder would be a really great opportunity for a company. But it wasn’t as easy as just going out and singing up some names. The sponsorship developed over time didn't it?

Steve Bosley:  If you do things right and take care of people, this is the thing. This is true for runners and sponsors. They just come back. You know it’s interesting that our race became such a big race in Colorado, it could have been born much earlier. There were some other races at the time like the run for the roses that was put on by Leo Palmer who owned a flower shop. As a sidebar I went to him and said I want to put on a race but I don’t want to think we are competing, you are in the fall and I’ll be in the spring—do you want to join forces? In fact, I went to five businesses that first year and said would you join me in putting on a road race? And not one of them said yes.   I say to our sponsors that out of those five business I went to, only one of them survived, the rest of them died. My bank was the one that made it-and so now I say to sponsors now that it’s obvious to me that you are going to be successful if you sponsor the Bolder Boulder!! 

We came back the second year by the way, and some of those companies said hey we want to join you now. And there were a number of lucky things that happened along the way for our race, and one of them was I said no we are going to do this on our own. We were a small business bank and the agonies of partnerships falling apart was enough to give us pause. We decided not to sell any sponsorships because we really didn’t know what we should sell them for or what the sponsors would get out of it. We just decided to pay for it all again and wanted to do things right first –we wanted to lay the foundations first—we wanted to more than just collecting money. we wanted our sponsors to be our partners—

Tho-Run: We all see the banners along the course or at the post race expo for BB of the participating companies, but partnership is an overused term in business. How does it work for the race?

 

Steve Bosely: Oh it goes so deep. Much of it is not even obvious on the surface. First would be finding the right companies tat we can give them their monies worth for what they spend. We’ve gone to sponsors before and said we don’t think you are getting your monies worth for what you are spending. We will let you out of your contract. In most circles that is unheard of. But I think why have someone on board who is unhappy and talks to others about how unhappy they are? You know what? I’d rather have a company say hey you know what this company came to us and said hey we want to let you out of your contract with us and we are ok with that, that is the way you should do business. Laying that piece and then really taking care of the runners—from how do you learn about the race, how do you register, is the course accurate, how close is your chip time vs. the time you had, the course entertainment, even the mile markers, and finally what is your post race experience?  We just think we’ve got to keep plussing it up.Your paying for an experience. We think of all those things and more and we think of them from a sponsors perspective-that all makes for a good start to a sponsorship package.

Tho-Run: I just cant help but thinking there must have been a little bit of luck in getting the race on the right course. What sticks out in your mind as something that was fortunate that you maybe didn’t see at the time?

Steve Bosley: The biggest race in the Rocky Mountain Area should not be in Boulder, Colorado. It should be in Denver. Well, we were blessed at the time that the Denver Parks and Recreation charged a lot for a race. You know there was a big race under Governor Lamm who was also a runner, but we were really fortunate. The Denver races were big but they never really took off over time.

We had a group lay out a course for us one year that seemed to be a pretty good one.  We changed the course a little bit but that wasn’t a big deal. Anyway, lets see two weeks before the race, I said how’s the parade permit? I’d like to see the parade permit. 

Well guess what? We  did not have permission from the city to put on a race. So I went down to city hall. I really did not know anyone there at the time. And they said nope, no way there is not enough time. Sorry. 

And I met one fellow, I believe his name was Andy, I think he was public works and I said boy are we really in trouble, and he said yes you really are in trouble. And he said let me see what you’ve got and I’ll think about it. He was gone for about 15-20 minutes, and when he came back he had a parade permit. 

This guy he wasn’t, I mean he didn’t work for the city very long. His way of doing things didn’t work in a bureaucracy. We would not have had the race that year without that permit. Maybe we would have had it the next year, you know though when you’ve got the momentum going and you lose that-and we had enough participation and everything that we decided to go to the city for the next year right then. And we told them we think there are things we can change. Since then, we’ve included the city in our planning every year.

Mile Hi Mile 2011 year 4

The Mile Hi Mile completed year four in 2011 with a new record of more than 1,700 runners.
I have run in three one mile races in Colorado and the Mile Hi has the greatest number of runners but came with the most problems too.


On the plus side one can count on massive parking options. Along with all of the parking, comes plenty of warm up area in the parking lot.  There are some races where warming up can be problematic, but MHM is grade A for parking and warm up

There were some issues with race however. There were plenty of port-o-potties but one of them ( in the West area lot) was the most disgusting pre race potty I have ever seen. That is not something a race director can control but was a definite negative.



Next, is the always tricky line between respecting runners who planned ahead and arrived on time, and those who arrive late.  The races started about 20 minutes late, but given the weather was good, most runners did not seem to mind.

The course inside the stadium is tight but that did not seem to affect race winner Adam Rich who ran 4:28!

 

Redline Races- Westminster Half Marathon

The spring racing season continued for me with the Westminster half marathon produced by Redline Races. Redline has been around for more than three years, and has sponsored races for thousands of runners, according to race director Josh Melver.

Josh and staff produced a first class inaugural half marathon with tons of prizes and a solid pre and post race food table.

The out and back course offered a pleasant mix of smooth running trails and sidewalks. The course was relatively flat, with ample space for switching from side to side on the trail to shave a few feet off the distance. Race day weather was outstanding, with sunny skies but cool running temperatures. I ran sleeveless and in shorts for maximum comfort.

I’m new to the half marathon distance with this race marking my third attempt at the distance, and my second in two weeks.

Kudos to event organizer Josh Melver and his staff overall for an excellent effort on the first time event. Josh mentioned post race that everyone would go home with a medal or a prize and I did not see too many folks walking away empty handed. 

 Race crew taking a short break between finishers.

There were some great prizes too, ones that you would not even see at larger races- such as three-yep three- prizes $600 gift certificates to Comfort Dental. There were also medals for the top three finishers in each age group.

The only real glitch in the event that I noticed was that the course could have been marked a little better. That is an easy enough fix for a super event, that is an excellent local half marathon to check your spring form. See you in 2012!

Redline Races--Interview with Josh Melver Race Director

Click here to enter the race.

One of the parts that I love best about my job is that most of the inspiration for events comes from being out on trails running.  So the planning for this event actually started 6 years ago when we lived in Westminster and I spent a lot of time on the Big Dry Creek Trail as the training basis for the events that I competed in that year. It is a great trail that allows a runner to go for miles and miles on a forgiving running surface unimpeded by traffic and street crossings and other aspects of urban running. I think the most important part of a great event starts with finding a venue that participants can have a great experience on due to the intrinsic qualities that naturally exist. The Big Dry Creek trail offers that from the wildlife viewing opportunities to the many water features to the various undulations of the trail.  Once the idea is hatched it is a matter of turning into a salesperson and convincing the local municipalities, sponsors and ultimately participants that the event will be special and that your organization has a successful track record of presenting successful events.  

What are some of the challenges of organizing a first time event?

Probably one of the biggest challenges is in fulfilling that "salesperson" role.  It is time-intensive and at times frustrating when people do not see your vision of the event and how it can positively impact their group, be it a city, business or individual.  This event imposed a particular challenge with the timeframe it had to be accomplished in.  We had several runners, who participate in many Redline productions, request a North Denver 1/2 Marathon in the Spring. The requests grew to the point that they could not be ignored so we attempted to organize an event with the shortest lead time we have ever attempted.  The ball for the logistical planning started rolling in mid-January and we received the approval for the event the latter part of February, so we had 4-5 weeks to then start the promotions. The City of Westminster and the business community have treated us phenomenally and we could not pull off this event without their support.  The partnership with Roadrunner Sports as the title sponsor was a key in being able to effectively communicate information about the race and we look forward to continuing that partnership for years to come. The Westminster event will be more intimate the first year with less than 100 participants expected and we are just fine with that as it gives us a chance to really connect with the participants, give them a great experience and in return hopefully see them at future Redline events.   

You also have a running club that meets during the racing season. Tell us about the club and some of the feedback you get from members.

The club actually meets year-round and it has blown away our growth expectations.  We started the first week of 2011 and we are approaching 30 members of the club.  I have 2 very accomplished and enthusiastic coaches that work alongside me in training the team. It is a blast to get together a group of distance runners as we (speaking collectively of the demographic) are a pretty energetic and fun group to associate with.  There are three training options that the club offers (2/week, 1/week, or online) to help meet each runners individual scheduling demands.  We meet Tuesdays @ 5:30am or 6pm and then Saturday's @ 6:30am (soon to be 6am as the summer heat approaches). The group concept of training is very powerful as there is a natural synergistic element that exists at each training session.  With the numbers that we have there are a variety of different pacing structures that are present (from 11 minute miles to 6 minute miles) so everyone normally has someone to run with, in front of and behind.  That environment forces a person to make greater gains in fitness levels than performing the identical workout solo. Our group sessions concentrate on the speed aspects of training, since those usually lack consistency and quality when attempted alone.  The club has been ecstatic about both their performance increase and the camaraderie of the team that helps these key workouts take place with less pain and effort.  In addition, it is great to see friendships formed that extend to new running partner relationships on long runs and other training days.

Speaking as a race director what would you say makes for a top quality event?

One of our niches that we really focus on at Redline Running Company is to not think primarily as a "race director".  We strive to have our "default" inspiration for every event, lean on and be guided by our experiences in our personal competitive and recreational running pursuits and those of our participants.  It is then a matter of plugging in logistical specifics to make that vision a reality.  Some of that is simply having enough water stations and port-a-potties and having them in the right place on the course. I also think it is key to have the course flow naturally with needed directions so a runner does not have to "think" while they race. One of my biggest "pet peeves" as a runner is inaccurate course measurements and timing.  It is not right for me as a race director to have a lack of respect for all of the time and effort that a participant puts into training for my event and then not extend the assumed courtesy of accuracy at the event.  I have spent the last 10 years of my professional life in retail management where the focus everyday has been providing outstanding customer service.  We take that same approach with our running company, that I now have the privilege of pursuing full-time.  With that in mind, we solicit responses from our participants via exit surveys about each event we put on.  These are sometimes hard to hear, but they have been so valuable in structuring future events so they are more customer friendly to our running/walking participants.  The ability to be "big enough" to hear the criticism is key to a successful event. At the end of the day, our hope is that a participant in a Redline Race has a fun, challenging and memorable experience that allows them to perform at their highest level and walk away inspired to "dare to put their foot down" and dream bigger in every aspect of their lives.