Redline Races--Interview with Josh Melver Race Director

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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.