THE WAY IT USED TO BE

Occasionally, it’s fun to look back and recall “the way it used to be.” Evolution is good and inevitable, but there is something about days gone by that was refreshing and just… easier. If you were producing events 40 years ago, I’m sure you’ll remember having to do many of the below points. For everyone else, you may doubt we had to go through these processes, but we certainly did! 

Here’s what the road race industry was like 40 years ago:

Application printing and distribution

The only way to enter a race was to fill out a paper application and mail it in. Remember: there was no online registration back then! We had to first design and type the application. Then send it to a printer. Then we had to develop a distribution plan, which consisted of a mass bulk mailing (if you were lucky enough to even have a mailing list) which cost a lot of money. Then we would bring a batch to local stores and running shops. And the best was going to other races and “tagging” everyone’s windshield with one of your applications. Then we just waited, hoping we get some back in the mail within a week or two, along with a check. 

Application processing

Once received back, we had to open all the envelopes, separate the checks from the applications, keep physical count of every application and every check, endorse all the checks, and make a bank deposit. Then we had to decipher everyone’s handwriting and enter every entry by hand into a database...either that or you just mail all the applications to the timing company (praying they don’t get lost in the mail) who might provide that service to you—for a fee, of course.

Confirmations and communications

Communicating to all entrants took so much time, as everything was done by mail… and sometimes by fax! You needed to plan way ahead of time to get information to all the participants in the race. It wasn’t like today, where you just push a button on a keyboard and thousands of people are notified and communicated to within seconds. I remember one event I was managing where we had to cancel the day before because of an impending storm. We had about 500 people in the event. I had to assemble a dozen or more volunteers to congregate in my office so we could collectively call all 500 participants to tell them the event was postponed! No simple “just check our website” back then!

Advertising and marketing

We also didn’t have any social media or websites to direct people to, so we had to plan ahead. We created ads for magazines and newspapers and waited until they were published. Also once we mailed the final ad creative, there was zero flexibility with changing the ad copy. Event details like sponsors, date, time, logo were set in the proverbial stone.

Sponsorship and field size

Because races were relatively small back then, we had to rely heavily on cash sponsors to help pay the bills. For me, it was more of a sponsor-driven industry versus now, it seems like more of a participation-driven industry. 

Technology, medical, security

To me, these seem to be the three major areas where things have changed the most since the early 80s. Technology, unquestionably, has changed things the most and continues to do so. Medical coverage has also been a major focus given who is participating now and the sheer numbers participating. And, since the 2013 Boston tragedy, security has been enhanced exponentially. All these come with an added cost and specific personnel requirements that can require a daunting effort to organize. 

Race management

There is now an expectation that every event is going to be well-managed, with all the bells and whistles that participants might experience at more well-funded events. It takes a small army these days to pull off a high-quality race. This is not a job anymore for the novice or the meek. Once you commit to producing a race there are serious obligations and responsibilities that come with that commitment. This has become a business, and big business in some cases. This is how some lucky folks earn a living, which wasn’t as much the case 40 years ago. Most races were put on by local running clubs and generous volunteers. However, the good news is that there is security in being a race director these days.  I have a button in my office that reads, “My job is secure, no one else wants it.” 

Timing and scoring and results

The introduction of transponder / chip timing in the late ‘90s was a total game changer. Before then, it was all about long, roped-off chutes beyond the finish line, manual data collection on the finish line, pull tags on your bib number and spindles to slide the pull tags on at the end of the chutes, runners needing to wait in line in the chutes in order of their finishing place. Then, you wait and wait and wait until results might be posted somewhere around the finish, perhaps on the side of a building or on the panel of a van or a truck. These days, you just look at your phone seconds after crossing the finish line and voila, your results are already available. 

Staffing

My staff at DMSE in 1982 was me and one other person, so we had to engage lots and lots of volunteer help. Before this pandemic, we were at 10 full-time and about 75 independent contractors. Once again, it’s a business now. 

These areas are only a few that have changed significantly over the past 40 years. Others include photos being taken at the finish line, LED clocks along the course and at the finish line, tracking runners on your computer or on your phone. The list is endless. 

In looking back, it’s hard to fathom how we were able to do all this manual work and still be successful. Today, you simply create a website, design an online registration site, use social media, connect with all your participants via email, and you are on your way. A few full-timers can do most of this when it took dozens of helpers to accomplish the same back then. 

As simple as it was with seemingly much less at stake and much less pressure to perform at the level of expectation today, I am still grateful for where we are today and not where we were 40 years ago! I don’t know if I could stomach opening up 5-10,000 envelopes for a race anymore or going to other races every weekend to tag hundreds and hundreds of windshields with race applications! 

The good old days should stay just that, the good “old” days!