Race Operations

About

As a race director and event coordinator, we get the opportunity to work with a lot of different organizations and venues.  Some are incredible to work with while others make you wish you had never started.  I've been dealing with a particular venue in San Antonio lately that has made me really rethink our operations.  They have been so difficult to work with that it makes the effort not even worth the effort.  We do our best to try and make the event as memorable as we possibly can for the participants, but the venue has so many restrictions and requirements that it becomes almost impossible to make that work.

Having to deal with this particular venue has also made me very aware of the costs involved in hosting an event.  Most participants in a race don't have any awareness of the issues that race coordinators have to deal with when hosting an event.  Runners look at the cost of entry to an event and think that other than the t-shirt, awards, and timing there are no additional costs.  In many cases though, those are actually insignifant costs compared to the venue and incidentals related to the location.  There are certainly the issues with permits and security such as barricades and necessary police but there are also other costs which can greatly affect the bottom line.  One of the biggest has to do with insurance.  How many people realize that we are required to carry liability insurance on the event in the form of additional riders to the venue?  In addition to general liablity, there can also be requirements for auto and workers comp.  These additional costs to the coordinators can easily add $2 to $3 per participant for conducting the event.

Most venues that we work with are satisified with standard liability policies and adequate security, but sometimes we run into particular venues where that is not enough.  I don't know whether their corporate lawyers are afraid of their own shadows or simply see danger behind every door, but the requirements are so burdensome as to be beyond ridiculous.  I guess in this litigious society, it is a necessary evil but it is certainly disappointing and incredibly frustrating.  You have all probably experienced having to sign waivers that were 2 or 3 pages long just to participate in an event.  All that they are trying to do is say is that the event could potentially be risky and that you absolve them of all liablity and will not sue.  I'm not sure why they can't put that in so few words, but I suppose it's a disorder of not being able to say something in 20 words when 2000 would be so much better.

If you are race director, you have probably experienced some of this frustration and know what I'm referring to.  If not, then I would encourage you to say thanks to the coordinators in the next event you participate in.  You don't know how much that would mean to them to know that their efforts have not gone unnoticed.  There are many reasons why people put on an event, but believe when I say that dealing with these unnecessary hassles makes it hard to justify.  Your appreciation can go a long way.

See you at the race!