by Dan Empfield, June-July/03
(www.slowtwitch.com)
We need more races in this sport. How convenient for you, because you—as it turns out—want to put on race. I know what you're thinking. Your job is going to be to yell, Uno! Dos! One-two-tres-quatro! and shoot the starting gun. Then you'll retreat to your seat behind the CD trays and equalizer, and you'll spend the rest of the day being the deejay. Others on your team will put on the rest of the race.
Nice job if you can get it, but those jobs are taken. What will really happen on race day, should you decide to put on your own event, is that you'll be the point man for everything bad that happens. When the port-a-potties run out of toilet paper, when the police don't show up at a controlled intersection, and an aid station doesn't get its water delivered, you're the one scrambling. As is the case when competing in a race, producing one is rarely as glamorous in real life as it is in your dreams.
It's thankless until it's all over and you get the pats-on-the-back from those participants thoughtful enough to realize what you've added to their lives.
But on day-zero, when the gun goes off, what really happens is that you fall down on your knees and say God, I know I haven't paid very much attention to you over the past 20 years, but if you can just see to it that there are no drownings or spinal cord injuries on this day, at this race, I'll never masturbate again.
In fact, if that isn't your prayer on race day, you have no business being in the race promotion business. If your goal isn't to put on the best race, with the best course, the best aid stations, the best post-race food, and the best overall value, ever delivered in the history of multisport, don't even start. Let others stick their necks out.
But if you think you're the man (or woman) for this job, here's what you've been waiting for. Over the next days and weeks we'll tell you what you need to go to get yourself started. The rest is up to you. Maybe your race will never—and should never—get off the ground. Maybe your efforts will bring about the next Wildflower.
PICKING A COURSE—COMING
GETTING PERMITS—COMING
GETTING VOLUNTEERS—COMING
GETTING SPONSORS—COMING
ATTRACTING MEDIA—COMING
YOUR RACE BUDGET—COMING
TRAFFIC PLAN—COMING
CASH FLOW—COMING
REGISTRATION—COMING
RACE COURSE EQUIPAGE—COMING
AID AND AID STATIONS—COMING
SWIM CAPS, RACE NUMBERS—COMING
T-SHIRTS & AWARDS—COMING
POST-RACE FOOD—COMING
PROS OR NO PROS—COMING
WHEN TO PULL THE PLUG—COMING
 |
 |