The little race that should
We all have a beloved small race near us, but some of these events are struggling to stay alive. That is also true for the 36 North race near me. However what I say about this race likely applies to a race near you too.
This sprint distance race at the Tanglewood Park outside of Winston-Salem, NC was first held in 2009 and managed to attract 338 starters, but every year since the numbers have dwindled and last year there were only 166 participants. This may have been helpful to me in terms of my overall finish, but it certainly is not what the race organizers wanted, and I too would have preferred for more folks to experience this very well run event. Several passionate triathletes are involved with the 36 North Triathlon and that is very apparent when racing there. They even have plenty of entertainment for family members and a special play area for kids. Plus all proceeds go to various charities, including but not limited to Mission: Feet First, a charity that organizes shoes and professional shoe fitting sessions for homeless people.
But if 36 North is such a great event, why is it not more popular or at least keeping the numbers? Several factors are likely to blame and some unfortunate circumstances worked against the race.
Athletes now can choose from a huge variety of events and that makes it harder for races to compete. Before, many events may have been the only game in town but that is no longer the case, plus people are willing to travel further. 36 North initially took place in early June, but in 2012 the race had to be cancelled because of pool repairs and after that year the event was moved to the weekend before Memorial Day. The date itself is not a big concern here, but having missed a year certainly did damage. Athletes may have now looked elsewhere to find an alternative race or simply forgot about the event.
The biggest issue however is that most of these smaller events are run by people who have other jobs. Or better said, jobs that pay and support their family. In the case of 36 North, the race is now in the hands of Keith Davis, who owns the local Fleet Feet store, and he definitely has has hands full. He is in the process of building a new store, has a growing family, plus he would like to swim, bike and run here and there too. Sure, he has several folks who are helping with this event, but they too have other careers, interests and obligations. That then typically makes it hard to promote the race well, as many other things have to be done first. Our publisher Dan Empfield wrote about this very topic late last year and lamented that many events in the age of social media no longer do old school marketing such as reaching out to triathlon clubs in the area and adding race flyers on car windshields. That is true here too. There simply isn't the staff or time to do so.
And this is where we all come in. Instead of just complaining that a great race near me goes away I have decided to step up and give a few hours to this race, and also to the main charity of the event. I also encourage you all to support a race that you would like to stick around for a while. And if you live not too far from Winston-Salem, NC, you ought to check out the 36 North Triathlon on May 16th this year. I promise you will have a blast, plus you can try to kick my ass that day.
