This year’s
calendar is coming to a close, and like lots of runners, I am filling in next
year’s race dates. I’m re-upping for some favorite races, entering some new
ones, and leaving some not-so-great events behind.
How do you pick which running races to enter?
Here are 25
criteria many runners consider, when selecting which races they will enter.
Maybe you can think of a few more.
- Scheduling
The calendar is
critical for most runners, when it comes to choosing races. How often are we
drawn to multiple events on the same dates? This can be especially tricky
during holidays, when fun themed races abound. Experienced runners tend to
prioritize their don’t-miss races and real-life commitments, filling in other
possible running events after those.
- Season
A fair number of
runners prefer to enter races in certain seasons, particularly in climates with
extreme weather. Do you love or hate running in summer heat? How do you feel
about racing in ice or snow or frigid wind-chill? Personally, I try to register
for shorter races (like 5Ks and 10Ks) in the coldest and hottest months and
save the longer ones in the milder months. I usually join a few half marathons
in spring and fall and perhaps add a full marathon in autumn.
- Location
Destination races
are super popular among avid runners, as many attempt to coordinate such events
with personal vacations or even business trips. Other athletes prefer to pick
races that are closer to home. Some choose events within a certain mile
circumference of where they live.
- Travel
Transportation,
lodging, meals, and other travel expenses add up fast, making out-of-town races
costly endeavors. This is a genuine consideration for most runners. Plenty will
do one or two away races each year or so and focus largely on local events.
Others seem to travel every week for running.
- Race distance/s
This one is
simple to see. What runner doesn’t aim to register for races that fit his or
her preferred mileages? Most of us mix them up intentionally throughout the
year, but we are usually very deliberate about identifying potential events to
fit our own distance choices.
- Course (scenery / hills)
Organized race
courses can be rural or urban, flat or hilly, closed or open (to traffic),
paved or unpaved, and basic or technical. Racing runners often consider these
features carefully.
Some runners
enjoy completing familiar courses over and over, while others love exploring
unknown routes. A running race can present a super opportunity for trying out
an unknown trail system, getting an up-close look at a monument or special
attraction, or checking out an unfamiliar town.
- Cost
For many runners,
it all comes down to cost. Race fees vary dramatically, and it’s easy to rack
up real expenses by registering for multiple events.
- Discount coupons/codes
Running clubs,
race ambassadors, running stores, race organizers, and other contacts
frequently offer early-bird discounts and coupon codes that trim race entry
fees. It’s always a good idea to check before confirming registration.
- On-site amenities
Running races may
begin and end with indoor facilities, park or picnic shelters, or rugged
wilderness. Those who care will do well to check about creature comforts that
may or may not be provided, especially during the winter months.
- Training plan fit
This goes along
with the race distance issue. Runners who are training for endurance races
(such as half marathons or full marathons) almost universally track their daily
and weekly mileage with the longer race goal in mind. When the big race day
approaches, they’ll likely look for preceding races offering increasing
distances. Sprinters, on the other hand, are more likely to load up their
racing schedules with shorter jaunts.
- PR quest
Also in the
distance department, each runner’s pursuit of a personal record (at any given
mileage) may guide his or her selection of a particular race.
- Finishers’ medals
Medal-collecting
runners enjoy picking up flashy and fun finishers’ awards, which volunteers
hang around runners’ necks at the end of each race. Local- and holiday-themed
versions are particularly popular. Not all races offer these, so runners who
want them generally read the small print before signing up.
- Prizes
Very few runners
get to stand on the podium (if there is one) to receive top honors in a race.
But lots of racers do aim for awards in their own gender/age divisions. In most
races, divisions are organized in five-year brackets.
- Series points/awards
Race organizers
offering multiple events in a given year often track series points (from race
to race) for overall points and awards. These may include top performers
overall and possibly by age division as well.
- Swag
Like kids attending
birthday parties, some runners are drawn to races offering cool shirts and
goody bags filled with take-home treasures. From shot glasses to socks,
keychains to kinesiology tape, and shoelaces to sugar-free treats, swag bags
are popular with racers. Plus, they tend to include promos (and often
discounts) for upcoming running events.
- Food
Traditionally,
running races have provided finishing athletes with refreshments like water
bottles, bananas, bagels or chips, and frequently beer. Finish-line food has
grown more diverse in recent years, with provisions including such treats as bacon,
pizza slices, brats, cheese, tacos, toasted ravioli, pancakes, chocolate, ice
cream, freezer pops, and more.
- Theme
Themed races are
all the rage these days. It’s like race organizers are trying to make events
extra fun and help runners forget we are huffing and puffing and pounding and
hurting and working so hard out there. Charity races, holiday runs, fun runs,
and commercial promotion runs abound. And everybody’s got a theme. Neon
night-light runs, music races, costume runs, clothing donation races, beer
runs, charity races, holiday runs, and many other sorts of festive running events are plentiful.
- Race organizer
The organization
putting on a running event can make or break it. A well-run race attracts
returning runners. Runs that run smoothly beckon repeat business. Punctuality,
efficiency, and value are essentials, when it comes to hosting running events.
- Number of entries
Some runners are
drawn to massive mob-scene races, while others enjoy smaller, more subdued
ones. Fledgling racers often flock to the lower-key events.
- Friends/team members
How many races
have I entered, primarily because people I enjoyed running with were already
registered? I know I’m not alone on this one. And I have dragged friends into
races I was planning to run also. Entering races with friends is particularly
convenient and fun when out-of-town travel is included in the prospect.
- Checking past results
Runners: Don’t
try to tell me you haven’t done this. It’s not uncommon for a runner to take a
look at a race’s posted results from previous years, just to see where he or
she might measure up in the field before registering. Yes, this happens.
- Past participation
Although
countless runners love trying out new or unfamiliar races, many of us also lean
towards repeating those we have liked most. Maybe we want to beat our times
from last year. Perhaps we loved the course. Or we may simply appreciate a
well-organized event.
- Timing method
Gone are the days
when someone stood at the finish line with a stopwatch and clicked as each
runner completed the course. OK, maybe those days are not completely gone, but
perhaps they ought to be. Chip timing (in which a computer chip is affixed to
each runner’s number bib or placed on a wrist or ankle band) is simple and
efficient. And immediate results are available. Increasingly, runners are
opting out or races that do not offer chip timing.
- Start corrals
Large races
usually arrange runners into designated start corrals (with the fastest runners
in the front), based on their submitted times in previous comparable races.
Some events mark the corrals, but expect runners to sort themselves into the
appropriate line-up spots. Others simply allow participants to line up at will.
Although the start corral is an imperfect system (usually depending on
registrants’ honesty about their expected mileage pages), it does seem to
reduce chaos and increase safety in a crowded race. That makes it a
consideration for runners picking events to enter.
- Online registration
Almost all races
allow runners to file their registrations online. Some require it, while others
may have mail-in or race-day sign-ups (if space permits). The online process is
simple, and entrants usually receive prompt confirmation.
Not all runners
run through all of these issues before selecting which races they will run. But
many of these considerations help them to cull their choices to make their own
prime picks.
Images:
Adapted from public domain photo
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