A short month ago two bombs shook the streets of Boston- God; it somehow feels so much longer than that! It was simply the biggest attack against the U.S. since 9/11.
So now we now all live in the AB (After-Boston) world.
Since that time:
We sold over a 1,000 Boilermaker/ Boston commemorative tech shirts in 3 days with all proceeds going to the One Fund- Boston. Three days, the same amount of time to sellout this year’s race.
We had a tremendous meeting with nearly every Federal, State and local law enforcement that have or can support the race. It was simply inspiring to see all these agencies forming a unified team. Our Technical Director, a 14 year veteran assisting at the Boston Marathon Finish Line, flew in to offer advice.
We have had a chance to look at our own ‘playbook’ and see where we need to tighten up.
Sometimes small good things can come out of a very bad thing.
Do I think there will be an event similar to Boston; probably not.
Saying that ‘it can’t happen here’ is a pretty lousy disaster plan.
We in the road race biz do not have the luxury of sports that participate in an arena/ field environment where you can control entry points.
However, there are plenty of sensible procedures we can put in place that enhance safety while not sucking the joy out of the race. What I have often seen happen with major tragedies like Boston is an extreme overreaction that in a strange way further bolsters the bad guys.
While the bombs of Boston will in some ways affect mass gatherings in the future we must never run in fear.
Well, the glaciers have receded and the runners have come out of hibernation! While those that suffer from pollen allergies (or want to keep that yellow stuff off your car) dread this time of year, it heralds the beginning of the road race season. It simply amazes me the sheer amount of events that get jammed into one weekend.
This Saturday (May 4th) there are not one, but two color runs taking place in upstate New York. I’ve written about these runs in the past. In a nutshell, you run a 5k (3.1 miles) in a white tee-shirt and have colored cornstarch thrown at you rendering you a moving tie-dyed human. The Color Run (the original) will be taking place in Rochester, while the Color Me Rad takes place in Syracuse. I rather assume these guys don’t like each other; I’ll be interested to see what there participation numbers are. I read somewhere that 60% of people who run a color run never participated in a running event before.
If decorating yourself with mud rather than color is your thing the inaugural Mighty Run takes place on Saturday at the Masonic Care Community. A 5k relay with obstacles (imagine you are in Marine basic training). Survival runs like this have become very, very popular. I really hope this grows as this could become a real regional draw.
Make-A-Wish (a Boilermaker Charity Bib Partner) is having a Walk/ Fun Run this Saturday at Onondaga Community College.
Finally, the Mountain Goat takes place in Syracuse on Sunday. You know when a race sports the moniker Mountain Goat it’s not a gentle rolling course- it’s a very tough (10 mile) event. They also offer a flat 3k for those who want to participate in a more sane level as well as a Kid’s Run. I’m guessing between the outstanding weather forecast for the weekend and the rather defiant attitude the running community has after the Boston Bombings that they may hit a participation record.
The point of this blog is not to get you to participate in these specific events. Rather, it’s to point out these are events out there for every age group/ physical ability. In fact, at this time of the year, perhaps the toughest thing is to choose what event you want to participate in!
Whether you’re walking for a cause or wading in the mud, get off your duff and do something! Don’t want to be a ‘buzz kill’ but before you know it it’ll be snowflakes, not pollen, in the air.
We are reaching the final mile for the creation of the Boilermaker documentary chronicling 35 years of our history.
Between runners (250,000 over the years), volunteers (5,000 any given year) or just plain spectators (20-30,000 along the 9.3) there have been an incalculable amount of stories- some happy, some sad, and some truly inspirational.
We want to capture some of these special moments on Saturday May 4th from 10:00-1:00 pm at Sangertown Square, Center Court.
We will be setting up a video booth (like the old time photo booths) where you can close the curtain and tell your story.
It doesn’t have to be about the 15k; remember we have the 5k race, the 3 Mile Walk. Perhaps it’s a story about running with your child at the Kid’s Run (25 years old this year).
I thought I’d come up with some ‘teasers’ to get your brain going:
If you are a runner why do you come back to run the Boilermaker?
What is your favorite/ most hated mile?
How does the Boilermaker stack up against other races you have run?
Do you have any family traditions?
Is there a family member who has passed away that treasured the Boilermaker- why?
Why do you volunteer?
If you are a spectator, where do you watch the race- why there?
What does this race mean to this community?
What is the most memorable moment you have about the race? It could be anything.
How has this race changed you, either running it, or training for it?
While I can’t guarantee your segment will make the final cut, if you don’t show up I guarantee you won’t be in it.
I look forward to seeing you there and hearing your story.
I originally was going to title this blog ‘The Human Race’ but after crafting it decided to substitute the word humane.
Definition of humane (adj) - Compassionate: showing the better aspects of the human character, especially kindness and compassion. (from the Bing Dictionary)
The Boilermaker Charity Bib Program has been up and running since mid-March and it had been simply awe-inspiring. From the soldier running in memory of a buddy he served with in Vietnam felled by Agent Orange to the mother running in honor of her son who suffers from severe Autism; simply great (human/ humane)stories.
I thought about how I could inspire those of you that didn’t get into the race to raise $500 to become a charity runner and I know there are many of you who didn’t get in judging by the countless emails I received after the race closed out.
So I decided to come up with a ‘top ten list’ why becoming a charity runner is a good thing.
Drum roll please…….
Because it is the right thing to do.
Because it is the only way to be guaranteed you will get into the race (the 5k or 15k). While we will be bringing the bib transfer program back there is no assurance you will get one (plus there is the hassle factor). Much demand for a very limited resource.
Because you get your bib for free. All you need are ten semi-rich people who pledge $50 to your charity of choice or 50 not so affluent people who give 10 bucks. You can figure out the various math combinations.
Because you will be able to say you were in the inaugural charity class of the Boilermaker; a small select group of 200.
Because it’s a great test to see how much your friends and family really like you.
Because you never know that money that you personally raised for one of our charities of choice makes the difference in the sustainability of a program. Many of these groups are getting absolutely hammered by budget cuts.
Because it’s a tax deductable donation for those writing the check to the charity to support you.
Because of that feeling you get helping someone else. In my opinion the most amazing gift of all is the one you give to someone you don’t even know.
Because if you are one of the top three pledge gatherers you can win a free entry into future Boilermakers- imagine no waking up at 12:01 am on registration day! Also, we will be having a drawing for some cool stuff for everyone who participated in the program.
Did I mention because it’s the right thing to do?
Its programs like this that reminds me the power this race has to do infinite good. Hey, getting a chance to participate in a world-class race, enjoy perhaps the best Post Race Party in the U.S. and making a difference in our community- that is pure joy!
Want to be a part of something special or know someone who wants to get in the race; check out http://www.boilermaker.com/charitybib/.
Be human/ humane; pass it along
was sitting at a meeting in our conference room this Wednesday when I saw a couple of visitors in the hallway looking over an exhibit. What immediately caught my attention was the Boston Marathon jacket one was wearing. I immediately excused myself from the meeting to introduce myself. As the man turned around I saw it was not only the 2013 Boston jacket but he was wearing his finisher’s medal- Wow.
The man in question was Sam Jones on his way home from Napa California. This was his first year running Boston turning in, especially for a 58 year old, a very, very respectable 3 hours 37 minutes.
Boston utilizes a wave start releasing 9,000 runners at 20 minute intervals; Jim was in the second wave. He finished 20 minutes prior to the first bomb blast. Jim surmised that everyone in the third wave didn’t get a chance to cross the finish line.
The 2012 Boston Marathon was struck with oppressive heat with projected 90 degree heat. The race offered a deferral to the following year’s for those who felt they couldn’t handle it; roughly 2,400 took the deal. I strongly suspect that many who took the deal ended up in this year’s third wave.
It was a wonderful conversation, Sam is a retired Army Colonel and we exchanged military stories. He also told me about the Napa Marathon where they pay the winner his/ her weight in wine- I may have to talk to Fred and Nick Matt.
As I walked to the door with Sam and his wife I suddenly was struck that we in Utica probably have the largest collection of Boston Marathon memorabilia outside Boston.
We need to remind folks.
My initial plan to write about the Boston Marathon was to highlight a story I had come across about blind runners participating in the event. It was one of those inspiring, that I really enjoy. All that changed at 2:45 pm Monday.
That afternoon cheers of joy on Boylston Street were instantly changed to screams of pain. When I initially received the call about the bomb blasts I felt like someone had sucker-punched me in the side of the head.
We are taught in the five stages of grief we first experience denial followed by anger. I moved out of the denial phase pretty quickly and moved to anger; gotta tell you, I think I’m going to be there for a while. I believe that there is a special place in Hell for a gutless coward or cowards who plant bombs and kill 8 year olds.
Open air events like road racing clearly present unique challenges from a security perspective. Unlike sports arenas, we don’t have a set number of entrances that can be heavily monitored. We have large clusters of runners and miles upon miles of spectators.
Will there be changes to the race; perhaps, we, as well as all races, need to look at our running ‘playbooks’ and see if they still pass muster in a post-Boston world . Terror, until yesterday, certainly has been less a concern than weather events, traffic issues and crowd control.
Saying that, I predict this will be a galvanizing moment for distance running. I think this, similar to 9/11, will stiffen the resolve of runners who will say: ‘We don’t quit”. Perhaps they might use stronger words?
The Boston Marathon and the Boilermaker have long had a special relationship. Boston legends Bill Rodgers and Kathrine Switzer are a staple of our race. Many artifacts from Boston are proudly displayed at the Hall of Fame. The best of our local runners frequently take the journey to Beantown in April to run the iconic 26.2 miles.
Know this; I will be on the streets of Boston for the 2014 Marathon.
Remember Boston!
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.”
Meg Cabot
Many say the Boilermaker is a tough race; hills, high temps and humidity make the 9.3 mile course a real challenge.
So what would you call a race that is 6 days long and stretches 156 miles (or six marathons)?
Oh yeah, and it takes place in the Sarah desert.
The Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands), which occurs in Morocco, has been around since 1986. It was the brainchild of a Patrick Bauer, a French rock promoter who had walked the Algerian desert two years earlier. The first race had 23 runners.
This year’s race, which took place between April 5th-12th, sported 1,024 participants representing nearly 50 countries.
Participants pay over $5,000 to participate and are required to carry food and various provisions throughout the event. You will be penalized by not carrying enough food or a sleeping bag by starting hours later than the regular field.
Temperatures frequently top 120 degrees at mid-day and sandstorms are common.
Perhaps the biggest dangers are foot injuries between the blistering sand and navigating through the rock-strewn canyons.
Three runners have died since the race began. In 1994 a runner became disoriented in a blinding sand storm and wandered the desert for 9 days losing 30 pounds.
For 2013 Mohamad Ahansal of Morocco came in 1st place in the male category, performing a cartwheel over the finish line. Meanwhile Meghan Hicks, born in Seneca Falls New York, took the top spot on the female side.
So when you’re complaining about that uphill through the Valley View Golf Course think about this little sand trap!
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For the first time in 6 years the Boilermaker has increased its prize money offering. The new money, totaling nearly $12,000, raises the total prize awards to over $57,000. This is spread among the male/ female Open Winners (top 10), Masters (top 5) and the top three Americans 9as long as they finish in the top 20).
The race has doubled the amount the first American can earn from $1,000 to $2,000.
If an American was to win the race while setting a new course record they would win $10,000; not bad for forty two minutes and some seconds work. Taking that number to its illogical extreme (a place I frequent) if a runner earned that over the course of a work year, traditionally calculated at 2,000 hours, he/ she would earn $26,000,000.
That would be more than Tom Brady (23.1 million, less endorsements) but less than A-Rod (31.1 million, less endorsements). So Tom gets $11,550 an hour and Alex receives $15,550 an hour.
That is a totally different subject.
When electronic race registration runs well it is a Godsend for a sporting event. A recent case in point, the Beach to Beacon 10k. This race which was the brainchild of Joan Benoit Samualson is the largest race that takes place in Maine with over 6,000 runners. Of that field 4,000 enter the race via open registration (first come- first serve). In five minutes the field was filled!
Two recent events show what can happen when computers don’t behave well.
On February 19th registration opened for the Chicago Marathon; four hours later the system was shut down due to technology problems.
In order to equitably dole out the remaining 15,000 slots Chicago officials instituted a lottery. In spite of the problems, in the four hours the registration system was live approximately 30,000 people managed to register.
Fast forward approximately a month later to the opening of registration for the Marine Corp Marathon (MCM). The MCM which is run in October boosts a field of 30,000. Almost immediately the system strained with the heavy traffic. People were forced to constantly refresh their web screens to, hopefully, get through the registration process.
In the end, the Marines Corp Marathon was sold out in two hours, twenty seven minutes; that’s around the time the winner of the marathon will be coming in!
As a guy who loves history it made me think about the ‘old days’ (like 10 years ago) when we worked with a manual system to process everything.
Imagine dealing with paper applications, you fill it out, mail it, we receive it, retype in all the info you filled out, cash your check and send you a confirmation postcard.
We were heavily dependent upon a small, loyal force of volunteers who would process the mountain of paper. I simply cannot calculate the amount of man-hours needed to get the job done.
If we used our current registration total (18,500) and assumed it took 5 minutes to complete the process per runner we’re talking about 1,541 hours. This year registration was done electronically in 68 hours.
I can’t think of a major race that is not using electronic systems as their primary, if not exclusive, method of registration.
In addition, races do not have dedicated systems to process your application that is accomplished through a third party.
So the ability of that registration partner needs to be able to handle the ‘flash mob’ that will surge through the system literally the minute registration goes live.
Bottom line is we in the race biz need to pick our partners very carefully because when things go bad you know whose castle the villagers will be charging with the torches and pitchforks.
Wednesday April 3rd is National Walking Day. This initiative was created and is championed by the American Heart Association (AHA). It encourages individuals to focus on healthy habits (including walking) for at least one day and hopefully for a lifetime.
The walk in our area has wandered around (pun intended) to various locations. We’ve walked the streets of downtown Utica, we’ve strolled the grounds of the Masonic Care Community and for 2013 we will be stepping out at the New Hartford Shopping Center.
For the Boilermaker, sponsorship of this event was a natural; if it’s about promoting healthy lifestyles we’re in.
The price to participate; how about nothing (except perhaps a bit of exertion)! Music and some healthy eats will be provided. It’s a one mile walk so just about anyone can participate.
The walk begins at noon, look for the crowd of walkers.
See you there!
Perhaps on of the most asked questions we receive from out of town guests is where the heck to I park near the finish line?
We don’t have any formal parking areas and with tens of thousands of runners, spectators and volunteers the streets of West Utica rapidly become a clogged mess. Parking at the Start Line is slightly better and we’ve encouraged it as shuttles run frequently back from the Post Race Party.
This year we were approached by Birnie Bus, the providers of bus service for Boilermaker Sunday.
Their proposal was what if we offer transportation to 15k runners from Syracuse, Rome and Lowville where we have bus fleets?
That sounds good.
We’ll drop off them off at the Start Line and when the Post Race Party is over drive them back to our lot?
Ok, I’m following you…
The cost per runner for this service will be $5.
WHAT!!!
If I was for example a Syracuse- area runner (and there are nearly 2,000 of you) this seems like the deal of the day. Tolls and gas both ways plus the ‘frustration costs’ of fighting the parking wars makes this seem like an easy decision. Lowville is a great rallying point for our northern runners. Even if I was a Roman runner I’d seriously contemplate this rather than dealing with the hurly-burly of where to leave your vehicle. Why build up your stress, you have 9.3 miles to run!
Now in the right of full disclosure the bus will be a school bus- you were expecting a luxury coach for five bucks?
From the race’s perspective the less car congestion, particularly around the brewery is a very, very good thing.
I know there will be limited availability to get on the bus.
If you are interested in ‘boarding that Birnie Boilermaker bus’ then check out BoilermakerBusService.com for further information.
On this Monday (March 18th) at noon something very special happens; the Boilermaker opens its first Charity Bib Program.
I’d love to say that we were the first to come up with the concept, but can’t. Perhaps the Boston Marathon is the tops in this effort. They hold back 1,250 bibs out of a field of 26,000 and require a $6,000 minimum to participate.
We held 200 bibs back from the open registration to support the charity program. Our pledge minimum is a bit less than Boston, like $5,500 less. Saying that 200 bibs multiplied by $500 represents $100,000 for our not for profit partners- not bad!
There are 11 charities that make up our inaugural class; they will be listed on boilermaker.com when the system goes live on Monday (a huge thank you to Quadsimia who put the charity pages together). All of our charities have a physical presence in the Central New York area (primarily running from Utica to Syracuse). They also represent a wonderful cross-section of specific needs within our community.
Bottom line; you need to raise a minimum of $500 dollars to get a bib for either the 15k or 5k races.
The Boilermaker is about healthy competition so we figured we sweeten the deal to get the pledges above the $500 minimum. Top pledge-gatherer wins free registration for the next 5 Boilermakers (hey, no setting the alarm clock for 12:01 am registration day!) and a $500 donation to the charity they represent. Second place, 2 years of registration and a $250 donation; third place, 1 year and $100 donation. In addition, our friends at the Masonic Care Community have offered the top three free registrations in the 2014 Mighty Run.
It will certainly be interesting to see how quickly these bibs sell out. I won’t even hazard a guess; I thought this year’s race would sell out in 30 days not 3! I will say I’ve already had a number of emails inquiring when the program was going live. Perhaps the funniest one was (and I paraphrase): ‘OK, I have my plane ticket flying in from California; I have my hotel room in Utica. What I don’t have is my race bib; just tell me who I’m running for!’
It has been my belief that the Boilermaker should be a positive change agent for our community. This area we call home has built this race into what it is today- it’s our time to give back in at least 100,000 ways.
When the Boilermaker was born 35 plus years ago the amount of organized races was certainly not as plentiful and participants tended to be hard-core runners (also thought to be slightly strange creatures).
In 2013 a runner can find multiple races within easy driving distance. The half-marathon (13.1 miles) an unknown event in 1978 has become a major factor in distance running. Running statistics for 2011 (2012 numbers are as yet unavailable) shows 17 of the top 50 races in finishers were half-marathons. In earlier times Marathons would dominate; in 2011 only 8 showed up (with perhaps only 7 in 2012 with the cancelling of the ING New York Marathon last November).
What the running boom has also spawn is what I would call races that are much more built around an event format than a traditional timed event. This is clearly the case in The Color Run series.
The Color Run is a non-timed 5k run where participants running/ walking in white tee shirts are pelted with colored corn starch eventually emerging as a two-legged Jackson Pollack painting. There are lanes where runners can be lightly colored or heavily doused and it’s suggested you don’t eat the cornstarch. Many wear goggle to prevent becoming colorblind (my joke).
The Color Run series is only one year old yet had over 600,000 registrants in last year. It is estimated that in 2013 they will have in excess of 1,000,000 participants- very impressive! Besides the U.S. races have been held in Australia, Germany, Portugal and Brazil.
Currently the Race For The Cure with 1.2 million runners/ walkers is the largest event series in the U.S..
An event like this where you throw/ get hit by stuff certainly seems to be a natural draw to the younger runner (there is no age limit on participation). Approximately 60% of the participants had never run a 5k.
I’m sure that many running purists look down at events like this. As for myself, while not looking forward to washing magenta coloring off my running shoes do believe that if this fun-factor gets kids, even ever so briefly, unshackled from the video games that it’s not a bad thing.
So if you think it’s cool to sport a tee that looks more reminiscent of Woodstock than the Walt Disney Marathon then The Color Run may be for you.
The Boilermaker has had a history of giving back to the community we call home. Scholarships, grants awarded via the Corporate Cup, Pasta Dinner proceeds to our local United Way and literally dozens of donations to support efforts to make this a better place.
This year we have embarked on a program that potentially will raise significantly more to support the efforts of the local not for profit community.
Two hundred bibs for this year’s race were reserved to support the Boilermaker Charity Bib Program. The race will be donating these coveted slots to not for profits that fit the mission of the Boilermaker.
If a runner is willing to raise $500 in pledges for one of the charities selected by the Boilermaker they will get a place in this year’s race. The bib is good for the 15k or 5k races or the 3 Mile Walk. The runner will not have to pay the traditional registration fee.
The selected charities will be responsible for securing the pledges from the runners.
I’ve already had a number of inquiries from runners to participate. One of the funniest email I received basically said ‘Hey, I’m coming in from California; just tell me who I’m running for.’
We will be having prizes for the top three individual overall pledge raisers.
I’d love to say that this was our brainchild but can’t. The Boston Marathon sets a minimum pledge at $5,000. As a result Boston raises many, many millions of dollars.
I certainly realize Utica is not Boston! Saying that, how cool is it to generate a minimum of $100,000 to support an area that admittedly has a number of challenges.
If you are a local not for profit interested in submitting an application email me at treed@boilermaker.com and I’ll get the application and ‘rules of the road’ to you.
Deadline for submissions is February 22nd and charity selection will be done no later than March 15th.
Selected charities will be featured on a special charity page on boilermaker.com providing a hotlink for runners to register.
For those runners who found themselves shut out of this year’s race and don’t want to try and secure a bib through the transfer program (which begins in April) this might be a great way to get in.
With the field tentatively set for this year’s Boilermaker in a record three (wild) days I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the demographics of ‘the class of 2013’.
A number of factors that can change the look of this year’s field:
We have yet to register people for the Charity Bib program- that represents 200 bibs. We have yet to choose the charities but expect them to be chosen in late February with pledging starting in March.
The transfer bib policy. We will again be allowing the legal transferring of bibs to those ‘who can’t’ to those ‘who want’. Last year was our first year trying this out, heavily supported by social media such as Facebook. In 2012 we had 690 people transfer (535 for the 15k, 155 for the 5k). I suspect that due to the quick sellout of this year’s race that the transfer number will be higher this year. Sometimes those New Years resolutions just don’t happen. The expectation is the transfer policy will ‘go live’ in April.
The Three Mile Walk, this event is still open for registration (boilermaker.com) and will be right up to the day of the event. The Walk, to be held Saturday July 13th has returned to the Masonic Care Community.
Where are you from?
As you could imagine the vast majority of our runners come from The Empire State. In fact nearly 85% call New York home. Three of our boarder states have strong representation; Massachusetts (489), Pennsylvania (341) and New Jersey (183). Yet others, a bit farther away, bring large contingents- Virginia (197), Maryland (167), Florida (121) and North Carolina (112).
Then there are those states that really remind me of the reach of this event; California (48), Colorado (38), Nevada (27) and Oregon (12). Even the lightly populated state of South Dakota will have three runners toeing the line this year.
We truly are a local race with national swagger.
Presently there are three states not represented in the 36th Boilermaker; Wyoming, Montana and Hawaii. Perhaps the charity/ transfer process will get them in.
For those coming from outside the U.S., as always our friends up north, Canada, are the leaders with over 200 coming to Utica. Other countries currently represented are Japan, Poland, Belgium and The Federated States of Micronesia (a 607 island nation located south of Guam). Puerto Rico (a Commonwealth of the U.S.) will also be in attendance.
The international numbers will spike with the addition of the elite athletes.
Girl Power!
For the second year in the row the women outnumber the men. While the men managed to hang onto the lead in the 15k 51.5% vs. 48.5% they were overwhelmed in the 5k with women representing 61% of the field. So overall the combined race totals now show 52.5% women, 47.5% men.
Again remember, roughly 4% of our field changed due to the transfer policy so these numbers are somewhat fluid.
When the field is finalized in June I’ll revisit the numbers and clue you in.
About a week ago I saw a study about the dangers of too much sitting.
We have become a sitting society. A century ago there would be a very good chance you were involved in a manual labor job. You may have walked back and forth to work and your television watching time was zero since it did not exist.
One of the most alarming aspects of the study was the long held notion that if we get in at least a 30 minute moderate to vigorous workout we would stave off the affects of our increasingly sedentary (which comes from the Latin word ‘sedere’ meaning ‘to sit’) lifestyle. It’s simply not enough.
For many we are now sitting longer than we sleep; some spend 70% of their waking time sitting.
We humans, as a species, were not built to sit- we were wired to move. We are not clams existing in a stationary position.
When we sit it sends a message to our brain that we are in a rest/ sleep period.
When we are in these periods the body does a poor job of breaking down fat and sugar. Simply put this causes a buildup of bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.
The study points to excessive sitting as a direct link to heart disease, increased cancer risk and obesity.
While we don’t have to chase down (or run from) wild creatures like our hunter-gatherer ancestors there are some simple things we can do to literally ‘get moving’.
First off; monitor how much time you actually are sitting be it work, TV watching or reading a book. I think you will be shocked.
For TV watching, Americans log in 34 hours driven heavily by those 65 or older who watch 48 hours a week. So for our oldest citizens TV has become a full-time job; I think that’s sad on a number of levels.
Now let’s add the computer monitor time we put in both at work and home.
Some simple tips:
Use those machines that we are mentally chained t; set an alarm that rings after an hour and get up and move around. When the commercials hit your favorite show(s) get up and stretch.
If you work in an office environment and need to take a bathroom break don’t go to the closest one (unless you really, really have to go).
Don’t park at the parking space that’s closest to your destination.
Some have modified their work stations so they stand up when they work on their computer. A treadmill desk is now for sale for those who want to work the miles as they work the keyboard.
BTW the irony of me sitting down writing this blog about the dangers of sitting is totally not lost on me. Time for a walk around the block!
There was an informal bet among Boilermaker staff concerning when the 2013 Boilermaker would sell out. The 2012 race had sold out in 65 days. I surmised that, with the field held at 14,000 that we would be looking at hitting the cap in a month.
Surprise, surprise!
Registration opened at 12:01 am, by 4:30 am when I woke up the count was nearly 800, a fourfold increase from a year ago at that time. Something very different is happening.
The velocity of registrants continued to increase throughout Saturday; that day we saw over 14,500 hits on the website (not including Facebook which was running white hot and registered over 49,000 hits).
On Monday evening, shortly after a Boilermaker meeting, the bomb hit- the 15k reached the cap. Frantic emails began to populate my computer; the phones began to ring and ring and ring.
A day later the 5k fell victim to the race cap. In 2012 the 5k maxed out two weeks after the 15k had filled. That year was the first time the 5k had ever hit its cap and probably caused more ‘how could this have happened’ emails and calls than the closing of the 15k.
It certainly seems clear the advanced warning we utilized worked well (some might say too well).
Months before, we had ‘installed’ a countdown to registration clock on the website. We tried to keep the ‘buzz’ going on Facebook and Twitter before the big day. Traditional local media informed its audience about both 2013 cap numbers and opening day. Running clubs that traditionally send large groups of participants were notified. Finally, we send an email blast to runners that participated in last year’s event of the impending opening of registration.
So what does all this mean?
Assuming the 2013 Boilermaker is a pleasant experience for the participants I would expect the race to sell out even faster. The Peachtree Road Race with 40,000 participants now sells out in less than an hour.
While the date of opening has significance, it’s the halfway point to the running of the race, should we move the opening of registration to a later date? I sometimes wonder if coming off so close to the New Years holiday (and resolutions) that we end up with people with good intentions but later reality sets in (holy smokes; I’ve got to run 9.3 miles on a challenging course in the middle of July).
Many races have resorted to a lottery system or a combination of first come-first serve for a set amount and lottery for the remainder.
It sort of boggles my mind I’m thinking about these things with the race nearly six months away!
Americans are a people proud of our accomplishments and certainly willing to tell the world (USA, USA…).
However, a recent study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences found that the United States leads in categories that one would not want to win.
Compared to 16 other developed countries we are both unhealthier and, consequently, die at an earlier age.
Currently Americans spend $8,600 a year per person on healthcare, which is far above what many of our European counterparts spend with universal healthcare. So I guess money not only doesn’t buy happiness, it doesn’t buy good health.
Specific areas we lag other nations include: obesity, lung disease, diabetes, heart disease and infant mortality.
But it’s beyond internal diseases; you stand a seven times greater chance of being murdered and twenty times greater chance of being killed by a gun than European countries.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the numbers is the majority of Americans struck down die before reaching the age of 50!
“I don’t think most parents know that, on average, infants, children and adolescents in the U.S. die younger and have greater rates of illness and injury than youth in other countries” said Dr. Steven Woolf, who chaired the study.
I’m pretty confident that this problems has been decades in the making and defies an easy answer. Saying that, this is one race we need to stop winning because it is literally about life and death.
The long-awaited news about the ING New York City Marathon stance on runners who were registered to run this year’s race was revealed. As you are aware, a small weather disturbance called Hurricane Sandy blasted the Northeastern seaboard four days prior to the planned running of the marathon.
In what must be characterized as a mistake of the first order the Mayor Bloomburg and Mary Wittenberg (CEO of the New York Road Runners) initially indicated the race would be held prompting runners from literally around the world to descend on “The Big Apple”. Two days later the race was officially cancelled.
Many have complained that the race should simply allow everyone that was registered for the 2012 race to simply be allowed to run the 2013 race for free- sort of a reset.
Unfortunately the race had spent all the money to put the race on; the only funds unspent was the prize money. The New York City Police Department, who is paid for race support retuned the monies back to the race.
In the end the runners were offered three options:
The ING New York Marathon is huge- a race hosting roughly 48,000 runners in America’s biggest city. I do not envy the work Mary has in front of her dealing with sponsor relations, the running public and image rebuilding.
An interesting side note, one cannot underestimate the power of social media in our sport. The core demographic involved in distance running are the hard core users of tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
The decisions both to attempt to run the race and later to cancel it caused a digital storm over the internet.
The running of this race in 2013 will be very, very interesting.
Will they fill the field? Absolutely!
Will Mary still be the CEO? Who knows?
Tim Reed is executive director of the annual Boilermaker 15K Road Race in Utica, N.Y.
