Reckoneer

The product — the race you are participating in — is the end result of a lot of factors that took place long before you showed up. The time, effort, and assets that go into building a successful race are all hidden from you on race day. All you see is a put together race director, all the bells-and-whistles of registration and finish line trappings, lots of people having fun, and what could be a bucket of cash at the registration table. And that's when you think, “Maybe I can do that too!” Many of us mountain bike racers have had this internal talk with ourselves. Especially when the "good" races in your area start to dry up. But we often overlook the difficulty behind building a race and are caught unaware of what really goes into it. I had the same experience when I first started promoting races, and it was a tough slog learning the business from scratch.

I recently wrote about the principles of a profitable race on my blog Reckoneer.com for those thinking about creating their own races. In it I talk about starting small, staying simple, and showing value. These seem like obvious concepts to consider, but I'm surprised when I find other race directors and promoters ignoring some or all of them. They want to design a championship event, host live bands, or spend a ton of money right out of the gate.

But I'm curious to hear from any race directors out there that have not ignored these principles, or have some other principles that have worked for them. Or maybe you are in that group that DID try to build something that was too big to manage, or too complex to control, but are now trying something new.

Have you ever taken on too much or found it difficult to get your race off the ground? Or do you use some form of these principles to make something work for you and your racers?

Cheers,
Kyle