Early Call Time

Early Call Time Episode 9: #runnow2runlater

June 11, 2020 Early Call Time Pod Season 1 Episode 9
Early Call Time
Early Call Time Episode 9: #runnow2runlater
Show Notes

Thanks to Race Roster for sponsoring this month of the podcast. Race Roster and its Runkeeper app, now a part of the ASICS family, form a great team that drastically enhances the digital services Race Directors require to host premier events. Next time you're looking at registration or virtual race platforms, take a look at Race Roster.

June's first banter episode kicks off with talk of how 2020 is like the TV show "Lost" before Tony and Eli talk about what everyone in our industry is talking about: virtual events, and our gradual return to in-person racing. Eli leads with something that Tony doesn't think will work due to the pod's lack of social engagement, asking listeners who have launched virtual events or creative in-person events to use the hashtag #runnow2runlater to let us know what cool events your company is doing right now. We want to hear what you're up to and talk about it on the pod! (Desperate plea from Eli: Please don't let Tony be right--use this hashtag folks! #runnow2runlater)

Tony holds up DMSE's Medford2Medford and Run Local's California Coast 500 as examples of events that did it right by developing a unique concept, and talks about the time and effort that Event Southwest has put into developing their Texas Distance Challenge virtual concept the right way. Eli, in expressing his agreement with Tony, repeatedly and weirdly uses the phrase "back it up" to challenge folks to really tell a story and develop their concept when launching a virtual event.

As in-person events slowly return, Eli brings up Millenium Running's Any Time 5k--which has a finish arch set up in the parking lot of their specialty run store, timing running from inside their store 24 hours a day, and a low-traffic 2.5k route that can be run twice for a 5k--and Revel's OYO Marathon--which has permanently installed timing on a local park trail and has substantial results verification processes in place as options--as innovative options that allow for fun races to be held while only small gatherings are allowed. Tony mentions that he considered taking a road trip to run Vacation Races's Zion at Night event. (Note: Eli may be mistaken that OYO times will be accepted as qualifiers for New York--but he swears he saw that somewhere. He also thinks his position on virtual races has actually been pretty consistent.)

Eli then abruptly ends this recording session when he realizes he has a meeting that's about to start, so you'll have to listen to a future episode for Eli and Tony to talk about COVID considerations at Expo and Packet Pick-up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, or guests you would like us to invite, please send us an email at earlycalltimepod@gmail.com. And don't forget, if you've launched virtual events or creative in-person events, post on social using the hashtag #runnow2runlater to let us know what cool events your company is doing!

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