In praise of small local races

[ScottP]

Just came back from a charity race in a town close by and was reflecting on the advantages of the small race:

1: Cheapness - I spent 30 bucks for a chip timed 10k including T shirt, loads of free food, and won a $25 New Balance voucher plus a few little freebies in the race bag.

2: Competition: A thin field lets you compete against a handful of people of your age group and ability ( in my case the un elite ) plus you get to see some local fast veterans and kids. It feels like you are more a part of the race when you don't have 100's or 1000's of runners strung out in front and behind you. At the finish there's room to talk over the race with the other folks and say congrats to the winners.

3: Community: The cash goes to a good cause so volunteers, spectators and participants (except for some dry heaves at the finish) get to feel good about themselves and the local charity.

4: Proximity: Like most folks in my age and budget bracket I got other things to do besides racing and training. With a small race you're in and out in 2-3 hours and back in time to rake the leaves and get the oil changed etc.

Best regards,

Scott

[r-at-work]

I also a BIG fan of club races... the kind that for $2-$5 you get no t-shirt but they mark the course, provide a water stop & silly prizes and it's small enough I might place in my A.G.

went to one last spring where they gave sets of snap dragons & petunias to top three in age group, my two kids and I all brought flowers home that we planted in our yard...4th of July race has watermelon & items with flags & stars on them as prizes... one gave out small baskets with muffins & coffee as prizes

but you're right about being close... the club races also do mainly race day sign up and at several you just wrote your name(age/sex) on a roster sheet...

-Rita

[jtpaten]

Smaller local races can also be inspiring for the quality of competition NOT in your age group. My brother-in-law and I ran a race this summer in which we both won in our respective 20-29 and 30-39 age groups and finished in the top 10. But it was humbling and awe-inspiring to see the top half dozen spots swept by guys in their 50s and the overall winner a a 40-something woman. It left me looking forward to a long career of running -- if not an an actual improvement in my age-group standing.

[tomo]

I agree to a point, but I've found smaller races sometimes lack some of the amenities I like...mile splits and such.
I ran a 5k recently (for charity) on an out and back course, and the whole way back I was dodging walkers with dogs.  The race director gave no info prior to the race (head out on the right, come back on the left)...
Also, I feel better if I've got a bunch of folks to key off; makes me push harder.  i'd rather get 30th place in a competitive race, than 2nd in a rinky dink little race...

[Ryan]

Small races definitely do have their pros. Of course, nothing can serve as everything to everyone. The ideal situation would be an equal mix of small local races and large regional/national races. This is how a diverse running community survives and thrives.

To play devil's advocate:

1: Cheapness - I spent 30 bucks for a chip timed 10k including T shirt, loads of free food, and won a $25 New Balance voucher plus a few little freebies in the race bag.

Wow, $30 is cheap? I would not want to pay $30 for a 10k no matter what it offered. Personally, I just want a race. I don't care about the food, the freebies usually end up going in the trash at my house after cluttering up the house for a while, and the t-shirt is a nice bonus but not something worth paying much more in entry fees for. All of those things to me are just things that increase the entry fee and are rarely, if ever, worth the extra money. The largest race in the Milwaukee metro offers a well run race and plenty of competition (plus nice t-shirts) for $18. Outside of events like marathons, I have noticed that the larger races around here are usually under $20 for an entry fee and the smaller ones tend to be $20 or more. Even the largest half marathon was under $10 last time I ran it. Maybe it's just different here than it is there.

2: Competition: A thin field lets you compete against a handful of people of your age group and ability ( in my case the un elite ) plus you get to see some local fast veterans and kids. It feels like you are more a part of the race when you don't have 100's or 1000's of runners strung out in front and behind you. At the finish there's room to talk over the race with the other folks and say congrats to the winners.

You might be interested in trying your hand at some small track or cross-country meets. These are great for small fields and head to head competition. The competition aspect can play out either way. I can not go to a small local race if I want competition. Last time I ran a small local 10k, I was ahead of the 5k runners by 1/4 mile and didn't see another sole until I turned around (out and back course, I got to see the whole field, starting with 2nd place about a minute or so after I turned around, on my way back). Unfortunately, small local races - when they are as overabundant as they are here - have a tendency to spread the competition so thin that it's hard to find the competition.

3: Community: The cash goes to a good cause so volunteers, spectators and participants (except for some dry heaves at the finish) get to feel good about themselves and the local charity.

As I believe Kemibe first stated, I personally prefer to keep my running and my charitable contributions separate. This way, I have control over where my charitable contributions go. I prefer when my entry fee pays for running the race and isn't inflated in the name of giving money to a charity. Besides, I have seen the numbers at some of these races. They charge runners an extra $5-10 per entry and typically $2-4 per entry goes to the charity. Where does that extra $3-6 go? I'd prefer to keep my $10 and ensure that all of it goes to a charity I feel a connection with.

The community aspect I prefer is seeing the running community coming together for a good race and a good time afterward. At the small races I have gone to, the runners seem to disperse very quickly after the race is over. At the larger races, it seems like you see more of the community aspect of people getting together and having a good time together after the race.

4: Proximity: Like most folks in my age and budget bracket I got other things to do besides racing and training. With a small race you're in and out in 2-3 hours and back in time to rake the leaves and get the oil changed etc.

Proximity is nice but the gluttony of small local races in existence today has in some cases run larger races out of town and means those of us who need larger races to get the competition we need have to travel farther.

There is definitely a place for small local races in the overall race calendar mix. I just wish that place didn't come at the cost of the kind of high level competition you can count on finding at most large races. With the gluttony of small local races we see today, this is the precise cost that we pay.

[jtpaten]

A large number of small races may dilute the competition in any one of them, but by the same token provide less intimidating options for runners who may have natural talent but an irrational fear of racing. For late bloomers who didn't run in high school and for those who showed promise in their youth, but burned out and are now making a comback later in life, small road races can be ideal (re)introductions to competitive running.

Big corporate-run races can be impersonal and unsatisfying, too, especially when the fields are crowded with people who don't line up according to their ability -- faster folks up front, slower ones behind. (Of course I, for one, contribute to that problem when I lag behind so as to move up and pass folks as a race nears the end.)

All the same, I've run small bare-bones, community- and club-run races with unimaginative names that have proven very competitive. There seems to be a certain category of road runners who eschew the pagentry of big events for small competently organized affairs that don't offer t-shirts because who needs more of those anyway.

Let's not forget, some race organizers take great pride in their events. Where positive word of mouth results, some of these same organizers cap participation so as to protect the integrity of their events and venues rather than maximize profits.

An event that makes you feel like like you're truly a part of it is a great find indeed.

[Ed 1]

Regarding competition - I have seen some one else state this and I agree with them.  I would rather chase 100 people that were better than me than find something where I am not as challenged but could win.  

However, this is important only to those whom race themselves and compete to see what they can do compared to their previous efforts.

For those who like to be in "the top 10" smaller less known races are gold.

[Mark]

I have not run a large race in over 22 years. My last big race (a 10K) had over 2000 runners. No chip time back then. Now that I am running again
as jtpaten said

For late bloomers who didn't run in high school and for those who showed promise in their youth, but burned out and are now making a comeback later in life, small road races can be ideal (re)introductions to competitive running.

I like the small local races. I will run larger races later, after I get better at it. I will be running one of those small races this weekend. As far as the competition in the race, I am bringing it to the race with me. My son and about 8 of my friends. None of us are fast enough to win (YET), but we can race each other. I plan on winning our race with-in a race. If any of us places in our AG great, if not we keep training, pushing each other to perform better and race harder next time. I run because I love running. I race because I love competition. If I am not fast enough to compete to win, then I will compete with someone. Hopefully I will have the problem of not having enough competition someday, because that would mean that I have improved greatly in my racing.

[Ryan]

Like I stated, small races have their place. My point is that big races also have their place. Ideally, there would be a nice mix of both. Unfortunately, the pendulum is now swinging to the point where you can find 5 local races every weekend from April through October but you only have a handful of races where you can count on top competition showing up. Will the pendulum swing back any? Personally, I hope it swings back at least a little.

It is true that you will see some top runners at small races sometimes. However, it's hard to predict where that competition will be. If there are 5 races within a 30 minute drive of my home this weekend and I want to run a race with good competition, which one do I go to?

[GTF]

If there are 5 races within a 30 minute drive of my home this weekend and I want to run a race with good competition, which one do I go to?

Look up the results from previous years, check out the winning performance and the spread of the top 5-10.  Racing is, well, racing . . . so long as there is someone in front of you (or close behind you) then there is someone with whom to compete.  If you end up in an uncompetitive race, then you chose poorly (which certainly cannot always be avoided.)  Also, I believe the person who started this thread paid CDN$30, which is a bit over US$25.    Granted, that is also more than I would care to pay for a race, smorgasbord (which I happily skip, anyway) and timing system considerations aside -- I find movie ticket prices to be absurd, but they are still much lower than what some races charge to spend 15-40 minutes running around on pavement and marathons are the most ridiculous of all, on the whole.  Then again, the local gargantuan 10K road race charges around US$40 (I think) but I cannot remember the last time I paid to enter that race because it is typically easy enough to procure a comp'ed entry.  I am with you on the charity thing, in fact I opt to combine charitable donations with all those race t-shirts: I donate my shirts (I have more than enough that I have selected and have no need for any that are given to me without my input on how they look) either to an organization that helps clothe the homeless or to some charitable organization's thrift store.

[Ryan]

Look up the results from previous years, check out the winning performance and the spread of the top 5-10.  Racing is, well, racing . . . so long as there is someone in front of you (or close behind you) then there is someone with whom to compete.

Indeed, racing is racing. I don't care who or what I'm racing as long as there is competition. Unfortunately, a lot of those small local races don't have results of previous editions available. If they do, it's usually last year's winner, which can be very deceptive. Sure, last year's winner was fast. If nobody was within 5 minutes of him, a fact that is impossible to know since only the winner is given, he probably won't return. Then, I'll show up and win by 3 minutes and next year someone will see my time and show up based on that, while I'm off searching for another race with better competition.

That's the problem with small local races. The competition may be there one year and the next year, you may end up with a 10k being won in 40+ minutes. The bigger races have much more consistency in their winning times.

BTW: I wouldn't even pay $25 for a 10k. That is still steep, a price that races can usually only get away with by promising that some of the proceeds, usually a small percentage, will go to a charity of their choosing.

[Adimal]

Let us not forget how fast Ryan runs folks.  Many of us can only dream of being as fast as Mr. Hillrunner.  So, yes, many of these "small" races may not have the competition that the elites or sub-elites are looking for but for the rest of us who enjoy the small community atmosphere they're great.
I have run some of these smaller races and placed in my AG, knowing full well that the "competition" was not that of a big race.  I did not gloat in my accomplishment for I know that I am not fast.  I chose the race for the training, the proximity, the not so "in your face" corporate aspect and not for a medal. :twisted:

BTW Ryan @ chicago ~2:40, me ~3:22

[Anne]

It's interesting how different we are in what we take away from a racing event, what we consider important. I guess it  reflects what a diversified group this is.
The small local races provide me with an opportunity to reconnect with other runners from the area, I see the same faces at most of the events and there is mutual support all around. Not having many close to me who run it's great to talk with people who share the same interest.

My favorite small race is the Old Colonel's Run in Iola Wi.  $5.00 entrance fee that includes all the post race chili you can eat. Even better, it's age and weight handicapped.  I saw some of you roll your eyes, nothing is sacred.  :wink:

I race against the clock not other people so racing is always competitive for me, big or small.  If my $5.00 goes to help pay for the new aquatic center then it works out to everyone's advantage.

[Ryan]

It's interesting how different we are in what we take away from a racing event, what we consider important. I guess it  reflects what a diversified group this is.

Which is why I consider it important that one type of race does not force the other out of the picture. As I stated originally, for a diverse running community to survive and thrive, we need a diverse selection of races available. Small races are a part of that but so are big races.

I race against the clock not other people so racing is always competitive for me, big or small.  If my $5.00 goes to help pay for the new aquatic center then it works out to everyone's advantage.

My issue is when only $1.00-2.00 of the extra $5.00 I pay goes toward the cause, which from what I have seen is the case more often than any of us would like to believe. Where is that extra $3.00-4.00 going? Often into frivolous "extras" for the race or into the pocket of someone involved in organizing the race. I'd rather give my $5.00 directly so I know it all goes where I want it to go. Better yet, I would like to save it and donate it through my company's matching program so my $5.00 turns into $10.00 for the recipient.

[Bart]

My issue is when only $1.00-2.00 of the extra $5.00 I pay goes toward the cause, which from what I have seen is the case more often than any of us would like to believe. Where is that extra $3.00-4.00 going? Often into frivolous "extras" for the race or into the pocket of someone involved in organizing the race. I'd rather give my $5.00 directly so I know it all goes where I want it to go. Better yet, I would like to save it and donate it through my company's matching program so my $5.00 turns into $10.00 for the recipient.

I'm not trying to start a fight, but why do you care?  If you pay $15 for a race entry, and $7 of that amount goes to race expenses, $4 goes to the race charity/cause, and $4 goes into the race director's pocket, is that a big deal?  If the race was worth $15 to you, why shouldn't the race director make a few bucks off the deal?  He or she probably put a lot of work into the race.

Bart

[Ryan]

I'm not trying to start a fight, but why do you care?  If you pay $15 for a race entry, and $7 of that amount goes to race expenses, $4 goes to the race charity/cause, and $4 goes into the race director's pocket, is that a big deal?  If the race was worth $15 to you, why shouldn't the race director make a few bucks off the deal?  He or she probably put a lot of work into the race.

The only big deal to me is when they charge a ridiculously high entry fee with the excuse that proceeds are going to charity. If you're charging $25 for your entry fee while $4 is going to charity and a race of the same distance and quality is being run in the next town over for $15, people are better off going to the $15 race and giving $10 to charity but some get the guilt trip to spend more money with less going to charity.

[ferris]

so, Ryan...what do you think is a fair price for a...

5k?
8k? (Al's Run)
10k?
1/2 Mary?
Mary?

...in this area?

I'll say that I like when they have a no T-shirt option and knock a few bucks off.

.....and if you think road races are expensive, dont ever get into triathlons. My wife and I are racing a few this summer and we may have to knock off a bank to cover the entry fees for a summer of racing.

[Ryan]

Around here, it doesn't seem like it's necessary to pay over $20 for any race under the marathon in distance. Those that charge $20 already seem to be on the high end. I don't know what I'd consider unreasonable, it would probably depend on certain aspects of the race, but $20 or more for a small local 5k where organizational costs should be relatively low, especially for example those 5k races in Frame Park where you need a few volunteers and no traffic control, seems pretty steep. Of course, those Frame Park 5k races have other issues, such as course inaccuracy.

[ferris]

ya, I hear ya on the Frame Park stuff. All of it.

I think we talked about this a few years ago, but I'll say it again.

If I am going to pay over 20 bucks for a race, anywhere from 5k to ha;f mary....I think a few things should be a given.

1. the course is safe. (traffic is controlled, that kinda stuff)
2. the course is accurate.
3. miles are marked. I dont even need times, I can look at my watch, just put up signs at the bare minimum
4. they have enough bathrooms
5. they have enough food

I have been to many races that fail at many, if not ALL of those. The worse , in my exprience, Mad City half marathon.....by FAR!!! My buddy was on his bike and got to the intersections and stopped traffic because there were no cops in sight. The last 5 miles were unmarked.....and that was part of the Mary course, could you imagine running a mary and not having markers the last 5 miles! ouch.
the course was actually a 20k, but adverised as a Half. I almost flipped when I saw the clock at the finish.

on the flip side......South shore half marathon. I think it is like 8 bucks. Plenty of food, miles are marked and it is "safe" The only one they are sketchy on is the bathrooms, but it isnt that bad. Props to the Striders for that race. They prove it can be done well and affordable.

[Ryan]

South shore half marathon. I think it is like 8 bucks. Plenty of food, miles are marked and it is "safe" The only one they are sketchy on is the bathrooms, but it isnt that bad. Props to the Striders for that race. They prove it can be done well and affordable.

This is the race I hold up as a model of what a race should be. Moderate size, well organized and run, no unnecessary extras. If a half marathon can make it at $8 per entry (last time I ran it at least) why should a 5k that never touches a road and hence doesn't need traffic control, doesn't need aid stations and has about 5 volunteers working the whole course since it's just 2 laps through a park need to charge $20 or more?

[GTF]

Unfortunately, a lot of those small local races don't have results of previous editions available. If they do, it's usually last year's winner, which can be very deceptive. Sure, last year's winner was fast. If nobody was within 5 minutes of him, a fact that is impossible to know since only the winner is given, he probably won't return.

You cannot surmise the next 3-5 based on the age-group results?  In my current locality, as well as my previous one, typically the top 1-3 open runners for each gender are listed and then the top 3+ for each age group are also given.  Typically, any runner in the top 3-5 overall in any given race also won or placed high in his or her age group.

Then, I'll show up and win by 3 minutes and next year someone will see my time and show up based on that, while I'm off searching for another race with better competition.

That's the problem with small local races. The competition may be there one year and the next year, you may end up with a 10k being won in 40+ minutes. The bigger races have much more consistency in their winning times.

Then go with the one with the best prize purse?  At least that way you should either find decent competition drawn to that race or come away with something valuable for having no competition in the race.

BTW: I wouldn't even pay $25 for a 10k.

I figured as much.

[Ryan]

You cannot surmise the next 3-5 based on the age-group results?

Not when the only result you can find, if you can find this much, is last year's winner.

The go with the one with the best prize purse?  At least that way you should either find decent competition drawn to that race or come away with something valuable for having no competition in the race.

Instead, I choose to search out the races with competition, even if it means a 2+ hour round trip to get to the race, as all of my races except one this year have required. I don't care about prizes. I race for competition, not prizes. The point I'm making is that the overabundance of smaller races is squeezing some of the traditionally larger and always competitive races out of the picture so it's getting harder to search them out.

Again, I'm not stating that small races are bad. I'm stating that a healthy balance of all sizes and levels of competition is the way to help a diverse running community thrive. Without that balance, some segment of the running community gets left out in the cold.

[Bart]

When I was living in Louisiana, the New Orleans Track Club put on good races.  They were well-organized, safe, provided a number of overall and age group awards and had great post-race food (red beans and rice, mmmmm).  In addition, for 5Ks you could register on the day of the race with a no t-shirt option for $10.  The longer races would cost a bit more.  One key seemed to be that they had a dedicated race director and a strong corps of volunteers.  

I hope they bounce back strong after Hurricane Katrina.

Bart

[GTF]

Not when the only result you can find, if you can find this much, is last year's winner.

Incredible, I had no idea that the Milwaukee metro area had such mediocre race results reporting.  I thought the area in which I lived previously had a rather poor local competitive running scene, but even though the times may be slow I can still go online and find recent results that would give me a firm idea of how the top 5-10 overall performed (and even whether the course was significantly short) and etc.

Then go with the one with the best prize purse?  At least that way you should either find decent competition drawn to that race or come away with something valuable for having no competition in the race.

Instead, I choose to search out the races with competition, even if it means a 2+ hour round trip to get to the race, as all of my races except one this year have required. I don't care about prizes. I race for competition, not prizes. The point I'm making is that the overabundance of smaller races is squeezing some of the traditionally larger and always competitive races out of the picture so it's getting harder to search them out.

What I meant to imply, and clearly did not do so strongly enough, was that races offering prizes of cash, generous gift certificates, or airfare (for example) to the top placer(s) will consistently draw a more competitive field than those that do not, all other things being essentially equal.  Also, I was meaning to indicate that if your choice was solely from among a handful of small local races that have in the past given the appearance of being uncompetitive, then the best choice would be to go with the one which yielded the greatest return, even if it were merely the result of cherry picking.  One other alternative would be to just go into the race with a week or two of heavy training on your legs, no taper at all, which would theoretically bring you back to the pack.  I am not advocating either way, really, and though I do realize that you are playing devil's advocate here (and while I also find merit wanting among the original listed criteria) it just seemed that you were quick to write off the notion without considering the more creative approaches and angles.

[r-at-work]

while I'm not in the same league as you guys and I can understand most of the points of view, I think what is coming out here is that there are LOTS of reasons why we runs races...

one other reason that came out this year in my choice of races was distances offered and course difficulty... lots of the "bigger" races in the DC area are now "events"  like the Cherry Blossom 10 and the Army 10 (11.3 this year) and several of the 5K and 10K are just HUGE and as they are in DC they are FLAT... so as I've said I like the club races and two half marathons were picked specifically knowing that they had HILLS...

usually, for me, the competition is with myself, but as there are so many people gearing up for marathons the races longer than 10K attract fewer casual runners, dare I say a better "class" of runners... still fewer in my age group at longer races, but I don't notice that when I'm running (my eyes aren't that good  and I run without my glasses)...

so I guess what I'm trying to say is this year I ran a few, not to beat someone, or improving my time or winning prizes (or getting a shirt)... but to improve my mental toughness as hills are what I used to consider my weak point... and smaller races (around here) don't seem to be afraid to throw in  the hills...
-R