What makes a feel good race?

How do we evaluate if a race was good or not?  After every race, we read comments or blogs about how it was organized.  Positive comments, negative comments,  ratings of races and more.  I refrained from giving my own ratings already.  I’d rather talk about the race and the people who were there to run with me.  Finishing the race, meeting friends and witnessing their accomplishments are the memories I bring after the events.

What would be the most common negative comments on a race?  Here are a few I can think of.

“Race distance was short.  I felt cheated.”

“I want singlets better than shirts.”

“They ran out of water.  The race sucks.”

“Registration fee is expensive.  They are just doing it for the money.”

I can read this very often.  And a member noticed how many races are called “worst race of the year.”  Every week na lang may worst race.

I find some of the comments even too harsh and too personal.  Some I would unpublish, the others I would leave posted.  Then, I would think of how the organizers would absord all the negative comments and will be walking wounded for several days.

Instead of going on vacation, runners are in full support for the Rizal Day Run last December 30.

I joined one of BaldRunner’s event, the 32K Rizal Day Run.  It could probably be the only event organized by Sir Jovie which I can join.  His other event the Bataan Death March 102KM is not in my league… yet.

This event could have received the same harsh comments from the members and bloggers.

The route was short.  It registered 29.8KMs in my Garmin.  This is considered as a mortal sin by some runners.  Sir Jovie guaranteed a 32KM +/-500m route using his Garmin too.  The +/-500m doesn’t even meet some of the runners accuracy expectation of +/-10%.  Later, Sir Jovie explained the discrepancy in his blog.

I reached the finish line with only beer left at the water station.  I don’t drink beer.  And water stations were about 3-4kms apart, compared to the 2-2.5kms of other races.

Considering that the cost of event was minimal, the 300 Php registration fee can be considered expensive.

Sir Jovie also did not expect a huge turn out in the number of runners.  Thus, they ran out of medals.  Not everybody received the medals on race day.  But he promised to give them next year during the PSE Bull Run.  This was announced the day before the race thru his blog.  But one can argue that any organizer should have anticipated problems before hand to avoid

the basic issues such as supplies.

Doesn’t it sound like one of the those “worst” events being mentioned in the comments and forums?  But how come nobody complained the way they do before?  How come some bloggers who joined the event didn’t even mention that the distance was short?  As Bards wrote, how can something so wrong feel so right?

These runners are obviously enjoying the last running event of the year.

I don’t have complains too.  I’m simply stating the facts.  I enjoyed the run and had a great time.  Even the fast runner who fell down and was wounded because the route was dark was still smiling at the finish line without any complain.  All you can hear and read was that everybody had a great time.

What made it right then?  Why were there no complains?  Why was it still a feel good race event even if there were lapses and it lacks the fanfare of the bigger races?

My Two Reasons for Enjoying the Run

Here are my two reasons.  Respect and support.

I respect Sir Jovie and his vision for Philippine running.  He continually challenge organizers to improve their races by pointing out what went wrong and how it can be corrected.  I respect him as one of the pioneers in the blogging scene and inspiring me to keep on running by being part of the BaldRunners 1,000KM Club.

A rare chance.  The race director giving the medals personally to all who

completed the race.  Makes you feel like a podium finisher.

I support Sir Jovie and his projects.  The Team BaldRunner is a promising endeavour and it is ok for me to pay 300 Php for a simple race to support this project.  I can’t wait for the time when a Filipino from Team BaldRunner will once again dominate the podium of top finishers.  Lately, it has been the foreign athletes who have that demanding lead in many events.

I am sure many of the runners who joined the event were there to support wholeheartedly the vision and projects for BaldRunner.  Whatever the outcome was, positive or negative, was immaterial.

I myself will continue to join the Rizal Day 32K Run.  It’s a great way to end the year.  Of course, I would expect that the race distance will be more accurate for next year and that there will be more water and ice cream waiting for me once I finish.  I hope there will be more sponsors to this event next year.  My snappy salute to you, Sir!

What about the others?

But how come we treat other races differently?  Have we been unfair with our comments in other races that were short in distance, water, and freebies?

I mean, doesn’t other races deserve our support?  Many races are for a cause.  There are a lot of races like the Rizal Day 32K Fun Run that are low in budget but have the same genuine intent to give to a specific beneficiary.  Yet, these are the events that are not well attended.  Since the low budget races have little funding, it lacks the fanfare of bigger events like freebies and sports drinks, and we complain.

Doesn’t other race organizers deserve our respect?  Despite Sir Jovie’s intent to provide an accurate distance and enough supplies to all runners, a race of small magnitude had its problems.  And we understood the reasons.  But if Sir Jovie’s race was 10 times bigger in attendance and will have 10 times the probabilty of having problems, will it not merit 10 times the understanding from us too?  Now change Sir Jovie’s name above with the name of another race organizer, will the statement still hold true?

Eureka!!!  A new secret to a great race

I’m not saying that for the year 2010, runners will now be less critical with the races.  You are still free to point out both positive and negative points of races that you participated in.  Besides that is not my point.  What I am trying to point out is this.

The elements of a feel good race will not depend if the race organizer is your friend or not.  It will not depend on the accuracy of the distance.  It will not depend on whether you will get freebies once you finish.  It will not depend if you receive the medals right away or not.

The element of a feel good race is when the runner comes to the race in FULL SUPPORT to what the event stands for.

If you fully support that the event is for the development of our elite athletes, then a short distance doesn’t matter.  You would even stop in middle of the race and not finish it at all.

If you fully support that the event is for the preservation of our natural resources, for the trees, for the flood victims, for the dolphins, then an expensive registration fee doesn’t matter.  You’d even gladly give more.

If you fully support that the event is for the exaltation of a political figure or any public figure, then a late start because if his long speech doesn’t matter.  You’d even listen for more to the person who is talking.

If you fully support that the event is for a foundation that they are helping, then the quality of their singlet doesn’t matter.  You’d sign up and wear their singlet proudly.

What makes us feel good after the race is actually simple.  It’s just within us after all.

Even Quennie who did not run the event was in full support as a volunteer.

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Photos  Photos courtesy of Brando Losaria aka Photobrando. 😀  View more pics at Multiply.

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