Less Local Races?

[JAMIESMITH]

Is it just my area, or are some of you noticing that there are less local races than usual?

There was one local trail race in January, literally nothing this month, there are a few options March-June, and then nothing in July. There used to be a race of some kind every weekend in the fall, but even those are more spaced out than before. The Magnolia Marathon and Half that has been held in November for the past ten years has just announced that they are taking this year off and will reevaluate for 2024.

I'm honestly not sure if COVID had a lasting impact on races in the area or if this year is just a fluke.

 

[Bree]

I think it depends on where you live. Races are alive and well here in FL.

 

[DLFun]

I agree, I think it depends on where you live. I am in CA and there are plenty of races and many also selling out. There was one local race and they eliminated the half marathon option because people complained roads were closed for too long, so they made 10K the max distance. That was really the only change I have seen.

 

[Neon Cactus]

I’m in the Dallas area and there are a lot of races. They’re even bringing back some races that paused because of COVID.

 

[NYC_MW]

Sorry to hijack, but @Neon Cactus: I'm doing the Skyline half in Dallas in April. Have you heard anything about/have tips for it?

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Is it just my area, or are some of you noticing that there are less local races than usual?

There was one local trail race in January, literally nothing this month, there are a few options March-June, and then nothing in July. There used to be a race of some kind every weekend in the fall, but even those are more spaced out than before. The Magnolia Marathon and Half that has been held in November for the past ten years has just announced that they are taking this year off and will reevaluate for 2024.

I'm honestly not sure if COVID had a lasting impact on races in the area or if this year is just a fluke.

Plenty o’ races in the Atlanta area

 

[DopeyRunner486]

Here it seems races are finally coming back. Some have been gone still since covid.

 

[FFigawi]

Is it just my area, or are some of you noticing that there are less local races than usual?

Race season is almost over, and there were about as many to choose from as there always have been. Only a few didn’t happen, due to either poor management or construction at the race venue.

 

[GreatLakes]

Other than 2020 we didn't see a big drop here in NE Ohio. Some never came back, and this time of year we don't have many, but from mid-March through Halloween you could find both a Saturday and Sunday race pretty much every weekend.

 

[Herding_Cats]

What I'm finding (and I live in a somewhat rural area, so "local" mean within a 90min drive) is that a lot of the 5k races don't use the big sites for registration (runsignup, etc) and instead have their own website, or are mostly in-person/day-of registration. And a lot of them have 0 advertising, and you only find out about them through word of mouth.

What I'm finding is that prices are quite a bit higher this year (like $10-15/race higher)

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Only a few didn’t happen, due to either poor management or construction at the race venue.

This could be the reason the Magnolia Marathon isn't happening. They had to detour around a construction area last year and it's still ongoing.

Other than 2020 we didn't see a big drop here in NE Ohio. Some never came back, and this time of year we don't have many, but from mid-March through Halloween you could find both a Saturday and Sunday race pretty much every weekend.

Sunday races are unicorns around here. We used to see a race every Saturday, now it's more like every other Saturday.

What I'm finding (and I live in a somewhat rural area, so "local" mean within a 90min drive) is that a lot of the 5k races don't use the big sites for registration (runsignup, etc) and instead have their own website, or are mostly in-person/day-of registration. And a lot of them have 0 advertising, and you only find out about them through word of mouth.

What I'm finding is that prices are quite a bit higher this year (like $10-15/race higher)

I've been looking at the different local timing company sites that list upcoming races, but the list is definitely shrinking. Some are definitely more expensive, but our April 1st race was only $15 each.

 

[GreatLakes]

What I'm finding (and I live in a somewhat rural area, so "local" mean within a 90min drive) is that a lot of the 5k races don't use the big sites for registration (runsignup, etc) and instead have their own website, or are mostly in-person/day-of registration. And a lot of them have 0 advertising, and you only find out about them through word of mouth.

What I'm finding is that prices are quite a bit higher this year (like $10-15/race higher)

To follow you down this tangent a bit just about everyone around here has settled on RunSignup for race registrations. I haven't signed up for a race on Active in years and most of the other organizers around here have all moved to them. Even a few of the small local races that aren't using a big organizer use them.

Another trend around here that started a few years back but has really increased post-pandemic is local running stores partnering with race organizers. All of the big shops around here, even if they are just a franchise like FleetFeet, have a partnership with one of the larger race directors.

About 8 years ago based on my medal rack we saw this huge increase in shorter races handing out finisher's medals. Before 2014 or 2015 maybe one out of ten 5Ks had finisher's medals but now almost every race does. I'm sure this will be an unpopular opinion but I don't need or really want a medal for anything under 10 miles. Races have gotten greener but the manufacturing of all of these medals is one thing I'd like to see stop. Go back to medals for stuff over 10 miles or even starting at the half distance.

 

[Herding_Cats]

To follow you down this tangent a bit just about everyone around here has settled on RunSignup for race registrations. I haven't signed up for a race on Active in years and most of the other organizers around here have all moved to them. Even a few of the small local races that aren't using a big organizer use them.

Another trend around here that started a few years back but has really increased post-pandemic is local running stores partnering with race organizers. All of the big shops around here, even if they are just a franchise like FleetFeet, have a partnership with one of the larger race directors.

About 8 years ago based on my medal rack we saw this huge increase in shorter races handing out finisher's medals. Before 2014 or 2015 maybe one out of ten 5Ks had finisher's medals but now almost every race does. I'm sure this will be an unpopular opinion but I don't need or really want a medal for anything under 10 miles. Races have gotten greener but the manufacturing of all of these medals is one thing I'd like to see stop. Go back to medals for stuff over 10 miles or even starting at the half distance.

To continue this tangent.....

yeah...up here even our little (500-ish people?) 4th of July 5k uses runsignup, although I think that may be because our XC/TF coaches run it for our downtown business association (the beneficiaries of the race funds) and they don't want to deal with the hassle of doing registration on their own. And those businesses in turn donate money to the XC/TF programs. But I can think of 4 or 5 races that are less than 45min from me that I only find out about because our XC coaches post about them in the team FB page, and usually get the organizers to give the kids a price break.

I think some races are starting to pick up on the "I don't necessarily want a shirt and/or medal for every race" and I think some of them are starting to make those items "add ons" that you pay for. Like X dollars for the race, + $__ for a shirt + $__ for a medal. One of our races also has the option of a seedling tree (native species) in place of your shirt/medal that you can plant or donate to be planted.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Most of my area's races have t-shirts and age group awards, but not finisher medals. It's also not uncommon to see races with less than fifty participants, which I suspect may be part of the problem. Even the marathon and half draws less than 500 people total.

 

[sandam1]

I think some races are starting to pick up on the "I don't necessarily want a shirt and/or medal for every race" and I think some of them are starting to make those items "add ons" that you pay for. Like X dollars for the race, + $__ for a shirt + $__ for a medal.

Personally, I like the idea of "I don't need another X for every race" (in my case, it's a shirt, I still want my medals). However, my problem with add-on prices is that they aren't actually decreasing the race registration fees the corresponding amounts. The fees are the same and I'm just getting less. THAT I have a problem with.

 

[Neon Cactus]

Sorry to hijack, but @Neon Cactus: I'm doing the Skyline half in Dallas in April. Have you heard anything about/have tips for it?

Yeah, I did the 10K a couple of years ago. It was better than I expected it to be. The post race party was fun. The course is pretty flat, with just a few inclines, mostly over the bridges. The volunteers are great and they did good with the amount of water stops. It was pretty sunny and hot when we did it, and even with a 7 AM start, it could warm up pretty fast. Being April, storms are a possibility, but it probably would stay warm and just get more humid. Great views of Dallas from there. Restrooms weren't very plentiful, but they were spread throughout the course. And I think they've been doing construction in the area, so parking might be tougher to get this year than before. So I'd get there early or Uber it. There's a couple of restaurants close to there post race, but more seem to have closed in that area than opened, so I'd go somewhere else to celebrate if they're really full - the AT&T Discovery District is nearby and has a great food court area. Have fun!

 

[ckb_nc]

I would say less races locally; but a resurgence is under way. Now triathlons is whole different discussion. Those have basically disappeared locally.

 

[LSUlakes]

Is it just my area, or are some of you noticing that there are less local races than usual?

There was one local trail race in January, literally nothing this month, there are a few options March-June, and then nothing in July. There used to be a race of some kind every weekend in the fall, but even those are more spaced out than before. The Magnolia Marathon and Half that has been held in November for the past ten years has just announced that they are taking this year off and will reevaluate for 2024.

I'm honestly not sure if COVID had a lasting impact on races in the area or if this year is just a fluke.

I haven’t run races in a few years but for fun was looking for what is out there and your area is not alone. In our area, some of the historic races are done. As far as reasons, I think some of it is because of Covid, some is probably just the economy currently and how expensive it is to put on the race, and lastly I think the last running boom is coming to an end.
Kinda sucks because the races they have now aren’t that great and the old good ones were unique and are great times of the year.