Runners’ top picks

The downtime over winter was much needed, but race planning is now in full throttle. In the last week I’ve submitted permit requests, arranged for first aid, booked equipment, confirmed insurance, counted inventory, talked to the police, created sponsorship documents and sent a request for good weather to Mother Nature. All standard items on my to-do list every year, but there are some new things to plan for too.

I returned from the race director conference with five innovative ideas: mobile apps, virtual race-kits, free finish-line photos, alternative options for post-race food and a virtual running video. Each innovation varies in price. If my budget had no limits, I’d do all five but that’s not possible.

Since I have to pick, I want the most popular. I could guess which would be your favorite, but the only real way to know what runners want is to ask them, so I did. Here are the results from the survey:

You spoke and I listened. Runners’ top three picks will be implemented into Maritime Race Weekend this year.

At 60.5 per cent, it’s clear that you want free photos! We’ve added the cost of photographers into our budget. We will post the official finish-line, route and group race-day photos online – at no additional cost to you.

This year, the only paper in your race kit will be your bib. Instead of flyers, participants will receive a virtual race kit. The email will include exclusive offers from our sponsors just for you. Don’t worry, we won’t give your email address to anyone. We’ll create one email that includes all the deals and send it to you directly from race headquarters.

We’ve always provided tasty post-race treats – from watermelons to ice cream. This year, you can expect everyone’s favourites to remain: chocolate milk and the bagel bar, but there will be new post-race snack ideas too. Expect the unexpected.