Athletics Canada set to host inaugural Race Director Summit

2012 Tamarack Homes Ottawa Race WeekendThere are over 2,000 road races held every year in Canada. Some of them host tens of thousands of participants and take place in hundreds of cities and communities from coast to coast.

While participants are busy running and preoccupied with their training, event organizers are likewise dedicated to preparing and ensuring that everything goes smoothly on race day.

This Thursday, as part of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend, Athletics Canada is set to host it’s inaugural Race Director Summit.

The summit will bring together some 200 stakeholders with vested interests in road running. These include race directors and event organizers, local and provincial athletic organizations, timing, registration and results companies and media.

Round-table discussions and panels will touch upon traditional and emerging topics as they relate to road running such as event marketing and community engagement, creating safe and inclusive race environments as well as how to move forward and successfully develop and grow road running in Canada.

The event will also feature a keynote address by Toni Reavis, a renowned and respected journalist and sports broadcaster who provides continued insight, ideas and opinion on the changing nature of distance running and track and field.

The event is being organized by John LoFranco, the road running coordinator with Athletics Canada. We reached out to John for more info on the event.

What is the overall vision of the summit?
The purpose of the Summit is to bring together race directors from across Canada to share ideas about how to make road running in Canada better.
What objectives or outcomes are you trying to achieve?
Athletics Canada is entering the road running sphere and we want to make sure that the programs and services we offer are going to be of use to the road running community.
Why should the average Canadian road runner care about this?
The result of this Summit will be a better road running experience for all participants. If a race director learns something from our safety and security panel that could impact the health and welfare of the average runner. If they make a connection with a supplier, it could mean, say, better medals for finishers.
Canadian Running magazine and the Canadian Race Guide will be on hand for the summit and will be live-tweeting from the event.

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