Head Start is a podcast for race directors and anyone involved in the business of putting on races.
It doesn't matter where you're based or how many years experience you have or whether you're putting on a running race, a triathlon, an obstacle race or whatever. If you’ve got an interest in planning, organizing and growing endurance events, this is the podcast for you.
The focus of the podcast is twofold:
1) we bring you the latest and coolest innovations hitting the mass-participation endurance events industry, and
2) we bring you tips and actionable advice from industry experts to help you improve your race - one episode at a time.
Head Start is produced by RaceDirectorsHQ.com, an online resource platform and community network for race directors and race management professionals.
Site
RSS
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet.
In this episode, Phil sits down with Wayne Larden, race director of the TCS Sydney Marathon — the seventh and newest Abbott World Marathon Major — to explore the evolution of one of the world’s most iconic city marathons. A 2:16 marathoner in his debut and now a leader shaping the next chapter of global marathon culture, Wayne offers a rare, all-sides perspective on what it takes to build something lasting.
What does it truly mean to become a World Marathon Major? How do you grow to 40,000+ runners while protecting the runner experience? Why is Sydney focused on being the most fun marathon in the world — not the biggest? Wayne shares the bold vision behind the Sydney Marathon’s rise, and why the event has never strayed from its athlete-first roots.
Also in this episode: how run clubs are transforming Australian running culture, what it means to support community leaders beyond race day, and how Sydney’s early focus on family runs shaped its inclusive identity. A wide-ranging conversation on performance, purpose, and what marathons need to become if they want to matter 50 years from now.
Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet.
In this episode, Phil sits down with Scott DeRue, CEO of the Ironman Group — a brand so deeply rooted in endurance sports that thousands of athletes have tattooed its logo on their skin — to discuss how community, identity, and experience are driving Ironman’s next chapter.
What does it take to turn a race brand into a global lifestyle movement? Why is Ironman focused not just on being the biggest, but also the most loved brand in endurance sports? And, as technology, access, and expectations shift, what will it feel like to stand on an Ironman start line in 2035?
Also in this episode: how Ironman is doubling down on emotional connection, and storytelling to fuel long-term growth, and what lessons endurance events can learn from Taylor Swift fandom, Formula 1 drama, and NBA player-driven narratives. Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation!
RunSignup’s annual RaceTrends report is the closest thing we get in the endurance events industry to a market-wide survey of what is happening in events and event participation. And the latest RaceTrends report for 2024 is out, shedding a unique light into the long-term trends taking shape in the race management industry.
So, how are we doing? Is the COVID-era hangover well and truly behind us? What do the numbers say for current and future participation growth in endurance events? And are the bullish pricing trends we saw in 2023 still holding up in 2024?
With me today to discuss all this and more is RunSignup’s Director of Marketing, and person responsible for this very important piece of research, Johanna Goode. And with Johanna’s help we’ll be making sense of the numbers, diving deep into some of the most important factors driving industry trends, and thinking through some of the implications of these findings for the future of endurance events.
In this episode:
On the right track: strong growth in participation carries through to 2024
Repeat participation across different event distances
What is holding back growth in larger events?
Understanding regional differences in event participation growth
Promoting locally: reaching out to local running clubs, other events and timers
Using referral rewards to grow your race
Are events getting better at attracting younger runners?
Registration patterns: are runners really procrastinating in signing up?
The importance of keeping registrations open as long as possible.
Year-on-year entry fee changes across different event distances
Keeping race costs down through optional swag
Could introducing more price increases lead to more registrations?
Mobile registrations: using Apple Pay vs storing credit card details
Price transparency laws: what they are, and how they will affect the presentation of registration prices for your race
The decline of social media traffic to race websites
Permits
Episode 75
Monday, January 20, 2025 • Duration 01:10:29
When it comes to putting on races, obtaining a permit (or permits, as the case may be) is one of the most fundamental aspects of the race planning process. However, with increasingly busier local event schedules and ever-changing permitting requirements, obtaining a permit for any event is becoming both costlier and more complicated than ever.
So, how can you best navigate the event permitting process? What things do you need to prepare for and focus on before reaching out to your local council or police department? And how do you manage the timeline of permit approvals alongside the 10,000 other balls you’re juggling in delivering your race?
That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, Glass City Marathon award-winning race director, Clint McCormick. It’s a pleasure to welcome Clint back to the podcast for our first episode of 2025 and to be able to share in his expertise in the topic of permitting.
With Clint’s help we’ll be looking at all aspects of the permitting process, from figuring out whom to contact first and when, understanding what authorities might expect from your event, preparing your application in a way that gives you the best chance of success, as well as managing a denial of permit deep into your event planning cycle, should you be unfortunate enough to have to face such an eventuality.
In this episode:
Do you really need a permit to operate your race?
Who issues permits and where to go to get started.
The curious case of the the Malibu Triathlon permit switch.
How the proliferation of events strains local communities and increases competition for permits.
What things you need to have ready to get started with the permitting process.
How early should you look to start the permitting process?
How to handle the uncertainty of permit approvals while planning your race.
Does your experience as a race director factor into the permitting process
What other factors can improve (or hurt) your chances of obtaining a race permit?
Does securing a permit this year give you a head start in securing a permit next year?
2024 Global Runner Survey
Episode 74
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 • Duration 01:31:22
Running USA’s annual Global Runner Survey has always been an important gauge of runner attitudes and trends for the endurance events industry. And in 2024, following some key content additions, the report is more valuable than ever.
So, how can you leverage runners’ fitness and social habits to increase the reach of your event? What is it that runners really value in a race? And how can you remove obstacles holding back your race’s growth from its full potential?
That’s what we’re discussing today, alongside a plethora of interesting data points from the 2024 Global Runner Survey with the help of my guest, Running USA Director of Operations, Michael Clemons. Michael - soon to be Dr.Clemons PhD - is an endurance events man through and through, having held various roles in the industry in a career spanning over a decade, and in his latest role at Running USA has been responsible not only for Running USA’s marquee industry conference, but also all pieces or Running USA research, including the Global Runner Survey.
And with Michael's help we’ll navigate the most important findings of the report, tracking annual trends in runner habits and preferences as they evolve over time, as well as trying to make sense of what the numbers mean for your race, in terms of concrete, actionable takeaways.
In this episode:
The Global Runner Survey: what it is and how it is compiled
Demographics of survey respondents: age, gender, income, ethnicity
What increased inclusion means for running events
Making group runs part of the event lifecycle
Promoting your race where runners are: gyms, fitness centers, race expos
The growth of recreational running vs competitive running
Runners' top criteria for choosing what race to enter
What runners value in a race: swag, water stations, hygiene facilities
Runner's entry fee expectations
How far runners will travel for 5Ks, marathons, ultras
The importance of solid pre- and post-race communications
Waivers
Episode 73
Tuesday, September 17, 2024 • Duration 01:14:17
A couple of episodes back, we looked at event liability insurance: why it’s important that your race is covered by a robust liability insurance policy, the circumstances under which a liability policy would kick in, and what happens when it does.
But there was a significant part of that discussion we only briefly touched on in that episode, and that was the importance of supporting your liability protection with the use of a liability waiver.
So, what is a liability waiver? What needs to be in it? And how does a waiver protect you, the organizer, should a participant or volunteer decide to pursue legal action against you?
That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, industry veteran Laurel Park. Laurel is not only an experienced academic researcher in data analysis and survey design, but also an incredibly active member of our industry, having served as the President of the Ann Arbor Track Club and a long-time contributor to Road Race Management.
During her work, Laurel has developed a keen interest and expertise in liability waivers for races and with her help we’ll take a look at what waivers can and cannot protect you against, the different aspects involved in drafting a solid liability waiver, and how waivers work alongside your liability insurance policy to deter and defend against frivolous litigation directed against you and your company.
In this episode:
Waivers: your first line of defense
Waivers in contract law
Participant waivers vs volunteer waivers
Understanding and laying out your event's "inherent risks"
Waivers for minors and kids runs
The legal enforceability (or un-enforceability) of waivers
Ordinary negligence vs gross negligence
Waivers and insurance: one or the other, or both?
Using waivers to support insurance claims
Are online waiver signatures as good as paper waiver signatures?
The pros and cons of using waiver templates
Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at . are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at .You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website .You can also share your questions about liability waivers or anything else in our Facebook group:
Course Measurement & Certification
Episode 72
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 • Duration 01:02:36
If you’ve ever directed even a single race, there’s a good chance you would have received at least one email from a frustrated participant complaining about the distance they ran not matching your race advertised distance. They do have a GPS watch, you know.
And although it’s easy to jokingly dismiss these kinds of demands - most people do - there often is an uncomfortable point to the complaint: How do you know the actual distance of your race course, if it hasn’t been accurately measured and certified?
The answer, of course, is you can’t really know. In fact, if empirical evidence from professional course measurers offer any kind of hint, it is that your actual course distance is likely much more off the distance you advertise than you think - most likely much shorter than the advertised distance.
So what’s involved in getting your race course professionally measured and certified? Why don’t all the other methods we’re all familiar with, like drawing lines on a map or using a measuring wheel, work as well? And, at the end of the day, do participants really care whether your course is actually 10K rather than 9.8?
That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, Matt Slocum of Precision Course Design. Matt, although a very accomplished runner, is a relative newcomer to the business of races, but what he lacks in industry mileage he more than makes up for in his dedication and obsession with the craft of course measurement.
And with Matt’s help we’re going to be going behind the scenes of a race course measuring operation to look at how professional course measurement works, why most other DIY methods tend to underestimate the distance of a race course (often by a lot), and how investing a modest amount in professional course measurement can actually benefit your race for years to come.
In this episode:
Do your participants care about an accurately measured course?
What types of races is course measurement relevant for?
The process of professional course measurement: how it all works
Why the course you've measured yourself on a map is probably short
Designing a road course to match the race distance you aim for in your event
Race Insurance
Episode 71
Monday, June 10, 2024 • Duration 01:26:18
If there’s one thing you can’t have enough of as a race director, it’s race insurance. Particularly - knock on wood - when the unexpected happens and you’re faced with a dreaded lawsuit that threatens to take away your livelihood and your piece of mind.
So how can you best protect yourself and your business from the risks associated with putting on a race? What will your standard event liability policy cover? What does it exclude? And how should you expect to be protected against legal and medical claims should your race be held liable for a participant injury or loss of property?
That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, Nicholas Hill Group partner and event insurance veteran, Nathan Nicholas. Through Nicholas Hill Group, Nathan has helped develop some of the most robust and widely-used specialist insurance policies for the endurance events industry, and with his help we’ll try to understand where the boundaries of liability insurance protection lie for you, the event organizer; how event liability insurance ties in with other types of business insurance you may be buying; how the type of race you put on affects the cost and availability of insurance cover you might find in the market; and how the diligent use of participant waivers and incident documentation can help reduce the risk of frivolous lawsuits being filed against you.
In this episode:
Event liability insurance: what it is and what kinds of contingencies it covers
How event liability insurance differs from Business Owner's Policies (BOPs) and other types of general business insurance
Will an event liability policy cover me for event-related work outside of race day?
Will an event liability policy cover volunteers, spectators and third-party vendors on site on race day?
Negligence and gross negligence in the context of liability insurance.
Understanding an event liability policy: deductibles, claim limits, additional insured's.
Getting insurance for obstacle races, ultramarathons, night races, races serving alcohol.
Liability waivers: do they work?
What to do (and not to do) when sued for liability by a participant or other party.
Crisis Communications
Episode 70
Monday, April 22, 2024 • Duration 01:16:22
When doors start dropping off planes mid-air or your favorite online retailer gets in touch to let you know your personal details may have been compromised, it’s tempting to think you may have done a better job handling that crisis were you in their shoes.
But how well-prepared are you really to manage the many crises that can come up during the planning and delivery of your race? Anything from a late delivery of medals or an unfortunate slip-up on social media to a full blown race cancellation.
That’s what we’re discussing today with my guest, PR pro Meg Treat of Treat Public Relations. Meg has been on the podcast before, discussing DIY PR strategies for race directors, and in today’s episode she joins me once more to discuss crisis communications, that is, what you should and shouldn’t do when a crisis hits.
How early should you look to communicate the situation to your participants and stakeholders? How should you go about doing it? And is the much-revered total transparency approach your best bet out of a tricky spot?
In this episode:
Crises big and small: what constitutes a crisis?
Are social media making crises worse and more frequent?
Navigating safely around the culture war minefields
To comment or not to comment: does acknowledging a crisis make it worse?
Getting ahead of a crisis: how early should you start communicating about a potential crisis?
Turning a crisis into an opportunity
Are there lesser or "almost" crises you can ignore?
Balancing financial loss against reputation loss in a race cancellation
The importance of a well-thought-out refund policy
Showing empathy towards your participants when something goes wrong that may affect their race
Taking ownership gracefully and staying out of the blame game
Writing a crisis communications plan
Thanks to RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 28,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit .You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website .You can also share your questions about some of the things discussed in today’s episode or anything else in our Facebook group, .
Race Trends 2023
Episode 69
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 • Duration 01:05:52
It’s that time of the year again. RunSignup’s annual RaceTrends report is out for 2023, and it’s larger and more comprehensive than ever before!
Among the most notable trends highlighted in the report we see registrations for 2023 races up from 2022 and tantalisingly close to 2019 levels, entry fees continuing to climb across most race distances and event types, and encouraging trends in younger runner participation first seen in 2022 carrying through to 2023 numbers.
With me today to go through the data, the trends and their implications, I’m delighted to welcome back to the podcast RunSignup’s Director of Marketing, Johanna Goode. Among other things, Johanna is the person we all have to thank for compiling this invaluable piece of industry research each year, and with her help we’ll try to get a feel for where the industry ended up in 2023 and make sense of what the future might hold for race directors in 2024 and beyond.
As with RaceTrends reports we’ve looked at in the past in the podcast, we’ll only have time to go through the most important highlights from the report, so if you’d like to get your hands on the full set of findings, head over to runsignup.com where you’ll be able to find and download your free report copy.
In this episode:
The methodology and data behind RunSignup's RaceTrends report
Are we back to 2019 registration levels?
Are race timing companies disappearing?
Repeat participation numbers across different events and how to increase repeat participation in your races
The importance of integrated email marketing
Why are larger races continuing to lag behind smaller races in participation growth?
Are virtual events still around?
Participation trends in the 18-29 age group and how to foster higher participation among younger runners
Are people registering later than they used to?
Entry fees are going up, while the number of price increases is going down
The rise of mobile registrations and how to optimise your race website for mobile users
Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:
RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.
You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.
Alternative routes and weather contingency plans in your permit application.
Appealing against a permit application rejection.
What to do if your permits are rejected at the last minute.
Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:
RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.
You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.
Income-based entry fees and other ways to broaden race participation
Understanding runner sub-segments with the help of runner personas
Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:
RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.
You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.
Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting the podcast:
RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.
You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.
You can also share your questions about course measurement or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.
How are your legal costs covered in the event of a lawsuit? Will you have to pay out of pocket?
Does a virtual race need liability insurance?
Race cancellation insurance: what it is and what it covers
Will a race cancellation insurance policy cover the costs of postponing instead of cancelling a race?
Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Brooksee, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:
RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 28,000 events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Brooksee are the timing technology industry-leader, bringing affordable real-time tracking and timing checkpoints to races with their patented iPhone-sized micro checkpoints. Find out more and get 50% off your timing for your next event at https://www.brooksee.com/headstart.
You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.
You can also share your questions about event liability insurance or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.
Thanks to RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 28,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.
You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.
You can also share your questions about some of the things discussed in today’s episode or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.
Discover shows related to Head Start, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
