RACE CALENDAR
So Many Racing Choices !
South African athletes are blessed with an incredible number of running events , including not only road and trail running , but also many other running-related disciplines , so check out SA ’ s most complete running calendar – now featuring two months of upcoming fixtures – and then get your entries in , all right here ! – COMPILED BY NICOLE HAYES
From the Ed ’ s Desk … From the Ed ’ s Desk … by SEAN FALCONER
Do We Have Too Many Races ?
The sheer number of events on the SA running calendar these days is quite an eye-opener . Once you add up all the road , trail and cross-country fixtures , then add orienteering , obstacle racing , multisport and adventure racing , plus race walking , fun runs , colour runs and the like , you end up with a lot of events – and that number is growing all the time , especially in trail running , where some organisers are now putting on two or even three events per week !
This inevitably means that race dates will clash , especially in or near the big urban centres , where more runners , clubs and event companies are based . As a result , runners are sometimes frustrated to find two events that they really want to do are both scheduled on the same weekend , or even the same day . In fact , runners are sometimes faced with a choice between anything up to 10 running-related events on a single weekend . Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point …
Anybody for Leftovers ?
A while back I was asked to do commentary at a new race near Stellenbosch – a sort of hybrid road / farm race – and approximately 250 runners turned out for it on that Saturday morning . The organisers thought this was a good start , something to build on in coming years , but the five food vendors booked for the event , who had barely done any business on the day , thought it was a disaster . They had prepared food , then driven to the venue , for very little return , and would now have food going to waste . They kept asking me to announce that they had food for sale , but with very few runners staying after the race , it didn ’ t help much .
I went home wondering what had gone wrong that day – it looked like the organisers had expected a massive turn-out , hence organising so much food , and I wondered why they had not achieved those numbers . I therefore took a look at the race calendar , to see what else was happening that day , and I found that in the greater Cape Town metropolitan area and immediate surrounds , there were six runningrelated events that Saturday morning , and another four on the Sunday morning .
That ’ s 10 events that a runner could have chosen between on one single weekend , all taking place within a radius of approximately 60km , including several road and trail races , a cross-country league event , a triathlon , a colour run , an orienteering event , and an obstacle race . And if you were prepared to drive just a little further , you could add another three events for that weekend . Little wonder that a new race near Stellenbosch only attracted 250 entries … and the five food vendors lost money on the deal .
Too Thinly Spread
I have told that story a number of times in the ensuing years , to illustrate just how congested the running calendar can sometimes be . It ’ s interesting that some people reply that it ’ s good to have so many events , thus stimulating the economy , providing work for more people , and giving the running community more choices . On the other hand , others feel that having too many events dilutes the sport of running , and could create an untenable situation , where there are so many events that they cannot attract enough entries in order to break even , let alone make a profit , and cannot offer sponsors a decent return on their investment in terms of a marketing opportunity to large audience .
Of course , this may not be all bad , because it will inevitably mean the ‘ survival of the fittest ’ principle would come into play , with only the better-organised and better-supported events surviving in the long run . The problem is , damage could be done to the sport in the short term , with sub-par events leading to athletes and sponsors leaving the sport for good .
Speaking as somebody that has worked on a monthly race calendar for 20-plus years , and has seen just how much the number of running events in SA has grown over the years , I am starting to think the calendar is too full , and something has to give . I also think that events will eventually self-regulate themselves , and some will fall by the wayside naturally . In other words , it will indeed be survival of the fittest . In the meantime , we have a ton of choices !
The Modern Athlete Race Calendar is compiled by pulling info from various websites and resources , including provincial calendars , online entry portals and event companies ’ sites . Thank you to all the organisers , administrators and volunteers that make this sport tick .
78 ISSUE 152 | www . modernathlete . co . za