Buyer Beware: How to Select Your Next Event
As the popularity of running continues to grow, and more and more events are launched each year, the RRCA Board of Directors offers the following advice to help runners select events intelligently.
- Look for events that have been run before.
- Look for events that are USA Track & Field Certified Courses. Look for the USATF certification number on the event website. Among other things, certification shows that the event director has taken the required steps to ensure the course has been accurately measured.
- Look to see if the local running club hosts the event or if the event director has a local address or phone number listed. Events managed by someone who lives in the community where the event is taking place usually have a good track record for going off as planned. If the race is promoted by an unfamiliar promoter, or out of state company, Google the company or promoter. Do they have positive comments from other races they have directed? If not, buyer beware certainly applies.
- If the race is an inaugural race, closely review the race website. Even websites that are missing important information such as exact starting location, course map(s), packet pick-up information, event schedules, event rules (including refund information), etc. should be suspect. A well thought out race should include a well thought out website or at the very least, a detailed registration page.
- Use your networks when researching out-of-town races. Read race reviews on websites such as the Running Network, Marathonguide.com, Runner’s World, Let’s Run, etc. If the race has a Facebook page, check the Facebook page to see what other runners have said about prior races and/or are saying about the upcoming race. Negative comments are a red flag. Review the Facebook pages of area running clubs for local feedback. Check the Better Business Bureau to determine whether the race promoter has been the subject of complaints in connection with other races.
- Look for signs of community support for the race on the event website. Determine whether the race has designated a local charity as a beneficiary of the event. Does the event note how much they plan to donate to the charity or how much they have given in the past? Think twice about an event that simply says, “proceeds go to charity,” without naming a specific charity partner(s). Has the race partnered with the local Parks & Rec department, local running club, local Y, local sports commission, etc. Are local merchants on board supporting the event, and are charity partners or local sponsors cross promoting the event? If not, think twice about entering or contact the partners to determine if they are really associated with or benefiting from the event.
- Look for price gauging, especially with new events. While location can dictate pricing especially in larger cities with significant road closures and police support, if the event price greatly exceeds an average price, especially for a first-time, unproven event, you should ask yourself, “What am I getting for my money?” When paying for an entry, the Better Business Bureau recommends paying with a credit card. Charges made on a credit card can be disputed after a purchase, whereas debit, cash or wire transfer transactions cannot.
Excerpted from RRCA’s Buyers Beware Tips When Registering for Events, by Jean Knaack, Executive Director, and the RRCA Board of Directors, which first appeared in the 2012 Summer issue of Club Running magazine and is available online at: http://www.rrca.org/education-advocacy/buyer-beware/