Active Participation

Active Participation

When I was a kid I enjoyed going to all types of events, but especially sports games. It was fun to watch the athletes compete while experiencing the crowd’s emotions as we cheered together.

As much as I enjoyed attending these games, it nagged at me that only a small fraction of the people attending could play. Since then, I’ve been searching for events where everyone can actively participate. It has not been easy.

While many sporting events attract big crowds, typically over 99% of attendees are passive spectators. For example, the average NFL regular season game draws a crowd of 69,500, but only 106 people (53 players per team) are ever active on the field. That is less than 1% of the total attendees.

Races are the only events I’ve discovered that allow the majority of attendees to actively participate. One example is the upcoming NYC Marathon, which had 51,402 finishers last year (485 times more active participants than an NFL game). And it’s not just the major marathons that allow the masses to actively participate, a community race with 150 finishers has more active participants than the 106 players in an NFL game.

This is another reason that I like community races. The events not only act as a unifying force for communities, they allow everyone to actively participate. A lot of good can come from that.

— Ian

Do It For Me Race Setup

Last month, we shared thoughts on EnMotive closing shop.

Read the Company’s full announcement here.

If you or someone you know previously used EnMotive, schedule time to learn how Run The Day can help your race in the future.

Tech Update: Community Chat

• Participants receive access to mobile group chat upon registering

• Runners post photos and send encouraging messages

• Hosts moderate chat and easily share links to donate

• All photos sent can be used to market the race in future years

• And more!

Race Spotlight: Last Saturday the Compatible with Life Virtual 5k raised over $13,000 for the Stella Effect, a nonprofit community celebrating children with Trisomy 18 or Trisomy 13. The 200+ participants shared over 80 photos during their live stream. Watch the recording here.

Cancer Sucks

@goruntheday

Congrats to the Headstrong Foundation on a great 5k! #runtheday #fyp #cancersucks