Thursday, November 5, 2009
Komen Race Plus St Jude Marathon: 31,500 Participants
Posted by John Branston on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 10:43 AM
More than 16,000 people signed up to participate in last weekend's 2009 Komen Memphis-Midsouth Race for the Cure in Germantown. The St. Jude Memphis Marathon in December is at capacity with 3,500 participants in the marathon and a good chance of making the goal of 12,000 more in the FK and half marathon.
There are some lessons for backers of other sports vying for attention and funding in Memphis.
The Komen race and the marathon are annual events with professional marketing, volunteers, corporate sponsors, web sites, national charity tie-ins, and decades of experience. But turning out close to 30,000 people (not all "participants" run) is a remarkable achievement any way you look at it. So many people signed up for the Komen race, named for breast cancer victim Susan G. Komen, that the organizers ran out of race t-shirts (they're promising to make good within a few weeks to everyone who wants one).
The simplest and most effective way to get Memphis moving, it seems, is to get Memphians walking and running. It doesn't cost much to buy shoes and shorts. It doesn't require indoor facilities or special outdoor fields or structures. Almost anyone can do it. It's ideal for groups and partners. The benefits include health, camaraderie, competition, and helping a cause.
Simple? Yes and no. Achieving "event" status requires organizational skill and dedication. Both of these races started small. They didn't achieve critical mass for a few years, at least. But they tapped into something that made thousands of people say "I can do that." Those of us pushing court sports, boarding, cycling, or team sports are fishing in much smaller ponds. If you are a parks and recreation director, public official, or someone building a fitness facility, where do you put dollars?
One quibble. I don't understand the people who complain about the media, usually The Commercial Appeal, not covering the Komen race (the marathon gets more coverage). If 12,000 people ran and walked and recorded it or photographed it, then the word is getting out somehow. After 27 years, it's no longer news. Give the paper a break.
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For your information: both the marathon and the half are sold out. These races will raise over 2 million dollars. Last time I checked that is more then the little golf outing, where the paper publishes what John Daily ate, drank, and smoked during his round of golf. So I will not give the paper a break. All we ask is a least publish a complete list of finishers. Every other city that has a marathon does and believe me when I say people (even the last person) will buy a paper with their name in it!
If it doesn't have a Ford or a Herenton in it, then its not news. Try promoting something that is positive for the Community. Chicago brings out 1,000,000 fans for their marathon-maybe Memphis does need to get the word out. More people come from out of town for the St Jude Marathon than any Grizzlies game. There is a lot more in the stories and coverage than just the runners
The half marathon sold out after the St. Jude press release on which this info was based. The 5k and family race are still open (as of 11/6). Publishing marathon and Komen finishers are different things.
The papers - including this one - should absolutely make a big deal out of the marathon. Its a big deal; draws lots of out of towners, gets great press as a good marathon around the conntry and it deserves a major spread in the paper. Most cities' papers do special sections, etc. and at a minimum list the finishers. Course, the city as a whole should make a bigger deal of the marathon. Banners downtown, encouraging folks to come out and watch, etc. As the for the Komen race, no they shouldn't list those finishers but a nice wrap up article would be nice. No matter how many years its gone on, a gathering of 16,0000 diverse people in this town to exercise and raise money for a good cause is news.
16,000 people participating in a sport is not news? 16,000 people who have trained on their own time, money and sweat should be omitted from media coverage? Just because we are not professional athletes does not mean we shouldn't be excluded from the newspaper. Memphians should get encouraged that this city is getting fit! You try running a 26.2 mile race for St. Jude and not think about about all the kids being treated there that may not get the chance to ever run a race. Maybe with a new mayor, we can get a new attitude about the things that are actually positive in Memphis instead of focusing on the negative all of the time. The St. Jude marathon weekend brings in so many participants- many from out of town. At least publish their names in a paper for finishing a 26.2 mile race!
minor detail, this blog was created by me for all of us non-pro, non-collegiate runners, cyclists, hackers, racquet swingers, geezers, etc. I guess it's encouraging that old-media publicity is still seen as important, although the CA's coverage is not my fight, but how the new mayor, Ford and Herenton got dragged into this I have no idea.
FYI. The St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon sold out approximately 4 weeks prior to the date of this article in The Flyer.
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