[Bonus] The Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler

04/12/22 • 61 min

What do the Marine Corps Marathon, Air Force Marathon and Army Ten Miler all have in common? They are, of course, amazing races put on to celebrate branches of the US Military that attract tens of thousands of participants every year.
Well, there’s a new race in town for 2022, set to celebrate the youngest of all military branches: the Space Force. The aptly named Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler is set to take place this December 10th at historic Cape Canaveral, and we’re going to be hearing all about it from the event’s own race director Brandon Hough in today’s star-spangled bonus episode.
So get ready for some military race history, rockets, alligators, more rockets, and some very interesting insights into working as a race director within the US government.
In this episode:

Military races: how it all begun with the Marine Corps Marathon
NAFIs and the legal structure of military races
The challenges of putting on a race inside the US government/military
The birth and mission of the US Space Force
Conceiving and launching the Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler
Mapping out a race course around historic Cape Canaveral
What to expect from the inaugural race (hint: more than rockets and alligators, although there's definitely plenty of those!)
The Sea, Air & Space Challenge

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, 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 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.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 today's discussion or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Military races: how it all begun with the Marine Corps Marathon
NAFIs and the legal structure of military races
The challenges of putting on a race inside the US government/military
The birth and mission of the US Space Force
Conceiving and launching the Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler
Mapping out a race course around historic Cape Canaveral
What to expect from the inaugural race (hint: more than rockets and alligators, although there's definitely plenty of those!)
The Sea, Air & Space Challenge

Previous Episode

The Council for Responsible Sport

It is by now abundantly clear that some of the ways we have all been used to doing things, including organizing races, are just not sustainable for the planet in the long term. And it is increasingly obvious to race directors and participants alike that traveling long distances to and from events, going through scores of single-use plastic bottles, and sending tons of waste to landfill is taking its toll on the environment and the communities we all strive to support.
For over a decade, the Council for Responsible Sport has supported mass-participation sports’ sustainability transition through its industry-leading certification program and the development of the industry’s first responsible sport standards.
And today, I have the pleasure of catching up with the Council’s Executive Director, Shelley Villalobos, on the Council’s recent initiatives to encourage even more race directors to take their first steps towards environmental sustainability, including the launch of ReScore, a free app that can help any race organizer plan, track and achieve their sustainability goals step by step through a single online platform.
In this episode:

The origins and mission of the Council for Responsible Sport
How the Council of Responsible Sport is governed and funded
Race sustainability efforts around the world
Developing sustainability standards and best practices
Responsible event certification, what it costs and the process for getting your race certified
Getting certified with the help of a corporate sustainability sponsor
Leveraging your race's environmental credentials to promote your event's purpose
Mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon offsetting
Incorporating the cost of reducing GHG emissions from participant travel into the event registration cost
Reducing single-use plastic waste: using and effectively disposing of compostable water cups, allowing water backpacks, cupless racing, Ooho!
ReScore: the free app that helps you collaborate, track your progress and access relevant resources as you work towards making your race more sustainable

Links:

CRS Responsible Sport Standards: https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/standards
CRS Responsible Events Guide: https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/runrad
ReScore: https://portal.sportrescore.org/
Project Drawdown: https://drawdown.org/

Next Episode

Race Announcers!

Does your race employ a race announcer? Chances are probably not. You may think that your race is not big enough to have one or that the money spent on a race announcer could be better spent elsewhere - or not spent at all, if you run a for-profit race or raising money for a charity or cause close to your heart.
Well, today we’re going to try and give you some reasons to reconsider with the help of my guests, professional announcers Fitz Koehler and Steve Fleck. We’re going to be looking at the many things race announcers do on race day, how they contribute to the race experience, and how they can make your race an event to remember.
In this episode:

The difference a voice can make: how race announcers elevate the race experience
Should even smaller races have a race announcer?
From start to finish: what a race announcer does throughout race day
Expert tips on race announcing: gathering participants' background info/stories, pacing yourself, engaging spectators
Name pronunciations, mis-gendering and avoiding finish line faux pas!
The importance of hiring announcers who understand races
Hiring a race announcer: where to find one, what you get and what it costs

Links:

Find and hire a race announcer: https://www.racedirectorshq.com/us/emcees-announcers/

Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, 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 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.
Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.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 race announcers, the race day experience or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Head Start - [Bonus] The Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler

Transcript

Panos00:00:07.709

Hi. Welcome to Head Start, the podcast for race directors and the business of putting on races. Here's an easy one for you. What do the Marine Corps Marathon, Air Force Marathon and Army Ten Miler all have in common? Well, they are, of course, amazing races put on to celebrate branches of the US Military that attracts tens of thousands of participants every year. Well, there's a new race in town for 2022, set to celebrate the youngest of all military