This has probably already been thought of, but I figured I would throw it back into the ring, just to see.
So what if a given race organization would give you a free race if you volunteered 5 times (or 3 or pick whatever number).
More people would volunteer, the races could be bigger and better run (because in the end its the volunteers that make or break the race), maybe some of the extra savings (?) because of the volunteer labor pool could be put back into the race by A) more prize money or B) more schwag/whatever.
Each race would have a cap of XX% of volunteer slots. You could DONATE your slot to charity to be purchased by the general public.
Just a stream of consciousness thought I had while thinking of the great crew I was able to enjoy at IMLoo last weekend.
One of the trail race promoters has done this for years. It’s a great way to give back to the sport (and get to race later).
“You, a friend, or a family member can earn a free PCTR entry for helping 4-5 hours or a discounted entry for 1-2 hours. If you are interested in helping at one of our trail runs, please complete this form and click on “Mail Form” to Help.”
Vacation Sports here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area does that on a straight one-to-one ratio. I’ve never done it, but a lot of people have and it’s pretty easy. They put on a variety of running and triathlon races and it doesn’t matter what you volunteer for or what race you want to do. I don’t know of any others that offer that type of deal…
Our local RD, Total Body Fitness, has a great program. My son and I volunteer at the MB races and the kids races and we get a $40 voucher for each time we volunteer. Great program!!
Several of our races do the same thing. Racing Underground (puts on a lot of duathlons and smaller races) gives us free entries if we volunteer. It’s awesome, because it saves me several hundred dollars a year and it means that they get quality, experienced athletes who have raced.
Running Fit in Michigan does this too on a 1:1. It is really nice because the volunteers are typically a little more experienced and it saves us a lot of money. Plus as a bonus they throw a mid summer party for all the volunteers that is a lot of fun and lets you meet more people in the local running community. I assume that it probably cuts into their profit a little bit but they always have a lot of volunteers so it makes up for it in race satisfaction.
Wait just a second Chip,
I’ve helped at all three Rockmen and I’ve yet to race for free.
Just kidding of course; Chip has allowed my son to race for free the two years that he has been racing. I think it is a great idea. I enjoy helping out, I get to see aspects of the race (and set-up) that others don’t, great parking plus all the hours of work you could ever want. It doesn’t hurt that I only live about four miles from the venue.
There is a population that has no interest in racing though, any ideas on attracting them? If you burn them out, you have to find replacements next year, if they feel appreciated and recognized, they probably will come back; the trick is… how do you do that without breaking the bank?