Tipping Point

Recently I read an article about the decline in participation in marathons and half marathons. The author of the story did little to indicate why this may be, other than a glut of races. I will say, it's possible the glut of races out there may be a factor. I offer another  - cost.

Let's take a look at the cost of some races:

One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon - $75
Chicago Marathon $175
NYC Marathon $250
Disney Half or Full Marathon $190 for each
Community First Fox Cities Marathon $60

Clearly the bigger the event, the higher the cost. This does not include travel expenses for these races. Then there is the training programs, shoes, gear, etc.. The economy has been stagnant for a while, and while races have seen a boom in participation, there is a tipping point where it begins to decline, and I suspect that is starting now.

Note, the 500 Festival Mini Marathon, as of this writing, has not sold out. Typically it would have sold out after Thanksgiving. Are people not willing to pay the higher prices? Are they finding cheaper races? In Carmel, IN, they will have a marathon and half marathon a few weeks before the Mini. The marathon costs $75 and the half is $60. The Geist Half Marathon is after the Mini and the fee is $75, so roughly the cost of the Mini, but fewer people.

Now let's add the gear into the mix. Shoes two years ago averaged $100 a pair, now they are $110 a pair. Apparel has also gone up. The costs of racing now is higher once you factor the other items into it.

Of course I have no data, but more and more people are talking to me about lower priced shoes. Yes, there are still plenty of people willing to pay $150 a pair, but I am having more and more conversations about price. People are watching their wallets.

The costs of a race include a lot of goodies for runners. Ok, I still want my medal, but maybe adding a fee for the shirt, and making it an option might help. I know a large part of race costs go to the city for fire, police and street maintenance, can these be negotiated?

I have no answers. I am just putting out there that maybe race organizers, instead of making races bigger and better, need to focus on putting out quality, and working harder to make the races more affordable.

Charlie

This n That

I'm sorry for the absence from the blog. Part of the reason is lack of time, another part is lack of internet. Still I have a lot to say, and I am going to tackle a few subjects in this....

My Running -

I haven't run in over a month. The reason is some incredible left foot pain. It has felt like a huge stick being dug into my foot, between the first and second toe. I have gotten all kinds of advice on what it could be. Eventually a doctor will be seen. I don't want to get too hung up in Google diagnosing myself. Is it a neuroma? Could be. I will say today the pain feels like it is fading, but I have learned that is a cruel trick sometimes.

I miss running. I miss being part of the being outside and part of the world. I hope to be back to running soon.

Oscar Pistorius -

No story has captured the attention of runners like the sad story coming out of South Africa. As you may know,  double amputee runner, Oscar Pistorius allegedly killed his girlfriend on Valentine's Day. The Prosecution is saying this was premeditated. Pistorius is saying it was an accident. Either way, this is a tragedy on many levels.

I have admired this young man for a long time, and was so happy when he ran in last summer's Olympic Games in London. A friend of mine told me that this is another reason why we can't have athletes be role models. I agree and disagree.

We need to really think what it is about the the athlete we admire. Is it what they've accomplished, and how they did it? If so, Pistorius is a model for determination. The problem is we think we know these people because of what they do athletically, and what their press agents feed us. The truth is we don't know these people.

We didn't know Tiger Woods like we thought. We suspected Lance Armstrong. We want to believe our athletes are good hearted, brave and honest. The problem is we forget these people are human. They get angry. They get depressed. They have issues. If you want your children to use them as role models, make sure you are being clear with them why they are to be admired. When athletes fall though, it's important we talk with our children about what happened, and to remind them they are humans.

Parents -

The trials and tribulations of working with high school athletes is really in working with their parents sometimes. SOME parents I should say.  For the last month I have worked some angry parents. They seem to fly off the handle if we don't have a size 13 immediately in stock, and their son needs it today(when they should have looked about a month earlier). They get mad if the spikes don't have what they think is enough spike holes(I know that throws me too). Anger really comes up if a Nike is not in stock.

Remember what I said about role models? Throwing a hissy fit in a running store in front of your children is not the way to teach your children.

The parents who are wonderful and have wonderful kids are a joy to work with. Those are the folks who make my day. The good news is they are the majority of parents I work with.

So there you have it three different topics. Foot is maybe on the mend? I'l keep you all updated.

Charlie

Buy Local

I talked about this on an online running forum, but I would like to expand on this here. Quite often I hear people say they get their initial shoes at a local running store, but will go online for other purchases because:

The store doesn't have the color I want
The store doesn't have the size I want
The shoe is cheaper online
The shoe will come to me faster

Ironically these are some of the people who believe in shopping locally. I'm going to be a bit harsh here for a moment....you don't believe in shopping locally if you are shopping online as opposed to your local store on a regular basis.

Here are some things you need to understand.

Shoes in general make up for 70%-75% of a running store's business.

When you place a special order with a running store for shoes, the store makes virtually no money on those shoes, because they are not buying them from a vendor at an optimal discount(almost no discount). The vendor is charging the store the shipping, and most if not all running stores DO NOT pass these costs on to you, out of a sense of customer service.

Approximately 75% of shoes which are special ordered are never purchased. Why? You found the color you want now at Dick's, or you went home online, because you didn't want to wait 7 days for your shoes.

Running stores can't have every size in stock. What they sell are the most common sizes. Yes, they will have some unusual sizes in stock, but not a regular stock of them. They can't, because shoes in a stock room is money not being made. Shoes = money to a running store.

At a running store, you aren't just buying shoes. You are paying for the expertise of the person who is selling the shoes, making sure they fit properly, and will advise you how to use and not use the shoes.
All of that is built into your $110 pair of shoes.

If all you do is buy accessories at the running store, they are making less than they should, because your shoes are being bought elsewhere.

I freely admit, I have a vested interest in this. I work in running specialty. I want to continue to work. I want running stores to succeed, because they are also more than stores, they are running community centers. The staff in those stores offer advice, training tips, injury screenings with local PTs or doctors, work with medical professionals to make sure their patients are getting good shoes for their needs.

Online is....online. Online won't tell you the difference between an Asics 2170 and an Asics GT-2000(there is a BIG difference).

The sales associate in the store will take an hour or more to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your shoes. That is a live person giving you individual attention for YOU. Let me know know when Zappos does that.

If I have made you think about buying locally more....good. I think there is an advantage to online. I would just make sure if you are dedicated to buying locally, it's a bit more than buying a packet of Gu.

Charlie

Friday Responds

Yesterday I wrote a letter to my dog Friday, asking if there was a way she could go running with me. She has sent a letter I would like to share with you.

Dear Daddy,

You have no idea what my life if like. I wake you up at 6:00am so you can rub my tummy, then I insist you take me out, followed by a treat. Next I wait for you to drink that funny brown water from your handheld bowl, as I wait for food in my bowl.

I have to plan playtime with you before you go to work, then I head upstairs for my 4 hour nap. Later I come downstairs to let Mark know it's time for my next walk. He looks at me kind of funny, because he is playing with the XBox thing, eventually though he takes me for a walk. Of course that is followed by a treat.

Soon I am back upstairs on my....I mean your bed sleeping. When you come home from work, I am SOOOOOOO happy to see you. I want to play, go out side, play some more, have you rub my tummy, and then sit with you on the couch.

As you can see my day is full, and now you want to add running to it? Are you on catnip or something?

Come on.....my energy needs to be saved so I can play with you. Add to that I need my beauty sleep.

No running for me....unless you mean we are going to hunt my arch nemesis - The Bunny! Let's roll then.

In the meantime I need to go back to sleep.

Love,
Friday

Dear Friday

The following is a letter to my dog, Friday.

Dear Friday,

Why can't you run with me. I have friends who wax wonderfully about their faithful companions who run with them. You? Well you act like you want to go for a run. The times we've tried, one of two things happens: you either run a few steps, and then want to smell every smell you encounter, or you run like the wind, look back and mock me.

Is there no middle ground? I know you love to run. I take you to the church nearby and you run in the field like a dog possessed. Is it the leash? Sorry my girl, but I can't let you run free along the road.

We walk just fine. Running is just like walking but the right foot, left foot repeat is faster. Maybe I run with treats and bribe you to run?

Think about it, and let me know how we can do this. All the other cool dogs are running with their parents.

Love,
Daddy

What We Want When We Want It

One of the uglier sides to being in the running specialty field are the people who want what they want, when they want it, and they don't have a problem being ugly about it. Let me note at the start, this is not unique to my business, I see this in life more and more. You know what I'm talking about. You go into a running store, and the associate has taken the time to provide you with expertise, and then you tell him/her that you want the shoe is Emerald Green. Sadly the store doesn't have it in Emerald Green, but if it is available, they offer to order it for you. Then you huff and puff that you need it now, and threaten to go to another store, or go online. I'm sorry....what do you want that poor sales person to do? Pull it out of their butts?

Another issue is the price. Yes, yes, yes....I know we all want a good price for new shoes. I do too. I do think though it is rude, again to throw the internet in the poor sales person's face, and expect them to melt. As a reminder, companies like Zappos do a tremendous amount of volume, and they are able to do magical things because of that volume like make shipping costs disappear, or take 15% off those Asics you love so much.

Your local store is not able to do it. I know there are stores out there that do it, but I can assure you their bottom line is being severely damaged because of wilting in front of you and giving you the price you want. Please don't confuse a retail store for a flea market. It isn't.

Somehow we have become the society of instant gratification. We want, what we want, when we want it. Let me play dad for a moment. Sometimes you don't get what you want now. Sometimes you wait. Sorry to have to pull that on you, but really, be an adult, and suck up the fact that Mick Jagger was right, "You can't always get what you want."

Here is how this plays out in stores around the country. A customer is upset that a store does not have the exactly color they want(that's another issue). The store orders it for them(at no discount to them +shipping), the shoes come in, and 75% of the time, the customer decides they don't want it, and never claim it. Read that last past again - 75% of the time, the customer decides they don't want it, and never claim it. The store eats those costs. You may not care as the consumer, but business owners care.

Sadly I have no solution for this problem. All I can tell you is you don't need a pair of running shoes to magically appear. If you need to wait 7 days for your shoes....so be it. And if you need to use the internet, remember, they don't help the local economy, your neighborhood store does.

Charlie

Ouch!

I have not run for a couple weeks now, mostly because the area between my big and second toe on the left foot hurt. This has happened before, and it happened because I slept a certain way - or so I think. It feels like a nerve pain, and the ache dulls as the day goes on. Still I am afraid to run on it. I also noticed my left IT Band is tight. I wondering if it is connected.

Anyone have any ideas? So tired of being injured.

Charlie