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RaceThread.com: COVID-19 Impact to Race Participation - Survey Results

COVID-19 Impact to Race Participation - Survey Results

November 17th, 2020

by Michael Ryan

Races

RaceThread surveyed more than 1000 athletes between Sept 23 - October 22, to help gauge what trends and interests are important to race participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. This detailed information from racers and athletes alike can help race directors understand the mindset and opinions to bring back racing in a safe way during and after the COVID-19 epidemic.

 

1. Nearly 55% of respondents HAVE competed in a race within the past 5 months.  Although many consider a virtual race to be more or less a run, COVID-19 has still allowed some race participation, albeit on a small sucher scale.  Most respondents also noted these races were very small, mostly less than 200 participants, so although races occurred, the scale of many of these races is nothing compared to pre-COVID races.

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2.  Not surprising, the race course is the MOST important factor for a race, with spectators the least important.  A great race course always will attract top talent whereas spectators, except for some of the larger marathons and races, don't have htat much of a value add to the overall race experience.

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3.  Race swag continues to be one of the most important factors for many race participants.  Although, some of the serious/expert competitors would argue against this.  Seems that nearly everyone can agree the post-race experience is not that big a deal...

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4.  9 out of 10 people still would not mind getting free samples of Biofreeze or a coupon for a free Blizzard at their local Dairy Queen.  This could potentially help race directors market their race to local vendors knowing that athletes still enjoy getting that free bag of stuff before the race.

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5.  Everyone knows that facemasks, hand sanitizer, and other protective gear add costs to the bottom line of every races expenses.  Seems that the majority of race participants wouldn't mind throwing a few more bucks to help offset those costs.  Some respondents commented, however, that races were already expensive enough and they did not feel they should pay any more for a race.

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6.  More than 50% of respondents would ONLY feel comfortable if the race was smaller than 250 participants.  Overall some people commented that they would feel more comfortable just being outside, while others stated they would still compete even in large scale marathons like New York and Chicago.

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7.  More than 50% of those surveyed already travel more than 26 miles for races.  

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8.  Only 40% of those surveyed would travel more than 25 miles with enhanced cleaning, sanitization, etc in place.  Unsurprisingly, some respondents incorporate races in their travels and vacations, and would not hesitate to fly/drive to large scale races throughout the US.  On the flip side, many said local 5K's are the only races they compete in and would not go out of their way to drive for another race.

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9.  90% of those surveyed would jump to compete in a race once a vaccine is developed.  With late 2020/early 2021 the earliest a vaccine is said to be produced, time will tell if the spring/summer/fall races will rebound and see some participation levels back to 2019 levels.

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10.  Some athletes feel that virtual races were a way to keep some companies afloat and keep the 'races' as real as possible, while most people commented they were a waste of time and they would just sit out these races until 'real' races came back around.

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11.  Social media is now the number 1 way most people are finding their next race.  Seems like local flyers/print media have gone the way of the Dodo, but surprisingly a large amount of athletes still find their next race by word of mouth.

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Races have changed for the foreseeable future with different restrictions and other methods in place to safeguard athletes, volunteers, and race staff.  Hopefully with a vaccine nearing approval, things will start to return to some sense of normalcy, but no one knows when that will be.  Hopefully the results and information from this survey can help you moving forward with your next race. 

Don't forget to also update your race date, distances, and race description in your account, or click HERE to find your race and make any necessary race updates.

Stay safe and healthy out there

 

 

 

Keywords: COVID-19, Race Participation, Survey Results, Coronavirus

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