March 2002 President’s Address

The following is the President’s Address that appears in the March 2002 issue of HTC News.  If you are interested in running in and around Huntsville you are highly encouraged to read this.  We hope this encourages you to support our club.  Thanks.

My last address outlined a number of proposed changes to club events.  Without exception all these changes enhanced current club programs and even added new ones.  In this newsletter I will cover the flip side and fill you in on what the HTC board discussed at our last meeting.

 

At the HTC Executive Board meeting on March 7, 2002 the most significant topic of discussion was whether or not it is in the best interest of the club to continue the Rocket City Marathon past 2002.  I’m certain this comes as a surprise to many people.  Our marathon is in its 26th year and is an event that receives a large amount of positive feedback from its participants.  We bring a healthy number of consumers to the city and that benefits the local economy in December.  And we receive a good deal of media coverage, both locally and in running publications.  Why would we want to discontinue such a great event?

 

The answer doesn’t stem from any single problem.  There are a number of issues that most people never realize.  These problems are not necessarily unique to the Rocket City Marathon.  Its just that these problems are magnified due to the level of runner participation and the volunteer staff that is necessary to put together an event of this size. One significant issue is traffic.  Our marathon date is during the busiest shopping period of the year.  The volume of traffic on city streets during our race puts a strain on a variety of people.  We cross a number of high volume areas, Airport Road, Drake, Governor’s Drive, that require traffic to be stopped.  Drivers get angry they are held up and volunteers have to deal with verbal abuse from drivers.  Fortunately the Huntsville Police provide us with some of the best traffic control you will see at any race anywhere in the country and the city deals with the deluge of complaints on post marathon Monday because they know what the marathon means to the city in revenue.  Our course utilizes almost five miles along Bailey Cove Road with nothing between cars and runners but a dashed yellow line and some occasional cones.  The coning off the entire five-mile stretch of road would be a daunting task on an already stretched volunteer force.

 

Additionally, the sheer number of marathons that now exist compared to when Rocket City was begun is vastly different.  When Rocket City began we were one of a handful of marathons in the country.  Now we are one of many.  You can run a marathon on almost any given weekend, and usually without traveling too far.  Often a staff of paid workers puts these other events together and manages race day affairs.  That’s why membership dues and entry fees for races around the country are significantly higher than those of the HTC. It is solely volunteers, who receive no payment for their time, who put on the Rocket City Marathon, as well as all HTC events.  And a race the size of our marathon requires a significant time contribution.

 

These problems are surmountable.  The traffic problem has always existed, although not to the current level.  The numbers for road races of all distances has grown and doesn’t preclude us from continuing.  The most significant dilemma the marathon, and our club, needs to deal with is the loss of volunteers.  It’s simple, without people to do the work it just won’t get done.  And we refuse to cut corners and jeopardize the safety of runners.  The marathon utilizes around 400 volunteers, and that doesn’t include city employees such as police and crossing guards.  This year a number of marathon committees had the most difficult time ever recruiting volunteers.  Some committees had to go about their tasks on marathon day with less than what they consider the minimum number of people to do the job.  Each year volunteers are lost and replacements are not stepping forward.  We can’t blame those who are stepping down.  Most of these individuals have done their jobs for years without fail and they are understandably burnt out.

 

Our society is consumer driven.  We pay for a product or service and we expect something in return.  I suspect many runners feel the same way.  They pay their membership dues or race fee and expect to be served.    Many runners in our area don’t even belong to our club.  When I look through race entry forms I realize the majority of runners at our events aren’t compelled to join the HTC to support running in our community.  Most people show up at a race, pay their entry fee, run their race and go home.  And they feel justified.  But in reality their entry fee may not even cover the cost of their participation… t-shirt, porta-john rental, any fee the club has to pay to rent a facility such as UAH, a school, the civic center, etc., liability insurance and post race refreshments, and let’s not forget the up front charge of printing race fliers.  And if you’re fortunate to have won an award, don’t forget to factor in that cost, too.  All this stuff we can pay for… it’s the manpower to pull the whole thing together that’s priceless. 

 

I’ve mentioned the dwindling numbers in our volunteer base before, but we’re at a cross roads now.  For the first time we have a unique situation:  we have a race with a long, distinguished history, we have a committed race director, we have the necessary funds, we have the support of the city of Huntsville…but we’re talking about terminating a key Huntsville Track Club event.  All because we don’t have the support of the running community willing to step forward and volunteer their time. 

 

David Purinton

HTC President

 

If this article has inspired you to support our club we encourage you to either checkout out membership page and join our club and/or fill out a volunteer survey.  If you have any comments you are encouraged to contact a board member.  Thanks.

Last Updated: 11 March 2002