The USATF Road Race Series - Part II

Yesterday I wrote about the need for USATF to really put themselves out there, take a risk and start a road race series across the United States. Not only would this help USATF solidify itself in the road race ranks, but it would offer them an opportunity to make money and increase their exposure and influence over the road racing community, which they have VERY LITTLE influence in at the moment outside of simply providing insurance to races.

Step One to get the idea of a USATF Road Race Series would to hire 2-3 people that can run the show. USATF wouldn't need to spend a ton of money here hiring three individuals for this branch of the company. In fact, the contracts could be incentive driven, offering them $30k up front, then incentives based on year-one objectives (i.e. participation, sponsorship opportunities, etc.). These hired individuals would basically run the show, doing all the work it took to put on the series.

Step Two should be deciding which markets to host races in, as well as how many races to have. Personally, I think the series should have 3-5 races in the first year, allowing those individuals working on the series to really be able to focus. The markets they should really go after in year one are quite simple...see where the sport is most popular and create races in those markets. NYC, Chicago, LA, Portland, Seattle, Dallas/Houston, etc. are all good options. Presenting a presence in those communities is the first step to building up USATF's reputation.

Step Three, and this is a big step, would be to retool the USATF membership accounts, offering more to USATF members than what is offered now (which isn't much). Creating a more interactive, educationally-based membership program could redefine USATF's brand greater than anything they have or could do. Changing the structure of the membership program allows the road race series to present itself in a much more dignified light, where people would actually want to join.

For the sake of keeping these posts more manageable, I'll stop Part II here. I'll keep posting thoughts and ideas over the coming days in further installments, hoping this can spark some comments from readers.