Training Season

I have always said that executing a race is similar from either side of the coned lane – by the time you get to race day, most of your work should be done. If you prepped right in the off-season – race day should be easy. You have to visualize what can go wrong and figure out ahead of time how to mitigate that. ?But it does require you to DO THE WORK in advance to execute a great race.

This off-season has been tumultuous, for sure – but I feel that challenging workouts make you better prepared for race day. You want it more because you know all the tough times that went into it. Executing a race from the other side of the barricade is no different. While this first race is certainly not the first time we have produced it, we know what we are doing operationally – it is so different this year because we have something to prove.

We have made a lot of changes to this race and kept much of it the same. While the course itself is unchanged, we are trying to make the experience much more “runner-friendly,” and also use the race for good. I will explain…..

To start, we are very conscious about our ecological footprint so we will be recycling much of our trash, collecting discarded clothing and donating it, using larger, returnable water bottles, and reducing the size of the trucks that we use on the course.

Additionally, we are partnering with charities and providing complimentary bibs and/or direct donations.? We are highlighting our runners in Faces of the Races to help them in their missions. We are working closely with our runners to provide a very personal experience. We are trying to grow our running community by supporting other races, youth running programs, and local running groups. ?We host educational clinics, injury prevention workshops and shakeout runs with an experienced coach.

For a better experience – our post-race festival will include a “photo booth” with RI props so you can create a remembrance of what it was like to run in RI. The race will have food trucks, games, and a beer garden sponsored by an RI icon – Narragansett Beer – so that our runners can enjoy their post-race glow. Pint glass AG awards, rather than a medal, will allow you to show off your accomplishments. A post-race massage will be available for those who would like one.

There are a ton of moving parts to a race and we are examining each one in hopes of making it a bit better. While we cannot execute all of them this year, we are always looking to PR and putting plans into place for next year too.

We are so humbled to have you join us this year. Thank you and see you on the starting line.