Podcasts about merchantsofdirt

Merchants of Dirt Episode #55 Kyle introduces Event Yak podcast dedicated to talking to event industry veterans who live, eat, and breathe live events. Introducing: Event Yak As Race Promoters and Directors trying to keep your Event Business alive during this unprecedented time, you need to find all the help and ideas you can get! Introducing: Event Yak -- a podcast hosted by my good friend Terri Walters from Moonfish Production. Terri's podcast features interviews from some of the top event industry veterans who live, eat and breathe live events. In this episode, Terri interviews someone who is near and dear to Mr. Murphy's heart -- ME! Learn more about Terri Walters and Event Yak: Moonfish Production Event Yak Podcast Event Yak on Apple Podcasts Event Yak on Google Event Yak on Spotify Get Lost Racing coming to Merchants of Dirt! The Get Lost Racing Podcast, hosted by Kyle M. Bondo, is a podcast about defining off-road racing disciplines! Each episode takes a look into an off-road sport and explains what it is, how it works, and how you can experience it! Over the next week weeks, Merchants of Dirt will include Get Lost Racing (GLR) episodes that explore endurance race disciplines that could be used to create your own virtual race portfolio! Thank You for Listening! Contact Us: MerchantsofDirt AT GMAIL DOT com Episode Show Notes: merchantsofdirt.com Podcast Episodes: merchantsofdirt.libsyn.com Race Promotion Thinking: Reckoner.com Merchants of Dirt is a Gagglepod production. Learn more at gagglepod.com.

Kyle is a (maybe not so?) rare combination of IT systems and web guru, prolific content creator, and gritty outdoor sports enthusiast. Put those things together, and you come up with a world of events where virtually, nothing is impossible.   Kyle Bondo: Twitter: @MerchantsOfDirt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylebondo/   Co-Founder – Gagglepod Website: http://gagglepod.com/ Email: Gagglepod@gmail.com   Co-Host and Co-Creator – Podwrecked Podcast Website: http://gagglepod.com/show/podwrecked/   Host and Creator – Not Easily Squished Podcast Website: http://gagglepod.com/show/not-easily-squished/   Host and Creator – Merchants of Dirt Podcast Website: http://gagglepod.com/show/merchants-of-dirt/   Founder and Creator – Reckoneer Website: http://reckoneer.com/   Terri Walters: Twitter: @TerriLWalters LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrilwalters/   Moonfish Production: Website: www.moonfishproduction.com Facebook: @MoonfishCreative Email: info@moonfishproduction.com ​ Event Yak: Website: www.eventyak.com Facebook: @TheEventYak Email: terri@eventyak.com ​​ Episode 5 By the Numbers: 00:00 | Terri Walters Meet Renaissance Man, Kyle Bondo: Former, U.S. Naval Military Intelligence Technician; Web Developer; Electrical Mechanical Engineer; Co-Founder: Gagglepod, Founder: Reckoneer, Podcaster: Merchants of Dirt. 07:28 | Terri Walters What’s a Gagglepod? 08:04 | Kyle Bondo Gagglepod … Teaching The Art of Podcasting. A.K.A. How to Build Your Tribe. 13:18 | Terri Walters Break down for us your vast Podcast realm and your recent restarts in response to COVID-19. 14:56 | Kyle Bondo Kyle talks about his evolution from Blogging to Podcasting, about the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and HOW to create Endurance Sports Events. Welcome! Reckoneer and Merchants of Dirt Podcast. 19:30 | Kyle Bondo From the Navy to Mountain Bike Racing to Racing Clubs and the birth of Reckoneer and Merchants of Dirt Podcast. From Race Director, Participant and Coach to Virtual Racing – Kyle walks us through his competitive team evolution and the birth of Virtual Racing. 25:15 | Kyle Bondo COVID-19 implodes LIVE RACING EVENTS. 26:30 | Terri Walters So, what’s the future of LIVE RACING EVENTS? How do Racers Race without Racing? 26:49 | Kyle Bondo Enter A.C.E - Asynchronous Competition Events! How we save the industry by going virtual. 36:14 | Terri Walters Is there any formal education available out there for the LIVE RACING Industry? What are the struggles and opportunities? How does A.C.E. potentially evolve into a new forms of competitive outside activity or exercise? 45:35 | Kyle Bondo   Kyle dives into new technology that’s changing the RACING landscape. 50:49 | Terri Walters What’s the future for A.C.E. models? Virtual Tradeshows and Conferences? Events within Events?  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #50 These 50 race direction lessons learned can help you build your roadmap, refine your checklists, or just help you find a place to start. 50 Lessons Learned - The RD Roadmap Welcome to an information-packed 50th episode of Merchants of Dirt and thank you for listening! Listen along as I help you take the mystery out of outdoor race direction with 50 lessons learned from being a race director. After it's all said and done, you'll find out that it's more like 250 lessons learned -- certainly an episode you're going to want to listen to more than once. Follow along with this episode's handy-dandy checklist: 01. Vision 02. Ideas 03. Research 04. Market 05. Mission 06. Principles 07. Budget 08. Business Plan 09. Model 10. Strategies 11. Offerings 12. Organize 13. Branding 14. Planning 15. Risks 16. Rules 17. Venue 18. Schedule 19. Proposal 20. Presentation 21. Permit 22. Build 23. People 24. Marketing 25. Outreach 26. Pre-Registration 27. Timing 28. Courses 29. Promote 30. Sales 31. Trail Work 32. Safety 33. Volunteers 34. Race 35. Direct 36. Setup 37. Registration 38. Starts 39. Monitor 40. Results 41. Podium 42. Clean Up 43. Close Out 44. Analyze 45. Learn 46. Observe 47. Review 48. Revise 49. Measure 50. Decide And Now You Know! 50th Episode Bonus Content Thank you for listening and being a part of the Merchants of Dirt 50th episode! As a special bonus just for listeners, please visit http://reckoneer.com/roadmap and receive a FREE Race Promotion Roadmap. With this roadmap, you can follow along with the episode or plot your own path to race success!  The new roadmap is coming out this Fall, but you can still get a chance to claim the original Race Promotion Roadmap before it becomes a collector's item!   Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Packs and Peaks 5: Canine Biathlon Get lost in the endurance sport of Canine Biathlon by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Canine Biathlon?  The name is a bit misleading. No, you don’t ski and shoot dogs. Think of canine biathlon as a backyard obstacle course race mixed with a trail run that you do with your dog. Trail running and obstacle course racing - this is where the "bi" part comes in biathlon. It’s the K9 part that adds an extra special element to this event. Who’s doesn’t want to race with their dog?  Well -- you and your dog have to navigate a maze of trials and obstacles over a 3.5-mile course. These obstacles are divided into water and purpose-built challenges that both you and your dog have to defeat together. Some obstacles require you to both go over, under, or through under your own power. Others require you to carry your dog or allow your dog a break while you complete an individual challenge.   Originally designed for military, police and government K9 handlers, canine biathlon has evolved into something that anyone with any kind of dog can participate in and when I say any size dog, I really mean any size dog. From well trained German Shepherds to little tiny Terriers, if the dog loves to run and can listen to your commands, it can participate in the Canine Biathlon. And that is the endurance sport of Canine Biathlon. Time for you to start training... it’s ok... your dog will wait for you!   Canine Biathlon Links U.S. Canine Biathlon U.S. Canine Biathlon US Canine Biathlon In Anniston 2017 Biathlon 2016 US Canine Biathlon | 2016 U.S. Canine Biathlon Event - Facebook Iron Doggy Vaper Wake K9 Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Other GLR Episodes You Might Enjoy: GLR S2:E2: Get Lost in Peakbagging GLR S1:E10: Get Lost in Ultrarunning GLR S1:E2: Get Lost in Trail Running Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.  Veteran Crisis Line If you are a Veteran in emotional crisis or know of a Veteran in emotional crisis, you or their loved ones can call the free and confidential Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to connect with a caring, qualified VA responder who can deal with any immediate crisis.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #49 Racing Support Services is an entire industry that exists to make your racing business easier to manage, provide you professional services that you do not have to do yourself, and can free you up to build your business and think up new racing experiences. Racing Support Services Look like a professional without any staff by hiring a crew or renting one for a race day. How do you do that? By outsourcing many of the services and processes you are currently doing yourself. I this weeks episode, I talk about seven (7) industries that you could outsource your business and race direction services to. #1 - Marketing Ad Campaigns Websites Signage #2 - Online registration Web-based payments Extra sales On Day Licenses #3 - Venue Equipment Power and Cables Tents and Tables Start and Finish line arches #4 - Onsite Chip Timing Precision Timing Quick Results Staff Run Finish Line #5 - Onsite Media Photographer Drone Video Video Interviews #6 - Event Data Collection Post Race Surveys Participation Analysis Accounting #7 - Race Management Contract Race Planning Race Day Direction and Orchestration Outsourced Races And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

BONUS: Memorial Day and Mission 22 Join Get Lost Racing in supporting Mission 22 and stand united in the war against veteran suicide. What the heck is Mission 22? Mission 22 is a charity fighting a War Against Veteran Suicide and they are losing. Which is why they need your help! According to the Department of Veteran Affairs study, each day over 20 veterans takes their own lives. But together, we can win the War Against Veteran Suicide. Join Get Lost Racing in supporting Mission 22, a charity dedicated to letting our Vets know that they have an army behind them. Your donation dollars to Mission 22 assist them in getting Veterans treatment when they need it the most: RIGHT NOW! Veteran Crisis Line If you are a Veteran in emotional crisis or know of a Veteran in emotional crisis, you or their loved ones can call the free and confidential Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to connect with a caring, qualified VA responder who can deal with any immediate crisis. Mission 22 Links Mission 22 Mission 22 Contribute VA Releases Veteran Suicide Statistics by State Veteran Crisis Line Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form.  

Packs and Peaks 4: Rucking Get lost in the endurance sport of Rucking by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Rucking? Rucking is simple. To Ruck, all you need to do is put a little weight on your back and go for walk. That is rucking. I know. Too simple, right? Well, don’t overthink it. Rucking is something very special when it comes to endurance sports. My first experience with rucking was very personal. The group I rucked with were all veterans from every branch of the US Military. As a US Navy Vet myself, this was a familiar group of guys and gals. The goal was simple: ruck for 4-miles around town. Only before we started, we stretched out together, said a quick prayer, and then someone hoisted up an American Flag on a pole. As a group, we started rucking -- almost in a formation -- with the Stars and Stripes leading the way. It was very emotional -- especially as a Vet that has been out of the military for a while. It was a chance to associate with other Vets with similar backgrounds for a few moments. Rucking is more than just walking with weight on your back. Rucking is a community that just so happens to have a good endurance activity connected to it. If you’re looking for a community that will accept you -- veteran or not -- so long as you wear some weight on your back -- then rucking is for you. And that is the endurance sport of Rucking. Time to go find some friends and do some hard things when them! Veteran Crisis Line If you are a Veteran in emotional crisis or know of a Veteran in emotional crisis, you or their loved ones can call the free and confidential Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to connect with a caring, qualified VA responder who can deal with any immediate crisis. Rucking Links GORUCK.com GORUCK.com - What is Rucking GORUCK.com - How to Ruck Rucking: The simple fitness technique that will change your weight loss routine (for good) The Fitness Trend Men Everywhere Can’t Get Enough Of The Art of Manliness - Podcast #314: Building Better Citizens Through Rucking Cardio for the Man Who Hates Cardio: The Benefits of Rucking VIDEO: Rucking Gear Tips Remembering 22 Rucking Event VA Releases Veteran Suicide Statistics by State Veteran Crisis Line Mission 22 Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Other GLR Episodes You Might Enjoy: GLR S2:E2: Get Lost in Peakbagging GLR S1:E10: Get Lost in Ultrarunning GLR S1:E2: Get Lost in Trail Running Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. 

Merchants of Dirt Episode #48 If you invest your time in teaching and encouraging women to become better riders today, you can create an environment that promotes women to try racing for the first time and encourages more women to attend your events. #1 — Make your sport more appealing to women This seems like a no-brainer until you sit down to do it. Then you start to struggle with what exactly does “more appealing to women” mean. Does adding something to attract one type of customer to your race ALSO attract another type of customer? Or a better way to think of this is -- if I make these changes, does it actually move the needle in respect to bring more of A to my race? Mountain biker marketing is very male-based in that the edgy, dangerous world of single-track riding is featured at all times. This is not to say that women do not like edgy and dangerous trails, it is to say that not ALL women like it. As a race director, you need to focus on the fun atmosphere that is created during a race as a selling point. #2 — Develop better outreach towards women Women riders are already focused on the fitness part of cycling. Racing is just fitness at a faster pace. Plus it can help some gauge where they are -- their fitness level -- when they compare themselves to other women with comparative fitness levels. Your job to show them that racing is just an extension of that same fitness. This can be done with group rides of the race course or practice clinics where only women get to experience the venue with other women (i.e. No dudes). When you remove the unknown part of a race, it can begin to show the fun side of racing. If you invest your time in teaching and encouraging women to become better riders, your races will become, over time, imbued with the same reputation. Build the future of women racing by giving your time away now. #3 — Ride without cars Tap into the Women Road Biking crowd with what mountain biking offers: NO CARS! Mountain biking can be a lot safer than road biking. You could try to interest women riders by offering a bike-share program that connects your local bike shop with a demo day at your venue. The bike shop wants to sell bikes, and you want more racers. Why don’t you team up with a women-only demo day for women road bikers? Winning over roadies will be a tough sell, but if you can do it without requiring them to buy a bike right away, it could be the introduction they need to switch to mountain biking. Better oxygen from being out in nature away from cars is not a bad selling point either! #4 — Being Outdoors is the new Indoors Speaking of nature, nature is another selling point that can take the edge off of male-dominated race marketing. Getting out in nature on a trail has very powerful imagery. If you connect that to riding with friends, then your race marketing starts to take the shape of social riding with friends for fun and fitness. Lose the gnarl and shred you find in most hardcore racing marketing. Change it out for the social connection of ride groups that explore different locations as a build up to your event. Sometimes, the trees and fresh air can be a stronger selling point then the copywriting on your website. #5 — Produce women-only event A women-only event is just like it sounds — NO DUDES! You can have men promoters and volunteers, but there are no men allowed to participate in the actual racing. The goal is to make an event for women that removed the intimidating nature of competition created by some men. Is it not foolproof, but that’s why it’s an experiment. Some women love these kinds of events. Surprisingly, other women hate these kinds of events because they see them as even more competitive then Co-Ed events. Thus, it’s experimental. Your turnout will tell you if it works or not. #6 — Bonus Strategy For those that are not fond of women-only events, you can begin introducing better categories and classes in your existing races. This means less open classes and expanding the range of women race classes. This could include breaking up categories like Single-Speed into both a men’s and women’s class. It could also include adding in the same age categories. Instead of only having a Women’s 35+ class, you would create both a 35+ and a 45+ class. The risk is in dividing your small turnout even further, but marketing is a double-edged sword. By focusing your marketing efforts towards women, using expanded women’s categories and classes as an incentive, you make increase turnout due directly to that expansion. It might not, but the answer cannot be known until you work out the problem. You can make a race day decision to allow classes to become combined if there is no turnout. Or you can just make an overall decision to eat the extra cost of awards and medals for the few women riders that show up, in hopes they will tell their friends. And they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on! So make it easy to try out racing. Reduce the cost of entry to incentives taking a chance on an experiment. Once they’ve had a taste of racing, then all the worry about what the experience might have been like is washed away. They get to be in the mix, with all the yelling spectators with cowbells as they cross the finish. They get to see that nobody really cares what place you come in. The social environment is why some come to race in the first place -- the race is just the shared experience that connects everyone together. If you build it, will women race? There is a paradox to overcome when developing strategies designed to increase the turnout of women in your races. You cannot expect large numbers of women to turn out to your race if the environment is focused mostly on men. But if you create an environment that promotes a women-friendly environment, you need to tap into your local community and find those women that may want to challenge themselves to a race, but never knew they could or would like it. Only after having women-friendly thinking built-in can you honestly market to them. Do not go into any of these strategies thinking that you can increase your women turnout with half-measures. These are long-term solutions that take multiple seasons before they start to work. And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #47 The reason bad crews have worse leaders has everything to do with a race director that hires their friends, allows them to say and do anything they want, and approves of their bad behavior by doing nothing to stop them from ruining their business. Observation #1 Problem - Deserted Finish Line Your crew wants to leave early? Tough! All of your crew needs to stay until the end, even if it's all packed up. Because if your crew is not still cheering the last ones to finish, why are they your crew? Solution - If You Stay Your Crew Stays Too  The solution is not to hire any of your friends that do not believe in your racing mission. Crew members that cannot be bothered to stick around until all racers are off the course need to go find other work. And if you as a race director cannot enforce that principle, then you should consider another type of business. Observation #2 Problem - Mocking Last Place Racers The way your crew treats those who are last matters. Doom on the race director that joins in and does not think their last place racers are important. Solution - Fire Your Bad Staff or Close Your Business If your crew is caught mocking the last place racers, they should be fired! If you don't, it will not be long before your reputation makes your racing company a distance memory. Observation #3 Problem - Crew Social Hour while Volunteers Work Is your crew taking a break while your volunteers are still working? Then you don't deserve volunteers. Your crew reflects you, your company, and what you think of racers. Taking a break with your crew while volunteers continue to work speaks volumes about who you are. If you think that's ok behavior, you don't deserve volunteers. Solution - Treat Volunteers With Respect or Don't Have Them Volunteers are special helpers that demand your gratitude and respect. And they are ALWAYS watching you and your staff! If you treat them poorly or allow your staff to treat them poorly, then you shouldn't ever run a race with volunteers. Earn the right to have volunteers help your race by treating them well. And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #46 Consider how creating spectator friendly events could create new customers while the untapped benefits of having an excited crowd could help your bottom line. Three Formats to Consider This episode of Merchants of Dirt is about spectators. Or more specifically, three types of events that make spectating fun: The Relay The Short Track The Intergalactic Pond Crossing In an age where every dollar counts, race directors owe it to themselves to consider including spectator friendly onto their race calendar. These short courses, quick turnaround times, and spectator friendly formats provide all the ingredients needed for a festival-like atmosphere. Which is exactly what you’re is looking for in your next event. Spectators might only come to your race to cheer their racer, but who knows? It’s possible that the speed of a shorter, easy to follow event might get them to stay to cheer on the other racers too. Additionally, think about all the spectators that DO come to your events. If you could entertain them along with your racers, could you just imagine how much more customer loyalty you could create? Spectators could become that new revenue source that you have been overlooking all this time. Of course, the catch to spectator events is that you will need to be as dedicated to your spectators as you are to your racers. But, if you can provide enjoyment AND entertainment to both groups, you could possibly create a very new and potentially profitable experience that keeps both racers AND spectators coming back again and again. And experience might even make the whole family want to come to your next race too. And Now You Know!   Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Packs and Peaks 3: Fell Running Get lost in the endurance sport of Fell Running by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Fell Running? As endurance sports go, Fell Running is about as easy as it comes. First, you run to the top of a hill. Then, when you reach the top, you run back down. The first one to run up and down the hill wins. See, simple. Or is it? Why do Fell Running? Who doesn’t like hills? It seems like throughout human history, there have been people who ask “who can run up the hill the fastest”. Fell Running is no different than any other kind of running with one very important exception -- elevation. Elevation makes Fell Running what it is because anyone can run on flat, even terrain. It’s when you add a big hill into the mix, that you have the attraction to Fell Running. And not to be left out of this is the changes we Americans make to any popular endurance sport that comes out of Europe. We take it and make it our own. So what has Fell Running become in the United States? That's right -- Mountain Running! Leave to us Americans to make everything bigger. So when you come to America, remember -- We don't Fell, we Mountain! And that is the endurance sport of Fell Running. Time to go find some hills... or... mountains to run!   Other GLR Episodes You Might Like GLR S2:E2: Get Lost in Peakbagging GLR S1:E10: Get Lost in Ultrarunning GLR S1:E2: Get Lost in Trail Running Fell Running Links Fell Running Guide Fell Running Iceland looks Terrifyingly Fun Rough Guide to Fell Running 60-second Guild to Fell Running Best Fell Running Shoes Reviewed Fell running: an introductory guide The Bob Graham Round: Running the Fells with Friends (full version) Fell Running Guide - Lake District Fellrunner.org.uk The World's Toughest Running Races The Dragon's Back Race Trailrunner.com Race Calendar Legendary Trail Races Loon Mountain Race's The Boss US Mountain Running Championships - Loon Mountain Loon Mountain Race US Mountain Running Team World Mountain Running Association USATF Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #45 Your accountability to your customers begins when they arrive at your venue, and only ends when you are certain they have left your venue safely. Head Counts Matter This episode of Merchants of Dirt is about race director accountability. More importantly, your accountability when it comes to a simple thing like head counts. And if you’re not sure what a head count is, this is the process of knowing how many racers you have on the course at any given time. Or is it? To get you in the right frame of mind about how important I think headcounts are, I play you a news report from Louise Donnelly of 7 News out of Brisbane, Australia about the disappearance of American's Tom and Eileen Lonergan. These two Americans tourists that were left behind during a diving expedition of Cairns, Australia, over 20 years ago because of a bad headcount. Listen to the full clip here: https://www.facebook.com/7NewsBrisbane/videos/1803272579685586/ Of course, a diving trip is very different to a race. You don’t need to be THAT accountable to your racers, do you? Besides, no one's ever been left behind on one of your courses, right? If you’re like me, that example of a bad headcount should make you take notice. Remember from what we’ve learned about Mr. Murphy over the past 45 episodes? And that is that it’s not IF something will go wrong, but WHEN. Is your accountability an accident waiting to happen? Is your next race going to be THE RACE that leaves two divers behind in shark-infested waters to die horrible deaths? I hope not. So let’s get our understanding of accountability straight. Taking Responsibility Reason #1 -- Your permit and insurance are not for just the course -- it is for the ENTIRE VENUE! Reason #2 -- What your racers do after the race could come back to haunt you. Reason #3 -- What your racers do in the parking lot has a direct impact on how OTHER RACES see you as a race director. Venue Control Strategies Strategy #1 - Full Accounting -- Improve how you count people that come into and out of your venue. Strategy #2 - Quick Identification -- Another strategy is to know who is part of your race and who is not. Strategy #3 - Controlled Environments -- Keep your customers located in only the spaces you want them to be in, and out of the spaces you don’t want them to be in. Why Accountability is Important to your Business You have to know where everyone is at all times -- period. To not know, or to have to guess, leaves you wide open for disaster. So take control of your headcount, make full accountability your number one safety goal. You have all the tools you need to keep an accurate count of everyone involved with your race. And if you don’t you certainly need to improve your accountability process before your next race. If this means adding barriers, choke points, or even wristbands, then do it! Don’t make the only metric you care about be how many people are on the course. You need to know more about your venue then you currently do. Make your head counts always matter. And Now You Know!   Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #44 Insurance is the minimum financial protection a race director needs to protect themselves, their staff, their volunteers, their business, and their family from other people’s injuries. What is Insurance Insurance is a contract, represented by a policy, in which an individual or entity receives financial protection or reimbursement against losses from an insurance company. Insurance policies are used to hedge against the risk of financial losses, both big and small, that may result from damage to the insured or her property, or from liability for damage or injury caused to a third party. There are a multitude of different types of insurance policies available, but when it comes to outdoor events, there are some specific insurance policies you need to consider: #1 - Protection of you, your staff, and your business: When you start a business, this becomes the first insurance policy you consider outside of yourself or your family. #2 - Protection of volunteers, property, and day-of actions: Event insurance to protect you, your volunteers, your sponsors, and the property owner. #3 - Protection of your customers: Additional insurance that covers the racers if they are injured above and beyond their own coverage. Event Coverage To get a good rate, your insurance agency will require that you show them: Your Liability Waiver Your Risk Management Plan (i.e. Emergency Response Plan) In MOD Episode #28 -- Mr. Murphy Loves Your Cut-and-Paste Waiver I told you why waivers are your first line of defense against personal injury lawsuits. Additionally, in MOD Episode #14 -- Mr. Murphy Just Took Out a Racer I told you why you need to take emergency response planning very seriously when — not if — you need to save a racer’s life.   Business Insurance This is where General Liability Insurance comes in. Every business, even if home-based, needs to have liability insurance. The policy provides both defense and damages if you, your employees or your events (which could be called a product or service) cause or are alleged to have caused Bodily Injury or Property Damage to a third party. This is the insurance that covers what most business owners refer to as “slip-and-fall” lawsuits. When it comes to endurance sports and outdoor events, slip-and-fall is a part of doing business. Not everyone sues if they do happen to hurt themselves. I often find that racers are a more hardy bunch and tend to think of injuries as a badge of honor. But you never know when you are going to get that one person that thinks suing everyone for their own mistakes is perfectly acceptable behavior.   Sanctioning Insurance Sanctioning is a special kind of general liability insurance that covers association events for which a permit has been issued. If you want to be an official event based on the rules and regulations governed by a national organization, then you have to play by their rules. This means an official permit and a requirement to use their general liability insurance to cover your event. Often, the insurance that comes with sanctioning is not super expensive. However, it does require you to abide by their rules in course design, officiating, organization, and administration.   Additional Coverage One of the biggest points of confusion that race directors have with insurance is how their racers will be protected during the race. Most races are what is called “at your own risk” kind of events. This means you -- as a racer -- understand that what you are about to do is dangerous (hopefully detailed in the waiver you have to sign) and that you -- the racer -- are responsible for yourself if you get hurt. Each participant is then expected to have their own insurance coverage that kicks in if they hurt themselves during the race. But the race director can provide additional insurance that covers the racers if they are injured above and beyond their own coverage. This is almost always elective -- the racer has to ask for it and pay for it -- and can be part of your own insurance or the insurance provided through sanctioning. Many national organizations provide general liability coverage for accidental medical coverage as part of their sanctioning package.   Get Covered When you decide to host live events, you invite risk. Mr. Murphy is the master of catching you without any kind of financial protection, and always at the worst time too. Be aware of the different levels of insurance that you will need to navigate before you can safely produce an event. Go talk to an insurance agent. Heck, go talk to six insurance agents. Get a ton of quotes, shop around, and find a policy that works for you. Never, never, never direct an event without insurance -- ever! And Now You Know!   Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #43 Collegiate sports clubs can give college kids a platform for racing while serving as your personal laboratory for testing your race direction ideas. The Collegiate Club Laboratory College Club Sports are their own animals. They can be hard to form and even harder to control. But once you get one off the ground, they can become your very own race direction laboratory. That is if your experiments don’t try to eat you first. Start a Club #1 - Find a school that doesn’t have a sport you want to direct and talk to them about serving #2 - Fill out an MOU and make being on campus legitimate #3 - Start volunteering and recruiting new riders #4 - Create club officers and have the club become an official USA Cycling Club #5 - Get your riders racing in USA Cycling conference events Build a Reputation #1 - Think about promote local event idea and start planning #2 - Direct your first small event and give the club some money to work with #3 - Pay attention to how other schools produce their events (good and bad) #4 - Get big enough to host one of the USA Cycling events on the conference calendar #5 - Direct an even bigger event and establish the club within the conference Conduct your Experiments Once you have a foot hold, promote your annual event until you can no longer support it. How to know when the experiments have worked: #1 - You learned enough to know race direction is not for you #2 - The club has outgrown your involvement #3 - Your events can stand on their own In the end... you could start a club, end up with a launching an outdoor events business All done for a good cause, in a safe environment, and for a fraction of the cost. And Now You Know!   Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!

Packs and Peaks 2: Bikepacking Get lost in the endurance sport of Bikepacking by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Bikepacking? If you mixed backpacking, hiking, orienteering, and endurance mountain biking into one sport, you would have bikepacking. Bikepacking is a form of outdoor exploration and camping where you travel only by mountain or road bike over an extended distance for several days. In fact, some mountain bike enthusiasts claim that growing interest in bikepacking is what brought fat bikes out of obscurity and into the mainstream. Bikepacking has the unique characteristic of requiring a rider to travel under their own power, carry everything he or she needs to survive, and camp for at least one night. This can include a route as short as a two-day, 20-mile out and back, or a long as the 4,700+ Trans America route across the United States. Each rider is responsible for carrying all their own gear. No, this does not mean some water, a few granola bars, and a spare bike tube. Bikepackers go out for the long haul. Their common gear load-out consists of camping gear, change of clothes, food, water, bike repair tools, communications, navigation, and safety gear. All evenly distributed among a group of strategically placed body and bike mounted bags. The end result is a bike covered with seat, handlebar, frame, and fork bags, and a rider with a backpack and lots of pockets. Over time, bikepackers fine-tune their logistics and only carry what they need based on the kind of route they intended to ride. But what starts with just a backpack and a destination can quickly turn into an expedition into some of the most beautiful but remote areas of the world. Why do Bikepacking? To become a bikepacker, you have to be into it for the long haul. Where completing a route for your own personal challenge IS the goal, and not making good time or going fast. This is why bikepacking is not for sprinters. It is a methodical journey where you have to be comfortable with: Riding alone with your own thoughts Walking your bike for miles before you get to ride it again Learning how to survive a long, long way from any help These are epic “self-supported” adventures. Sure, you’re going to see things that 90-percent of the country will never see. And you’re going to do it with just your trusty metal steed of a mountain bike, and what you carry with you, to keep you alive. Nobody knows how hard bikepacking is until they have ridden into the wilderness and had to sleep in the dark. Only to find out they’ve only traveled a fraction of their route, and now they have to start riding for the second day. It can be a greatly rewarding experience. You can carry yourself to locations and vistas that no motorized vehicle can get to, and backpackers only dream of. But don’t come to bikepacking on a whim. You have to want to do this sport, and be good at logistical planning, if you want to survive it. And that is the endurance sport of Bikepacking. Time to go pack your bike for an adventure! Bikepacking Links Bikepacking.com Bikepacker.com Bikemag.com Bunyanvelo.com Goodrotations.co Adventurecycling.org Toms Bike Trip Districtbicycles.com - Treys Beans Bikepacking Racing Links Tour Divide Ride the Divide Movie Trailer Trans Am Bike Race Inspired to Ride 10 Bikepacking Races to Put on Your Calendar Bikepacking Gear Links Fenix Lighting Restrap Revelate Designs Pika Bikeworks Apidura Timbuk2 Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Our Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Reckoneer Media. Please check out Kyle's other podcast: Merchants of Dirt Podcast. What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Packs and Peaks 1: Peakbagging Get lost in the endurance sport of Peakbagging by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Peakbagging? Peakbagging is an activity in which hikers, hillwalkers, fast packers, and mountaineers attempt to reach the summits of a collection of peaks. Usually those above some height or prominence in a particular region, or having a particular feature. Sometimes this is also called hill bagging, mountain bagging, Munro bagging or simply “bagging”, peak bagging goes beyond just reaching a mountain summit. Why do Peakbagging? Peakbagging is not like your traditional mountain climbing expeditions. It is an endurance sport that blends the core elements of hiking, ultrarunning, and orienteering, but avoids the technical skills of a hardcore rock climber. To be a peakbagger, all you need to do is have the passion and desire to want to collect a series of peaks from an abstract list. The goal is to not to summit only the mountain, but to climb all the peaks around the mountain in the fastest, not hardest, way possible. And have your only reason for doing it be: “because it’s there”. Time to go tag and bag some peaks! And that is the endurance sport of Peakbagging. Peakbagging Links Peakbagger.com: http://www.peakbagger.com/ Peakbagger.com Peaks List: http://www.peakbagger.com/listindx.aspx The Harvey Manning Peak Challenge: https://trailrunnermag.com/people/culture/harvey-manning-peak-challenge.html Discrete Peak Series: http://theprobar.com/introducing-the-discrete-peak-series-trail-running-and-peak-bagging/ Discrete Peak Series: http://rock.discreteclothing.com/peak-series/ 10 Perfect Peakbagging Trips: https://www.backpacker.com/stories/10-perfect-peakbagging-trips The Peak Bagger: http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/go-outside/hiking/the-peak-bagger/ Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Our Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Reckoneer Media. Please check out Kyle's other podcast: Merchants of Dirt Podcast. What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #42 There are certain levels of outreach where the marketing of each endeavor depends on how much time you have or what kind of impact you want. Three Kings of Outreach Today I answer listener emails regarding three very unique outreach strategies: Paul wants to know if 4-weeks is enough time to effectively market an event that is experiencing low pre-registration online. Brian was curious about what my platform would have been if I had been elected to the Board of Directors of the Adventure Racing Cooperative. Sam is starting his own trail running event and is interested in how to time his marketing efforts.  And Now You Know! A Gift for You If you found the questions that Paul, Brian, and Sam had sounded a lot to your own situation, here are is a selected list of a few articles that give you additional strategies on each topic: How not to suffer pre-registration woes Principles of a profitable race Put away the shotgun and start messaging with precision How contact lists can impact racer turn out Why blurring the line between sports is good for business Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon! Turn Coffee into Outdoor Recreation Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that is "all about the bean". Ricks Roasters is passionate about mountain bike racing, veteran-owned businesses, and coffee! Give Ricks Roasters a Try before December 31st, 2018 When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off your first order! Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 (540) 318-6850 Ricks Roasters on Facebookinfo@RicksRoasters.com

Merchants of Dirt Episode #41 Jennifer "Jelly" Crawford from The JellyVision Show walks me through the strategies and struggles of directing a conference from the ground up. Enter the Jellysode Jennifer "Jelly" Crawford from The JellyVision Show is the founder and event director of DC Podfest, a small but scrappy podcasting conference held once a year in Washington, DC. Jennifer started DC Podfest in 2015 with a vision of seeing it as a community for like-minded podcasters to come together and learn from in each other. Now in its third year, DC Podfest has grown its audience to over 130 attendees. But getting to this point was not easy. In this interview, Jennifer lays out seven keys points that all event managers need to consider when building an event: #1 - It has to benefit your community #2 - Be successful enough to pay people #3 - Size matters if you want to make a profit AND deliver value #4 - Sponsorship money will not come until you prove your committed #5 - Building a community takes time #6 - Venues will always change so don't be married to your venue #7 - You cannot start anything without a date and a venue And now you know! Continue Reading: Strategies for picking your race dates Are your competitors fighters or nappers? It's Time to Build Your Outdoor Life Turn Coffee into Outdoor Recreation Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that is "all about the bean". Ricks Roasters is passionate about mountain bike racing, veteran-owned businesses, and coffee! Give Ricks Roasters a Try before December 31st, 2018 When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off your first order! Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 (540) 318-6850 Ricks Roasters on Facebookinfo@RicksRoasters.com And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #40 Don’t be the single point of failure by being the only one with all the gear by building a few gear redundancy strategies into your plans. Single Point of Failure (SPOF) When someone has all the gear — all the tents, tables, and computers — then you have a single point of failure. In systems architecture, a single point of failure (SPOF) is when a part of a system that, if it fails, will stop the entire system from working. You never want a SPOFs in your race plan. Unfortunately, many times (more than we would like to admit) the race director is the only one with all the gear. It is difficult to provide any reliability in your racing business if you control all the keys to the kingdom. Similar to how your business management is hindered when you are both the race director and the racing business owner, gear can quickly become a new SPOF for your race. It may not seem it at first, but as you build your race venue infrastructure plans, each additional item becomes important to your final vision. If those items do not make it to the venue because only one person has it all, then your race will never make it off the ground. This is why your goal needs to be focused on having a way to get everything up-and-running at the venue for when (not if) you can’t make it there. But it takes more than just telling yourself you will do it next year. Next year might be the year something really bad happens. However, if you build in a gear redundancy strategies now, you can help yourself avoid total disaster later. Today, we talk through three (3) ideas on how to do that: #1 -- Distribute your Gear #2 -- Mobile Storage On-Site #3 -- Portable Storage Containers Continued reading: Be a Race Promoter, not a race director Why do race promoters fail? It’s Time to Build Your Outdoor Life Turn Coffee into Outdoor Recreation Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that is "all about the bean". Ricks Roasters is passionate about mountain bike racing, veteran-owned businesses, and coffee! Give Ricks Roasters a Try before December 31st, 2018 When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off your first order! Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 (540) 318-6850 Ricks Roasters on Facebookinfo@RicksRoasters.com And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Get Lost in Season 2: Packs and Peaks Well... out getting lost racing, of course! But that's not all. I've also been working on Get Lost Racing Season 2. This Get Lost Racing Season 2 Teaser talks about what is coming in my next 12-episodes. Titled the season of Packs, Peaks, and Passions, Season 2 of GLR is a tribute to Outdoor Exploration. Season 2 of Get Lost Racing will premiere on January 7, 2018, with the first of 12 episodes titled Get Lost in Peak Bagging! Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #39 There are some hidden challenges that hide within the multi-day slogfest that few one-and-done race directors have experienced. Directing a Multi-Day Race The multi-day race is a special kind of challenge that requires more than one plan, better communications, and hopefully a few hours of sleep. In this episode, I’m going to give you the five (5) takeaways I learned after directing a Multi-Day racing event that include: Race Day Plans Change -- Both Days Keeping Everyone in Town Keeping the Venue Alive Volunteer Burnout Race Director Burnout These are the hard lessons learned when the complexity is doubled and the problems that emerge are so unique that you will never see them coming. That is until you are in the middle of the chaos. After doing a dozen of these multi-day races I have a perspective that few single day race directors have the chance to experience. That means that if you’re a one-and-done promoter, or you’re thinking about tackling the multi-day race format, then you need to buckle up buttercup. Because I’m going to pull back the curtain and expose the 5 challenges you will certainly discover when you decide the commit to this type of slogfest. A slogfest that does not end when the first day’s sun goes down. Race Day Plans Change -- Both Days! Key takeaways: Some things you planned do not work on race day (impractical) Other things sound like a great idea but then turn out to be silly (overkill) Too much turnout of certain categories (or a lack of turnout) can change your plans Continued reading: Race Promotion Roadmap Principles of a profitable race Keeping Everyone in Town Key takeaways: Not everyone is going to stay the entire time Communications need to be clear each day Understand that people may have traveled a long way to race Delays, cancellations, and mistakes are compounded Continued reading: Put away the shotgun and start messaging with precision The 5 productivity tools every race promoter needs to use Keeping the Venue Alive Key takeaways: The venue is vulnerable during the time between each day Running out of supplies on Day 2+ Having to recheck everything again Weather double-jeopardy Continued reading: Oh, No! Where’s Kyle? He has all the gear! Check your venue before race day, or else 7 venue areas that ever race needs Volunteer Burnout Key takeaways: Volunteers for Day 1 are much easier to lock down than Day 2 Too much effort in getting volunteers to come on Day 1 Scramble to find volunteers for Day 2 Racers are smart Areas that I thought would be a problem turned out to not be a problem Continued reading: How to recruit enough volunteers before race day The #1 reason volunteers can ruin your race Oh, Captain, my captain of volunteers Race Director Burnout Key takeaways: Two Day events are exhausting Take all the gear with you after the end of race one Bring it all back for race two Single-point of failure for gear and planning Continued reading: It’s Time to Build Your Outdoor Life Be a Race Promoter, not a race director Why do race promoters fail? Turn Coffee into Outdoor Recreation Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that is "all about the bean". Ricks Roasters is passionate about mountain bike racing, veteran-owned businesses, and coffee! Give Ricks Roasters a Try before December 31st, 2018 When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off your first order! Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 (540) 318-6850 Ricks Roasters on Facebookinfo@RicksRoasters.com And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #38 Exploring a new trial on a holiday like Thanksgiving can be very rewarding so long as your plan includes these 7 important tips. Tips for Visiting a New Trail  Do some research Bring the right gear Talk to the locals Plan for disaster Take a moment to enjoy the scenery Expect to get turned around Get back before sunset If you have a plan, exploring a new trail solo can be very rewarding. Happy Thanksgiving! Turn Coffee into Outdoor Recreation Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that is "all about the bean". Ricks Roasters is passionate about mountain bike racing, veteran-owned businesses, and coffee! Give Ricks Roasters a Try before December 31st, 2018 When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off your first order! Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 (540) 318-6850 Ricks Roasters on Facebookinfo@RicksRoasters.com And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #37 Break your race out of obscurity by announcing your event at other events using the roadshow concept to get the word out. Take Your Race Promotion on the Road Did you know your race is a product? Well, it is! Your race is a time sensitive, exclusive product that can only be experienced the one time it is offered. If you miss it, you miss the experience of the product until next year. Maybe there will be another race, but there will never be another race like the one you missed. This is the product created by race promotion. However, when it comes to selling this product, we sell it like we’re trying to give people the secret passcode to our hipster club hidden underneath the bike shop. If people are lucky enough to figure out the code, they manage to get registered. What about those that are not lucky enough to figure out your code? How many of THOSE racers do you fail to reach?  Here's a clue to solve THAT code. On race day, go stand in the parking lot of your venue. Then count the number of parking spaces that are empty just before your first starting gun. Then calculate: Missed Opportunity equals what you need to not go broke over Empty Spaces times 10.  Solve for X. How does it work? First, pick several big races within about a 100-mile radius from your event. Consider events that are similar to your event, but might not be in direct competition (adventure races, orienteering, trail runs, etc.). The idea is to hit enough big races to give your pre-registration a good enough boost. With that list in hand, start to see which races will let you do one or all of the following: Become a sponsor Be a new source for volunteers Be a racer among racers Putting a Roadshow into Practice What if you wanted to promote your upcoming race during a big event? In this example, I talk about the process of reserving and utilizing a vendor space during last year's USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals at Snowshoe, West Virginia. Some of the links from my example can be found here: http://www.usacycling.org/2017/mountain-bike-nationals https://s3.amazonaws.com/USACWeb/forms/natchamps/2017/2017MTBUSACyclingVendorApplication.pdf Turn Coffee into Outdoor Recreation Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that is "all about the bean". Ricks Roasters is passionate about mountain bike racing, veteran-owned businesses, and coffee! Give Ricks Roasters a Try before December 31st, 2018 When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off your first order! Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 (540) 318-6850 Ricks Roasters on Facebookinfo@RicksRoasters.com And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #36 When you compare your local races to championship races you learn that it's the same plan, course design, and processes, only on a bigger scale. Merchants of Dirt Podcast Turns One! Merchants of Dirt Podcast released Episode #1 on On October 13th, 2016. It all started after I built Reckoneer.com into a strong blog about off-road race direction and event management. I was looking for another way to share my race building tips without having to always point people to my articles. That's when I discovered podcast production and that I could create content that people could listen to while out on the trail. Merchants of Dirt has now grown into 30+ episodes, expanding all my Reckoneer.com articles into something far more impactful. It even led to my spin-off podcast Get Lost Racing and the development of my first race building tools: The Go-Loop Process and the Race Promotion Roadmap. In just one year I have learned how to use this podcasting medium to make a difference that has directly helped race directors build better races. Which is a very cool feeling! So, in honor of my 1st podcast anniversary, I want to thank everyone that has subscribed to this podcast, shared this podcast with a friend, given me feedback, and kept me motivated to continue this show. I look forward to continuing the Merchants of Dirt Podcast for another 30 episodes! Everything’s Bigger in Montana When you compare your local race to a championship race you would be surprised. Surprised to learn that it's the same plan, same course design, and same process... only bigger! Sure it's a massive undertaking. Sure it’s full of hundreds of racers. And of course, you’re going to need more staff, more parking, and possibly a bigger boat. But that has everything to do with scale. Your Small Race IS a Big Race only smaller Building a big race is no different than building a small race. It's just like a small event... only bigger! #1 -- Same planning process: You still need a good venue, permission to use it via a permit, insurance to protect the race director and the racers, marketing to get racers to come, and officials to make it all legitimate. #2 -- Same course design process: You still need to define the course, fix the trail to make it work, figure out the best way to make it safe, mark the course to make it make sense, and clean it all up when the race is done. #3 -- Same race day direction and execution process: You still need to get everyone registered, get them to the starting line, keep them safe during the race, find a way to know who won, give everyone results, and have a podium of the top winners. Paying it Back When you get to that special time of year, you have to think about paying it back to those that have made my year great. I have three groups I want to acknowledge for 2017: #1 -- Bikenetic Shout-Out Bikenetic Full Service Bicycle Shop owned by Jan Feuchtner [Foo-Kit-Ner] and Helen Huley is a small, family-owned shop in Falls Church, Virginia. Jan and Helen are bike enthusiasts and have a love for all things bike, centering their bicycle shop around the Kona, Jamis, Bianchi, Salsa, Raleigh, and Surly brands. What did Bikenetic do? Bikenetic is serious about supporting local biking. Not only did Bikenetic provide the support to help me launch the George Mason University Cycling Club in 2014, but when my Wolf Bouncer mountain bike race was having trouble finding podium prizes, Jan and Helen stepped in to save the day with all sorts of products for race winners. Every time I have asked for help, Bikenetic has been there. Actions speak louder than words, and if the actions of Jan and Helen should tell you just what kind of service you will get at Bikenetic. It is worth the trip to Bikenetic Bikenetic Full Service Bicycle Shop 201 W. Jefferson St. Falls Church, VA 22046 Contact them at (703) 534-7433, on Facebook, or info@bikenetic.com #2 -- Will Nichols Shout-Out Will Niccolls is the host of the Angry Mountain Biker Show podcast, PMBIA (Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association) Certified Level 1 mountain bike instructor, Wilderness First Aid Certified, Adventure and wildlife photographer, Podcaster, mountain biker, rock climber, lover of chips and salsa. So when it comes to mountain biking, Will knows what he's talking about. Learn more about Will Will was kind enough to come out to my Wolf Bouncer mountain bike race in September and take some fantastic action photos of the riders. You can find Will's podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Facebook, or see his camera work at Will Niccolls Photography #3 -- Ricks Roasters Shout-Out Ricks Roasters Coffee Company owned by Sean and Keely Ricks is a veteran and family-owned coffee roaster and coffee wholesaler in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Sean and Keely Ricks are passionate about coffee and went into business with the belief that is it IS "all about the bean". Give Ricks Roasters a Try When you place your first order of Ricks Roasters coffee from ricksroasters.com, use my exclusive Promo Code: Wolf Bouncer -- and receive 13-percent off (First order only). Ricks Roasters is Good Coffee: Ricks Roasters Coffee Company 1304 Interstate Business Park Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405 Contact them at (540) 318-6850, on Facebook, or info@RicksRoasters.com And Now You Know! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!

Merchants of Dirt Episode #35 Learn how to prepare yourself for the possibility that one or all of the four horsemen of race planning will show up and wreck your race. The Four Horsemen of the Race Planning Apocalypse Competition - You have to protect your top dates and locations Permission - You have to be actively engaged in your venues if you want park approval Registration - You have to keep feeding your customers your marketing right up until race day Cancellation - You have to accept that you have no control over the weather The Horseman of Competition Competition - Races on your same day. You have to protect your top dates and locations by being Hard to Kill. Here are some key strategies for surviving the Horseman of Competition: Plan in way in advance Target your ideal venues long before you season is over Get your permits in early -- get your "No's" early Schedule your park manager meetings early Learn your competitor's schedules Focus on the parks you NEED Have a backup for those you can change Learn more at Reckoneer.com - Article: Strategies for Picking Your Race Dates The Horseman of Permission Permission - Permit to use of trails. You have to be actively engaged in your venues if you want park approval by Always Being Present. Here are some key strategies for surviving the Horseman of Permission: Park Departments are very "risk averse" Know what park management think in "years" not "months" Reach for everything you can get by asking for your wish list The first reaction will be "No" GO talk with the park manager Find out real reasons Talk to them about why you want to do your course that way Earn favor with trail days Accept the possible and compromise Plan for Next Year, accept your fate for This Year Learn more at Reckoneer.com - Article: Get your next race permit approved The Horseman of Registration Registration - Getting people paying early. You have to keep feeding your customers your marketing right up until race day by Always Be Selling. Here are some key strategies for surviving the Horseman of Registration: Have a plan for making Good (and Frequent) Impressions Repetition is required to accomplish conversion Sales are three things: persistence, persistence, and persistence Have something to sell Have multiple channels to sell it on Open Pre-Registration early Update your website early Share on Social Media every - 4 to 8 weeks before your race Share with your email list as certain times (don't spam) Learn more at Adventure Race Hub - Article: Marketing for Adventure Races Learn more at Reckoneer.com - Article: How not to suffer pre-registration woes Learn more at Reckoneer.com - Article: Put away the shotgun and start messaging with precision The Horseman of Cancellation Cancellation - Nature impacting your day. You have to accept that you have no control over the weather and need to Roll with the Punches. Here are some key strategies for Surviving the Horseman of Cancellation: Have a plan Know your seasons Have a policy in place for canceling, refunds, and rain dates Have rain dates Have contingency plans (backup course designs) Be flexible and accept that some race courses will be just ok There is always next year to do awesome Learn more at Reckoneer.com - Article: Check your venue before race day, or else Learn more at Reckoneer.com - Article: How to bounce back when everything goes wrong And Now You Know! What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #34 You will never effectively adapt your races to unforeseen problems if you don't have any measures or metrics to base decisions on. I explore the process of deciding how to break up a race day category that had too many racers, and the advantages having (and not having) data gave me. The Decision Metric Do you have a system for collecting data about your races? Do you look at the numbers, analyze your situation, and make sure everything is going as planned? If you’ve promoted more than one race, you have plenty of data at your fingertips. But if you never sit down and turn that data into information, you may not be seeing trends that make that data useful. Worse yet, you may miss opportunities that good data analysis will give you too. In this episode, I’m going to show you why measures and metrics are important, how you can turn your data into useful information, and they how to use that information to make data driven decisions that matter when they need to matter! Or you could keep doing what you’ve always done and use your gut feelings to base all your decision on. That’s never let you down, right? What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Trek and Trail 11: XTERRA Triathlon Get lost in the endurance sport of XTERRA Triathlon by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is XTERRA Triathlon? The XTERRA Triathlon is a brand named version of a Cross or Off-Road triathlon series raced around the world. The XTERRA is officially the creation of TEAM Unlimited LLC -- a company based in Honolulu, Hawaii. TEAM Unlimited started the series as the Aquaterra in 1996 and later renamed their version of the Cross Triathlon to XTERRA. Now with over 42 races in 33 different countries, XTERRA is the most popular version of the Cross or Off-Road Triathlon format. The XTERRA Triathlon requires competitors to perform well in three equally difficult stages: Open Water Swim Mountain Bike Trail Run Since XTERRA is active in having its brand associated with endurance sports, many of their XTERRA triathlons also include a duathlon event consisting of: Trail Run Mountain Bike Trial Run The first trail run is usually an abbreviated course to roughly match the swim times, with the mountain bike and trail running stages the same as the triathlon. XTERRA has even branched out to include a XTERRA Trail Running series to coincides with its XTERRA triathlon series. But for the sake of this episode of Get Lost Racing, I'm only going to focus on the XTERRA Triathlon series. What the heck is XTERRA Triathlon? Who can race a XTERRA? How does a XTERRA Triathlon Race work? What is XTERRA Culture like? How do you get ready for a XTERRA? What kind of gear do you need for XTERRA? Where can I get help training for my XTERRA? How do you get serious about XTERRA? How do I race in the XTERRA World Tour? Why do XTERRA? XTERRA Gear and Info Links VIDEO: XTERRA Promo XTERRA Couch to Trail Program Top Mountain Bikes Top Trail Running Shoes Top Triathlon Wetsuits VIDEO: 2016 XTERRA Pan American Championship Highlights VIDEO: 2016 XTERRA World Championship Highlights Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #33 You need to be on your toes when it comes to combating those wannabe activists and trail extremists who are out to sabotage your race. In this episode, I teach you what you can learn about your own race day preparation process with a real-world example of a Mr. Murphy and his race day sabotage antics. The Wheel of Woe Wheel of Misfortune (aka The Wheel of Woe) is a mythical device where every time you spin it, it lands on something bad. Then Mr. Murphy does that bad thing to you! Hence the WOE part as in Woe is me! Fortunately, I’ve been around a dozen spins of the wheel of woe, and know most of Mr. Murphy’s tricks and this episode I am going to teach you what to do to survive when Mr. Murphy makes you spin the wheel of woe. Don’t think it can happen to you? Think again. Chances are if you’ve been around any kind of race promotion for at least one minute you’ve already meet your own Mr. Murphy. Mr. Murphy is not only that force of nature -- or divine intervention -- that causes whatever can go wrong to go wrong, at the worst possible time, and in the worst possible sequence. Unfortunately, the metaphor of Mr. Murphy can possess people too. Saboteurs, race haters, trail activists, nature purists -- they have all sorts of names -- but what they all have in common is they HATE off-road racing. If you haven’t had the privilege of meeting your own Mr. Murphy, buckle up because they are EVERYWHERE! And it’s only a matter of time before you get your opportunity to enjoy your turn at the Wheel of Woe. Fear not! Today is a good day for learning how to deal and even beat back the Mr. Murphys' that torment race promoters everywhere. What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Trek and Trail 10: No-Snow Biathlon Get lost in the endurance sport of No-Snow Biathlon by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is No-Snow Biathlon? To understand No Snow Biathlon, you need to first know what a biathlon is. The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and precision rifle shooting. Competitors race for miles around a trail system whose total distance is divided into either two or four shooting rounds. Shooting round is divided into one-half standing and one-half in the prone position. For each shooting round, the biathlete must hit five targets and receives a penalty for each missed target. If you miss any of the targets, extra distance or time is added to your total running distance/time in the form of mini penalty laps. The contestant with the shortest total time wins. Recreationalists, endurance racers, off-road enthusiasts, and even potential biathletes now have more options than ever before to enter the world of biathlon without snow. Newcomers to trail running or even roller skiing can also find the no-snow biathlon experience to be a welcome distraction. For those interested in taking the no-snow principles into the alpine, any endurance conditioning that creates a strong physical base can benefit anyone looking to build an off-season, cross-country skiing physique. With only a little bit of creativity, potential athletes in snowless regions can develop their own opportunities for simulating the near-real world conditions you will find in a biathlon event. Episode Highlights: What is the biathlon? What is the no-snow biathlon? What gear do I need to start in biathlon? What makes the no-snow biathlon different from biathlon? What skills do I need to be competitive? Where do you a race in a no-snow biathlon? No-Snow Biathlon Gear Links Jenex Roller Skis Wood Roller Skis Men’s Trail Running Shoes Women’s Trail Running Shoes Where to Shoot in Virginia NRA Range Services Nordic Marksman, Inc. Gun Broker (Biathlon) No-Snow Biathlon Race Links U.S. Biathlon Team USA – Event Run and Gun / Gears and Guns Biathlon Weekend, Flat Rock Ranch, Comfort, TX Friends of Oil Creek State Park – Summer Biathlon, Rouseville, PA Pennsylvania Biathlon – Gravel Biathlon, Altoona, PA Whistler Biathlon Society – Summer Biathlon Series, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #32 Do know what kind of thinking goes into deciding when to call the race due to rain? Join me as I continue my Inside the Race Director's Studio series with Part 2, and take you behind the scenes of the third mountain bike race in my four-race series. Behind the Scenes It might be hard to believe that the Washington DC Metro area has any quiet parks, however, Wakefield Park is one of those hidden destinations that only the locals know about. It is a must for anyone looking to mountain bike here, and if you're lucky, you can plan your recreation vacation just in time to race there too! Every Summer, the Potomac Velo Club turns four Wednesday afternoons in a row into a backyard bike fest that can only have one name: Wednesdays at Wakefield! Now in its 15th year, Wednesdays at Wakefield is one of the few mid-week mountain bike races in the country. The series just completed race #3, but not without its challenges. Mainly the arrive of rain right in the middle of the race. Learn what goes into the decision to continue the race or stop it before things get out-of-hand. Are you ready to go back inside the Race Director's Studio? And now you know. What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Trek and Trail 9: Ultrarunning Get lost in the endurance sport of Ultrarunning by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Ultrarunning? You might be familiar with some very popular marathons like the Boston Marathon, the New York City Marathon, and Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. All of these races are limited to 26.2 miles. Some consider a runner who runs multiple marathons to be an Ultra Runner. However, the be considered a true ultrarunner -- especially by those that consider themselves ultrarunners -- you need to go beyond the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. And in most instances, take your ultrarunning off-road and into the wild. Ultrarunning has many names: endurance running, ultramarathoning, ultra trail running, and even beyond marathon running. Whatever you call it, Some consider a runner who runs multiple marathons to be an Ultra Runner. However, the be considered a true ultrarunner -- especially by those that consider themselves ultrarunners -- you need to go beyond the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. And in most instances, take your ultrarunning off-road and into the wild. Ultrarunning has many names: endurance running, ultramarathoning, ultra trail running, and even beyond marathon running. Whatever you call it, Ultrarunning has many names: endurance running, ultramarathoning, ultra trail running, and even beyond marathon running. Whatever you call it, ultrarunning is essentially the sport of competing in events with courses measuring 30, 50, or 100 miles in distance. As the distance increases, the number of finishers dramatically drops off. Many try to compete in these events, but due to the extreme distance, ultra running has one of the highest DNF rates in endurance sports. Far higher than other extreme races like the Ironman or XTERRA triathlons. In fact, some ultra running events like the Barkley Marathons 100 Miler are so difficult, they have seen entire races suffer a 100-percent did not finish (DNF) rate. Not all 100-mile ultra races are created equal, but most are so hard that you are required to show proof that you completed shorter races (30 to 50 Not all 100-mile ultra races are created equal, but most are so hard that you are required to show proof that you completed shorter races (30 to 50 milers) to even register. This makes the world of ultrarunning and ultra racing a special sub-culture of runners that are unique among endurance sports athletes. The key to ultrarunning is the ability to be resilient and just keep going even when the going is painful. While there are a lot of positive people running ultras, complete with smiles and happy faces, it takes a very determined individual to push through the tough times that running a big Ultra can produce. Episode Highlights: What gear do you need to start Ultra Running? How do you start Ultra Running? Where do you a race in an Ultra? How do you Improve your chances of finishing an ultra run? What do they not tell you about ultra running? GLR Episode Links Leadville Trail 100 Race, Leadville, CO Badwater 135 - Death Valley, CA Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run, Silverton, CO Fat Dog 120 Trail Race - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Spartathlon - Athens to Sparta, Greece The Barkley Marathon - 100 Mile Run (Not an official website) Trail Runner Magazine - 20 Beginner-Friendly Trail Ultras Reckoneer - Build Your Own Ultra Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #31 Putting one race together is a challenge, but imagine putting four races together over a four-week stretch? Join me for the first in a two-part series called Inside the Race Director's Studio, where I take you behind the scenes of four race mountain bike racing series. The Moving Parts of Race Day Logistics I just directed a local mountain bike race that took place in a quiet little park just off the Washington DC Beltway. It might be hard to believe that the Washington DC Metro area has any quiet parks, however, Wakefield Park is one of those hidden destinations that only the locals know about. It is a must for anyone looking to mountain bike here, and if you're lucky, you can plan your recreation vacation just in time to race there too! Every Summer, the Potomac Velo Club turns four Wednesday afternoons in a row into a backyard bike fest that can only have one name: Wednesdays at Wakefield! Now in its 15th year, Wednesdays at Wakefield is one of the few mid-week mountain bike races in the country. In this episode, I am going to take you behind the scenes of the first race in the 4 race series and give you some insight into what goes into directing a race like this. Are you ready to go back inside the Race Director's Studio? And now you know. What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #30, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. This is your insider's guide to practical recreational engineering where I teach you the art and science of building, promoting, and directing off-road races. In this episode, I illustrate how to turn a No into Yes and get into places you’ve never raced before by using an approach that will help you form better relationships with your local trail steward organizations. An Example of a Beautiful Partnership I explore an interesting example found in a recent article in Dirt Rag Mountain Bike Magazine of how to form a relationship with trail stewards The article titled ACCESS: Tomorrow Sometimes Comes - Flood Becomes the Catalyst for a Beautiful Partnership by Ben Davis (DirtRag Issue #199, Pages 54-58, July 1, 2017) talks about how a 2013 flood helped change mountain biking in Golden, Colorado forever. By understanding his story, you not only see how he helped transform the perception of mountain bikers in Golden, but how you too can use this approach to: Build better relationships with trail stewards by being the first to volunteer Take on a servant-first/benefits-second attitude when it comes to your view of trail maintenance Partner with other trail users (e.g. equestrian groups, hiking clubs) can be mutually beneficial Understand why you need to be the one to set the example Call to ActionThank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter or by Email. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on FacebookIf there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing PodcastIntroducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. About the Merchants of Dirt PodcastThe Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Sponsor Spotlight - Reckoneer.comReckoneer.com is your #1 resource for the race promoter who didn't major in business. The result is over 100 free lessons, strategies, and tools that give you a better way to build off-road and endurance races. Enjoy the best lessons learned in event design, race management, and race promotion that will help you grow your racing business, or give you a place to START on the path to becoming successful off-road race promoter! Build better races with Reckoneer.com today Thank You for ListeningNow go build better races!

Trek and Trail 8: Dual Slalom Mountain Biking Get lost in the endurance sport of Dual Slalom Mountain Biking by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Dual Slalom Mountain Biking? Riders ready? Watch the Gate. Beep… beep… beeeeeeep… bang! The start gate drops and two mountain bike riders quickly accelerate out of the starting chute of what will begin a full speed, 60-second assault of the Dual Slalom course. Unlike any other style of mountain bike racing, the dual slalom is the most intense, enjoyable, and spectator friendly mountain biking event there is. The details are simple. Dual slalom consists of two racers battling it out next to each other on two almost identical single track courses. In less than a minute, these riders must race against each other while navigating berm turns, tabletop jumps, drop in sections, and their own speed. Fastest to the bottom of the hill wins the run, and the time difference is recorded. Then they head back up to the top of the hill, swap lanes, and race again. The slowest rider from the first run has to overcome the deficit in the second run or be eliminated. The combined time from two runs determines the winner. The mechanics of deciding the winner is also a simple process. Qualifying runs will determine the racing order in a bracket system. But not all qualifying methods are the same. During the qualifying ride, riders can be: Randomly paired up with a simple playing card draw (Red paired with black, high paired with low) -- BMX style Matched with even bib numbers in one column going down, with the odd bib numbers in the other going up First come, first served using a coin toss to decide who gets what track Allowed solo rides down the course to determine placement based on time Regardless how you decide the pairing, the goal is to get both riders to race against each other and get a finish time at the bottom of the course. During the first round of competition, the top fastest qualifiers race against the bottom slowest during the first round. Racers then compete in a knock-out format until ultimately two riders are left and a winner is decided. Granted, the faster riders have to ride more rounds, but with both riders riding both sides of the course, any advantage one track gives is countered by the disadvantage the other creates. This provides a fair and balanced way of determining the winner. Episode Highlights: What the heck is dual slalom mountain biking? How does dual slalom work? What gear do you need to race dual slalom? What Mountain Bike works best? How do you train for a dual slalom race? How do you win a dual slalom race? Where do you race dual slalom? Why should you race dual slalom? GLR Episode Links Sea Otter Classic, Monterey, CA Crankworx Whistler, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships -- Snowshoe, WV USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships -- Missoula, MT Gravity Soul, Frederick, Maryland 2017 Mid-Atlantic Cup (MAC) Slalom Series Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games, Mammoth Lake, CA (Sometimes has Dual Slalom races) Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #29, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. This is your insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering where I teach you the art and science of building, promoting, and directing off-road races. In this episode, learn how race promoters use the Always Be Racing (ABR) growth model to maintain their sales volume enough to make racing a full-time gig. Always Be Racing Building volume has everything to do with the number of races you host in a season. Consider it your racing portfolio and it is an essential part of a new approach I want to teach you today called ABR -- a simple term that means “Always Be Racing”. Call to ActionThank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter or by Email. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on FacebookIf there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing PodcastIntroducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. About the Merchants of Dirt PodcastThe Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Sponsor Spotlight - Reckoneer.comReckoneer.com is your #1 resource for the race promoter who didn't major in business. The result is over 100 free lessons, strategies, and tools that give you a better way to build off-road and endurance races. Enjoy the best lessons learned in event design, race management, and race promotion that will help you grow your racing business, or give you a place to START on the path to becoming successful off-road race promoter! Build better races with Reckoneer.com today Thank You for ListeningNow go build better races!

Trek and Trail 7: Bikejoring Get lost in the endurance sport of Bikejoring by explaining how it works, what gear you need, and where you can go to get lost racing it. What the heck is Bikejoring? Bikejoring is an endurance sport made from the perfect blend of mountain biking and dog handling. Placed together into one grand event, this sport has all the feel of an Iditarod sled race, but without the need for snow. An offshoot of sledding, bikejoring (or bikejor) is an endurance sport that attaches a pair of sled dogs (or team) to a mountain bike via a towline. The dog team then pulls the mountain bike rider (or driver) over a soft trail or dirt road course either during a time trial or paired heats. The catch is that the mountain bike has no chain. All the power comes from the dogs along a straightaway with the fastest dog team and rider over three runs wins. Most courses avoid paved or gravel roads to keep from injuring the dog paws Since the dogs have to remain in front of the mountain bike at all times, any driver can be beaten by a team with more control. Episode Highlights Bikejoring Introduction How it Works Types of Races Equipment Used Where is it Raced Get Lost Racing Show Links Bikejor.com International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) K9 Trail Time - Bikejor Training IFSS Dryland World Championships 2017 Sled Dog Central - Spokane Dirt Rondy United States Federation of Sleddog Sports (USFSS) Disabled Sports USA Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #28, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. In this episode, you learn why waivers your first line of defense against personal injury lawsuits and remind you that it is your duty as a race promoter to avoid being negligent. Having a Solid Liability Waiver is VitalAll off-road sports are inherently dangerous and involve clear risks, but so is not having a well-written liability waiver. Not only are waivers your first line of defense against personal injury lawsuits, but they remind you that, as a race promoter, it is your duty to avoid being negligent. By making your racer’s sign a liability waiver, you require them to read and acknowledge that they assume the risk of injury that could result from a race. However, it also reminds you that a waiver only covers you to a point. You should probably know the answer to this question long before you ever hold your first race. Sponsor Spotlight - Reckoneer.comReckoneer.com is your #1 resource for the race promoter who didn't major in business. The result is over 100 free lessons, strategies, and tools that give you a better way to build off-road and endurance races. Enjoy the best lessons learned in event design, race management, and race promotion that will help you grow your racing business, or give you a place to START on the path to becoming successful off-road race promoter! Build better races with Reckoneer.com today Steps to a Good WaiverWhen you’re ready to start changing, start applying the techniques of: #1 — Don’t make it up yourself In classic liability waiver cases, a racer injured while participating in your off-road race will have a questionable liability claim due to their signing of a liability waiver. That is if your liability waiver is valid and enforceable. Don’t try to save a few bucks and leave yourself unprotected by trying to create a weak liability waiver yourself. #2 — Don’t race without knowing your State’s law Liability waivers in most States are a mixed bag of legal issues when it comes to enforcing them outright. In simple terms, a liability waiver does three things for both you and your racers: It informs them that off-road racing is inherently dangerous and involve clear risks It limits their right to sue you in the event of injury It provides an assumption of risk defense that can be utilized by you in the event of a legal claim #3 — Don’t be surprised when you get sued Unfortunately, being sued is a part of being in the race promotion business. We all know that injuries are going to happen, and most are going to be self-inflicted. But regardless of the liability waiver, an injured racer’s signed, a few will still try to come after you for damages. The study cited by Stites & Harbison stated that of the over four million extreme sports injuries reported between From 2000 to 2011. many of them showed that exculpatory clauses (e.g. liability waivers) were found to valid and enforceable under common law principles. When the exculpatory clauses (e.g. liability waivers) violated public policy or the damage was the result of willful or wanton conduct on the part of the defendant, they were found to be not valid and unenforceable. In other words, when the injury is a result of the race promoter’s gross negligence or deliberate misconduct, the liability waiver did not provide any legal protection. Call to ActionThank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter or by Email. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on FacebookIf there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing PodcastIntroducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. About the Merchants of Dirt PodcastThe Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Thank You for ListeningNow go build better races!

Trek and Trail 6: Mountain Bike Orienteering Get lost in the endurance sport of Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO) by learning how it works, what gear you need, and where you can race it. What the heck is Mountain Bike Orienteering? The sport of mountain bike orienteering (MTBO) is a mountain bike race where riders use a map and compass to navigate the course by finding orange/white flags (controls or checkpoints) in the correct order. The goal of any MTBO racer is to be the fastest rider to find all of the controls (in the correct order) faster than anyone else. If you do that, you win! Unlike a typical mountain bike cross-country (XC) race that requires you stay with a lead pack, MTBO riders can be all over the course with no one knowing how far or near they are to first place. Adding to the mental challenge of having to read a map, paying attention to which trail is which, and making good route choices is what makes MTBO both physically and intellectually satisfying. MTBO is more than just a being a good mountain bike rider; it also requires you to be a good thinker and decision maker. Map reading, navigation, and quick decisions can actually make you faster on an MTBO course than a rider who is in better shape than you. However, when you mix natural speed (based on a good physical foundation) with excellent navigation skills, you create an athlete that is both fast and smart. This is why MTBO America’s slogan is Fast brains make fast bikes! Episode Highlights MTBO Introduction How it Works Types of Races Equipment Used Where is it Raced Get Lost Racing Show Links MTBO America Orienteering USA International Orienteering Federation (IOF) World MTB Orienteering Championship 2017 Junior World MTB Orienteering Championship 2017 Austrailian MTBO Championships 2017 Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #27, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. In this episode, you can't fix a race you never start, so stop caring about what other people might think and go define your own race direction style. Negative Thinking Reality Checks Reality Check #1 -- Everyone starts somewhere YOU HAVE VALUE and your race will have value too, but you can’t create value if you never actual build the thing. Reality Check #2 -- Anything worth doing is hard But if it was easy, everyone would be doing it and If you never start, you will never get better. Reality Check #3 -- You can only please half of your customers half of the time The few bad people will never be happy, no matter what you do. So stop letting the possibility of someone having a bad time bother you. Sponsor Spotlight - Reckoneer.comReckoneer.com is your #1 resource for the race promoter who didn't major in business. The result is over 100 free lessons, strategies, and tools that give you a better way to build off-road and endurance races. Enjoy the best lessons learned in event design, race management, and race promotion that will help you grow your racing business, or give you a place to START on the path to becoming successful off-road race promoter! Build better races with Reckoneer.com today Build New Coping SkillsWhen you’re ready to start changing, start applying the techniques of: Coping Skill #1 -- Feedback is a force multiplier Use positive feedback to keep yourself motivated and ignore the negative feedback that is not constructive. Coping Skill #2 -- Don’t be afraid to experiment Experiment, discover new things and always be learning. Coping Skill #3 -- The hard slog is easily overlooked Accept that there are no overnight successes and only compare yourself TO yourself. The key is to take action. Call to ActionThank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter or by Email. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on FacebookIf there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing PodcastIntroducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. About the Merchants of Dirt PodcastThe Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Thank You for ListeningNow go build better races!

Trek and Trail 5: Enduro Mountain Biking Get lost in the endurance sport of Enduro Mountain Biking by learning what gear you need, what skills you have to develop, and where to get your lobotomy. What the heck is Enduro Mountain Biking? The Enduro (short for Endurance) is a Gravity competition that combines all the best parts of Downhill racing into a multi-day event. An Enduro is by far the most exciting event in mountain biking right now considering how it does not require riders to exhaust themselves with climbing hills. Most Enduro events include 5 to 8 downhill races, where the uphill parts are used as a prelude. Racers can get a drink, take a nap, or even walk to the summit of their next downhill stage of the race. Because that made Enduro riders seem lazy, some race promoters decided to have an Enduro that made the Uphill (UH) parts a race right alongside the downhill parts. For every world championship format of Enduro is four other formats that mix it up to include just about anything. Since formats for Enduros vary, most national competitions replace the need to grind up hills in favor of a gentle ski lift ride to the top. However, not having to ride uphill does not make it any less daunting. What Enduro lacks in hill climbs it makes up for in multiple downhill rides, usually over a weekend where riders ride downhill trails over and over again. Some events even require riders to remove their chain in a “chainless” ride down the hill, with only pure gravity and skill to get them to the bottom. Most Enduros take all the rider’s best times over the multiple events, rank them, and add the time differences up. When the final numbers are tallied, they make the final race a pursuit-style cross country or Super-D race. This is where each rider gets a head-start based on their times in the previous stages and makes the competition a “winner take all” race to the final finish line. The end result of this format is an event that forces riders into a level the playing field. While Enduros try to combine all the skills of mountain biking into one event by requiring riders to be more well-rounded, the international competition is still centered mostly around downhill riding. Episode Highlights Enduro Introduction How it Works Types of Races How it is Changing Get Lost Racing Show Links Crankworxs -- Enduro World Series Giant Toa Enduro Sea Otter Classic Oregon Enduro -- Oregon Enduro Series, Bend, Oregon Blue Ridge Adventures -- Pisgah Stage Race, Brevard, North Carolina Rapid Ascent -- The Redback Stage Race, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #26, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. In this episode, Cy Sack from adventureracehub.com walks me through the State of Adventure Racing and shows how a little data can go long ways to making big decisions. Interview with Cy SackI had the chance to interview Cy Sack from Adventureracehub.com. Cy gets into the analytics surrounding Adventure Racing and gives us a view into the State of American Adventure Racing that you will not believe. Unique sports analytics and data-driven decision making that only Cy Sack -- Adventure Racing's Big Data Scientist -- can provide! Cy dives deep into where adventure racing is thriving, where it needs help, what AR formats are most popular, why AR statistics are so hard to find, and why he things adventure racing needs to make some changes. Call to ActionThank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on FacebookIf there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing PodcastIntroducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. About the Merchants of Dirt PodcastThe Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Thank You for ListeningNow go build better races!

Trek and Trail 4: Orienteering Get lost in the endurance sport of Orienteering by learning what initial gear you need and how you get into the foot and trail orienteering community. What the heck is Orienteering? Orienteering Introduction Required Gear Skill Levels Required Types of Races How It Works Where to Start Get Lost Racing Show Links Orienteering USA Attack Point Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

About the Merchants of Dirt Podcast The Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Show Notes Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #25, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. This is your insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering where I teach you the art and science of building, promoting, and directing off-road races. In this episode, I talk about what strategies you can use to improve your next events registration numbers. How to sell out your race How Pre-Registration Works: Getting an event set up on an event registration site gets your event on their front page, in their search engine, and out on the Internet for your racers to hopefully find. This allows you to generate a cash flow long before your event’s race day. The Pre-Registration Sellout Myth: Popular events have created a huge mythos around the success of online pre-registration. This has created a false impression for most new race directors that think that pre-registration is the end all and be all of getting folks to their races. Unfortunately, what registration websites do not provide you with is a guarantee that racers will actually register early. Low Pre-Registration Fallout: Additionally, professional timing companies (especially the ones with those nice radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips) don’t come to races that cannot attract more than 100 pre-registered racers. But to make matters worse, venues like State and Regional parks also have issues with low pre-registration turnouts. Pre-Registration Tactics #1 – Create a Brand Identity: Create an event name that is memorable, not boring. A customer that can remember the name of your event will most likely remember it nine months later when it comes time to sign up and race it again. #2 – Create Collateral: Develop your own trail maps, event flyers, and branded materials that you can give to racers and businesses. Having handouts — both printed and digital — is a quick way to share your event without having to explain it over and over again. #3 – Have a Real Website: A real event website not only states that you are serious about producing your event but also creates a home for building a branded product. #4 – Create Advertisements: Now it’s time to get the word out to your audience and inform everyone that one of your event dates is approaching (within three months). This is when you open your pre-registration site or page on your website, advertise how early registration can save them money, and add any new info (videos, blog posts, sponsors) to your website. #5 – Open Pre-Registration: If you’ve primed the engine of anticipation with your customer base and determined your graduated pricing levels and change dates, you can now finalize and open pre-registration at least two months before your event. Final Thoughts The Early Promoter Catches the Racer. Proper planning and early management of your event are critical to giving you enough time to effectively change tactics if things start to go wrong. Without the luxury of a time cushion, attempting any of these steps within only a few weeks of your race will most likely end in low turnout or worse, having to cancel your event. If you follow the above five tactics as part of your event management process, your pre-registration numbers should improve. And now you know. Coming Up Next In our next episode, I had the chance to interview Cy Sack from Adventureracehub.com. Cy gets into the analytics surrounding Adventure Racing and gives us a view into the State of American Adventure Racing that you will not believe. Unique sports analytics and data-driven decision making that only Cy Sack -- the Adventure Racing Data Scientist -- can provide! You do not want to miss the next Merchants of Dirt Podcast! All that and more on the next Merchants of Dirt Podcast! Call to Action Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on Facebook If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing Podcast Introducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. Thank You for Listening Now go build better races!

Trek and Trail 3: Cross-Country Mountain Biking Get lost in the endurance sport of Cross-Country Mountain Biking by learning what it is, what gear you need, and how to start racing it. What the heck is Cross-Country Mountain Biking? Cross-Country (XC) Mountain Biking Introduction Required Gear Skill Levels Required Types of Races How It Works Where to Start Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #24, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. This is your insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering where I teach you the art and science of building, promoting, and directing off-road races. In this episode, Mark Montague and I get into what it takes to put on adventure races. Interview with Mark MontagueAre you ready to take your race promotion skills to the next level? Then let me introduce you today’s guest, Mark Montague. Mark is the Founder and Race Director of Soggy Bottom Boys (SSB) Racing based in Portsmouth, Virginia. There are a lot of reasons to want to pay attention to what Mark and SSB Racing is doing. SSB Racing currently produces three of the toughest Adventure Races in Virginia each year -- with one of them an expedition level race called Storm the Eastern Shore -- an 18- to 24-hour event. That makes SSB Racing only one of two Adventure Racing promoters to do any 24-hour events in Virginia. You can find out all about these epic races over at sbbracing.com. Mark gets into all of this and more! Coming Up NextI’m going to get into strategies you can use to improve your race registration numbers. With a little practice and some discipline, I can show you how to NOT suffer the woes of poor registration turnout. All that and more on the next Merchants of Dirt Podcast! About the Merchants of Dirt PodcastThe Merchants of Dirt Podcast, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo, is a show dedicated to helping you build better off-road races and give you the sports management skills needed to promote successful mountain biking, trail running, orienteering, adventure racing, and endurance events. As part of the Reckoneer Media Network, Merchants of Dirt Podcast joins the Get Lost Racing Podcast in supporting Reckoneer’s education mission to teach race promoters how to build a successful race promotion business. Each episode provides subscribers with an insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering and useful race promotion education from the point-of-view of Kyle’s 20+ years of experience in the off-road racing industry. Call to Action Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on FacebookIf there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group. Get Lost Racing PodcastIntroducing my new podcast Get Lost Racing (GLR), hosted by me, will help you master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by teaching you what they are, how they work, and what makes them great -- one discipline at a time! Please check it out at getlostracing.com. Thank You for ListeningNow go build better races!

Trek and Trail 2: Adventure Racing Get lost in the endurance sport of Adventure Racing by learning what it is, what gear you need, and what training to should have before you start racing. What the heck is Adventure Racing? Adventure Racing Introduction Endurance Disciplines How It Works Required Gear Types of Races Where to Start Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #23, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. This is your insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering where I teach you the art and science of building, promoting, and directing off-road races. In this episode, I talk about what strategies you can use to be more consistent when you communicate with your customers. Have a Question? Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on Facebook If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group.  

Trek and Trail 1: Trail Running Get lost in the endurance sport of Trail Running by learning about the gear you need, where to start, and how you get into the trail racing community. What the heck is Trail Running? Trail running is a sport just like it sounds, where you run on trails. But unlike the paved version of running, trail running has some nuances and a culture that requires you to embrace some things that you may not be prepared to do if your into 5K’s or marathons, and anything in-between. Now a trail run normally extends 5 to 10 miles into the wilderness. Now you could talk about trails in the Southwest, or trails along the West Coast with big open areas near cities, not too far away from urban environments. However, most trail runs are in the woods and far away from civilization. Episode Highlights Trail Running Introduction Trail Shoes Hydration Emergency Equipment Racing Community Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Welcome to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast Episode #22, hosted by Reckoneer.com founder Kyle M. Bondo. This is your insider’s guide to practical recreational engineering where I teach you the art and science of building, promoting, and directing off-road races. In this episode, Michelle Faucher and I walk step by step through her latest adventure race launch and we learn how to Brake the Habit. Interview with Michelle Faucher Adventure racing is one of those sports that is really a bunch of sports all wrapped into one big sport. It’s like an off-road triathlon in the woods, but with canoes... and orienteering... and maps... and you get to decide the course. Wow! Adventure racing is really NOT like triathlon at all! So how would you ever go about building one of these races? I get a chance to talk a little Adventure Racing 101 with Michelle Faucher, Founder and Executive Director of Adventure Addicts Racing. There are a lot of reasons to want to pay attention to what Michelle and Adventure Addicts Racing is doing. AAR currently produces not one but four Adventure Races a year -- probably THE toughest formats to build in off-road racing. And if that wasn’t tough enough, they are involved in hosting this year’s XTERRA Charlottesville. Michelle is also the ONLY race promoters in the United States to produce a Women Only Adventure Race -- called The Buff Betty! You can find out all about these epic races over at adventureaddictsracing.com. Michelle gets into all of this and more! Call to Action Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter. I have a few things I want you to do right now: Action #1 -- Get my Monthly Newsletter Go to Reckoneer.com/Join and provide your email, and I will send you exclusive content ever month before anyone else. Action #2 -- Subscribe to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast By subscribing to my podcast you make sure you never miss an episode and provide me the confidence to keep going! Action #3 -- Feedback I want to know what you think about the podcast! If you would like to leave some feedback (and hopefully a 5-star rating on iTunes) please do the following: 1. Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. 2. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. 3. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Join the Conversation on Facebook If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Merchants of Dirt Race Promoters Group.

Get Lost in Season 1: Trek and Trail Master the endurance sports that make up off-road racing by learning what they are, how they work, and what makes them great. What the heck is Get Lost Racing? The Get Lost Racing Podcast, hosted by Kyle M. Bondo, is a podcast about defining off-road racing disciplines! Each episode takes a look at an off-road sport and explains what it is, how it works, and how you can experience it. How am I going to do that? By teaching you what they are, how they work, and how you can experience them. One discipline at a time. Why one discipline at a time? Ask yourself, "What is off-road racing?" Some define it as a format of racing where various classes of specially modified vehicles compete in races through off-road environments. Where does a mountain bike fit into that definition? Isn’t a mountain bike race an off-road race? Then you get someone to raise their hand and ask, "Don’t you mean endurance racing?" To which others define endurance racing as a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Motorsports again! Only this time its teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event. Sound like the motorsports rampage of the Baja 1000, not the mountain bike endurance race of the Whisky 50. Still, others might try to call it endurance sports. So what is endurance sports? Now, this is where it starts to get tricky. Endurance Sports is a relative description of just about any sport depending on the nature of the athlete in the sport. It could go on to describe any intense effort that lasts over 1 or more hours. A trail runner could consider a 5-mile run as an endurance sport, while an ultra-trail runner doing 100 miles would feel very differently from that definition. You could be overly scientific and determine that endurance sports are prolonged efforts in which you use your aerobic system more than your anaerobic system. Or you could use my definition, which is an off-road sport (like a 12-hour adventure race) that starts off fun, but then at some point in the middle, you find yourself saying, "Why do I do this?" Only to come full-circle about 10-minutes after it's all over, loving what you just did and wanting to do it again. The point is, off-road or endurance sports are very hard to define. No matter how you try to define it you'll always be left with someone pointing out that you forgot to consider one sport or another. The Mission of Get Lost Racing The Get Lost Racing Podcast is an attempt to explore each would-be off-road and endurance sport I can find, and find out what makes it tick. My plan is to select only sports that meet these three rules: #1 - It can’t have a motor #2 - It must take place in a rural, rugged, or non-paved environment, and #3 - It must look somewhat fun to race If it meets those rules, it's on the list. So far, those rules create a very long list! But it also provides plenty of off-road and endurance sports to chose from as I go through each one. We’ll see if changes over time. And we’ll also see if I can find some definitions for off-road and endurance sports that can improve on what's out there now. I Look Forward to you Listening Meanwhile, I look forward to having you join me on this journey of sports mastery. My wish is that you find some of these off-road sports interesting, and maybe even try a few yourself. Until then, I hope you Get Lost Racing! Outdoor Reckoneering Links Reckoneer - Business School for Race Directors Merchants of Dirt Podcast - Outdoor Event Management Our Sponsor Gagglepod - Become Podcast Worthy What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Get Lost Racing Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. Join the Conversation If you're thinking about creating a race for this discipline, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout.

Merchants of Dirt Episode #2 Walk you through the top five things I wished I had known before I built my first race and help you avoid some of the more painful trial and error lessons. -------------------------- Key Take Aways #1: You Will Never Have Enough Time #2: You Must Stay Humble #3: You Must Build Repeatable Systems #4: You Must Always Be Selling #5: You Are The Only One That Cares And now you know. -------------------------- What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! -------------------------- Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. -------------------------- Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. -------------------------- Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!  

Merchants of Dirt Episode #1 In this episode, I talk about the three reasons to get into off-road racing and the three lessons learned after 20 years in the racing industry that will keep you racing. -------------------------- Three Reasons to get into Off-Road Racing The three reasons most people get into the business of off-road racing: Reason #3 — To Make Some Money: There is a steady rise in America’s need to go outside. Reason #2 — To Be My Own Boss: As an independent race promoter, you’ve most likely been lured into the industry after experiencing one too many bad races. Reason #1 — To Make A Difference: An equally important reason is how the creation of your event can a positive influence for change within your community. Three Lessons Learned after 20 years of Racing After racing and working in the off-road racing industry for over 20 years, I have learned three (3) things: Lesson #1 — You do too much guessing: I have met few race promoters that have built their races — year after year — the same way twice. Lesson #2 — Starting is hard: I have met numerous people who want to get into off-road race promotion, but don’t know where to start. Lesson #3 — Race promoters need business skills: I have met too many race promoters that have gone out of business because they didn’t know how to make their racing business work. And now you know. -------------------------- What Do You Think? I want to know what you think about my podcast! Please leave me feedback by doing the following: Go to the Merchants of Dirt Podcast iTunes page. Click View in iTunes under the show artwork. Submit a review and give it a 5-star rating! -------------------------- Thank You for Listening Thank you so much for listening to Merchants of Dirt Podcast. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to me @MerchantsofDirt on Twitter, by Email, or my Contact Form. -------------------------- Join the Conversation If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please join my Facebook group: Race Promoters' Hangout. -------------------------- Support the Podcast Become my patron at Patreon!