Walkathon Maven

The Boston Marathon is one month away, and the event organizers are understandably doubling the security on the route. This article  in the Boston Globe reports that over 3,500 police are planned to work the event that day. I’m no math whiz, but it appears that there will be enough officers to place 100 of them for every mile, and still place 450 each at the start and finish. If I may dazzle you with more statistics, that is one officer for every 10 runners.

That’s allota security and also allotta money!

If you have read my previous post of the 3 budget-busting P’s, then you know that Police is one of the largest expenses you will have for your event. (The other two are Postage and Printing).  Who is paying for this increase in security? Here is the list of the sponsors for the marathon. I’m not sure if the One Fund is paying or if any of these sponsors are writing larger checks to pay for the doubled security.

The article also states that Spectators who plan to attend the marathon are being strongly discouraged from bringing backpacks, rolling bags, coolers and other large items, and are instead being asked to carry personal items in clear plastic bags. My friends and family usually cheer on our running pals from ‘our spot’ in Framingham, at the 6-mile mark.  I can tell you that we will probably NOT be carrying our personal items in clear plastic bags.  Unless Longchamp makes a clear plastic crossbody purse measuring 10x10x2 then I’ll be wearing my standby non-complaint bag to the event.  Maybe I’ll get frisked by one of the hundred officers in Framingham lining the route.  My kids should have a good story to tell at school after vacation week.

Another one of the new restrictions is the clamp-down on the running bandits. These are the folks that do not have a number and frequently runs wearing costumes.  Fun for the spectators but not for the event organizers. Imagine paying for the  porta-potties, hydration stops, first-aid and security for the 36,000 people (25% more than last year!) who have paid to be there and then multiply that by an unknown factor to accommodate the bandits.  They are not allowed this year and are “subject to official interdiction.”  I’ve never been witness to an ‘official interdiction”.  I hope it happens at Mile 6 so that my kids remember that instead of Mommy-being-frisked-for-carrying-an-opaque-bag.

Here is the schedule and event information for the Boston Marathon on April 21:

Here is the official site of the Boston Athletic Association, organizer of the Boston Marathon.

Who’s YOU?

If you are a fan of the Real Housewives dramedy-trash series on BravoTV then you may be familiar with the opening sequence where each of the featured Housewives introduce themselves with a little snarky one-liner describing their fabulousness. These taglines usually change from season to season.

For example, Carole Radziwill of RHONY has the following:

Season 5: “I may be a princess, but I’m definitely not a drama queen.”
Season 6: “If you’re going to talk about me behind my back, at least check out my great ass.”

(My fave series is Miami, since it has just the right mixture of Rich-People-Cray and Latina tempers)

You can see all of the Real Housewives taglines here.

So what does this have to do with walkathons?

Everything! The above mentioned taglines should get your mind in a space to think about how you introduce yourself, and your event in a professional setting.

You have probably heard of the ‘elevator pitch’, which is a brief description of who you are and what you do.

For example – “I am an entertainer in vertical kinetics industry”

Which means – “I am a pole dancer”

What is the ‘elevator pitch’ for you and your walk?

How do you position yourself, and your event in relation to the other million walkathons out there?

Once upon a time, when I worked on the Boston Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, the positioning statement was “the largest, single-venue one-day breast cancer walk in the nation”.  It think it is still true to this day. The New York area MSABC walks position themselves as “the largest, multi-venue one-day breast cancer walk in the nation”. See the difference?

When I work on a positioning statement with my clients, we try to determine what makes them different and what they can lay claim to with regards to size, issue and location.

Some ideas to get your started:

1. What are the largest similar events in the area (city, state, metro etc..)?
2. What other events focus on your issue in the area (city, state, metro etc..)?
3. How much money do you raise in comparison to similar events?
4. How many walkers do you have in comparison to similar events?

Even if you are celebrating your first year as a walk, you could still technically position yourself as “the only walk focusing on the issue of XYZ in the XXXXX zipcode”. Get the idea?

Find what makes you, your organization and your walk unique and use it to position yourself in the world!

So…….. Who’s YOU?