Head Start

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Clark Gardner , CEO of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon , for a conversation about leadership, resilience, and the ambition to bring the Abbott World Marathon Majors to Africa for the very first time. With Eliud Kipchoge preparing to race his first marathon...

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Chris Robb , CEO of Mass Participation World and one of the most influential global voices in endurance events, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of mass participation events.  What if governments treated marathons as public healthcare inf...

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Ted Metellus , Chief Event Production Officer and race director at New York Road Runners — the team behind the TCS New York City Marathon — for one of the most practical and insight-packed conversations on the podcast. With 27 years of experience produci...

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Hugh Brasher , CEO of London Marathon Events — the organization behind the TCS London Marathon , the UK’s biggest street party and the largest single-day fundraising event in the world. From its origin story in 1979 to its place today as one of the most...

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Wayne Larden , race director of the TCS Sydney Marathon — the seventh and newest Abbott World Marathon Major — to explore the evolution of one of the world’s most iconic city marathons. A 2:16 marathoner in his debut and now a leader shaping the next cha...

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Scott DeRue , CEO of the Ironman Group — a brand so deeply rooted in endurance sports that thousands of athletes have tattooed its logo on their skin — to discuss how community, identity, and experience are driving Ironman’s next chapter.  What does it t...

Welcome to “The Future of Running” podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Bill Quinn , Futurist at TCS — the global tech force behind the New York, London, and Sydney marathons — for a bold exploration of what’s next in race technology. From drones and AI to digital twins and smart hydration systems, this is a deep dive into t...

Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Jack Fleming , President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association and the driving force behind the Boston Marathon — the oldest and most storied marathon in the world — to discuss how this legendary race is embracing innovation, inclusion, an...

Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Mike Nishi , Chief Operating Officer of Chicago Event Management and a legendary force behind the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for over 30 years. It’s a masterclass in leadership, legacy, and long-term thinking from one of the most respecte...

Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Rob Simmelkjaer , CEO of New York Road Runners for a supercharged deep dive into the future of running.  What will the next decade of running look like? Why is NYRR producing a film for Tribeca? Can races go fully carbon neutral — and how soon?...

Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Dawna Stone , CEO of Abbott World Marathon Majors . Together, they unpack the latest milestones in global marathon events, including Sydney’s entry as the seventh major and the tantalizing possibility of Cape Town joining next. What does it tak...

In 1897, the Boston Athletic Association, then only ten years old, decided to organize the first ever Boston Marathon, thus giving birth to the longest continuously running marathon in the world. Of the 15 people who took part in the race, ten finished. And to commemorate the achievement of its members in that inaugural Boston Marathon, all ten finishers came away with a medal, thus giving birth t...

Welcome to "The Future of Running" podcast on Head Start presented by Brooksee and hosted by Phil Dumontet . In this episode, Phil sits down with Stacey Embretson , Senior Director of Operations for the LA Marathon , to go behind the scenes of one of the most iconic races in the country, exploring how the LA Marathon has evolved since 2008 and where it's headed next. What does the f...

Today we have something a little bit different for you: we are announcing the upcoming release of “The Future of Running” mini podcast series, a limited, five-episode podcast series hosted by Brooksee CEO, Phil Dumontet , here, on your Head Start podcast feed. Many of you may know Phil personally or may have heard of his work (or may even have listened to him on this podcast discussing the growth...

RunSignup’s annual RaceTrends report is the closest thing we get in the endurance events industry to a market-wide survey of what is happening in events and event participation. And the latest RaceTrends report for 2024 is out, shedding a unique light into the long-term trends taking shape in the race management industry. So, how are we doing? Is the COVID-era hangover well and truly behind us? Wh...

When it comes to putting on races, obtaining a permit (or permits, as the case may be) is one of the most fundamental aspects of the race planning process. However, with increasingly busier local event schedules and ever-changing permitting requirements, obtaining a permit for any event is becoming both costlier and more complicated than ever. So, how can you best navigate the event permitting pro...

Running USA ’s annual Global Runner Survey has always been an important gauge of runner attitudes and trends for the endurance events industry. And in 2024, following some key content additions, the report is more valuable than ever. So, how can you leverage runners’ fitness and social habits to increase the reach of your event? What is it that runners really value in a race? And how can you remov...

A couple of episodes back, we looked at event liability insurance: why it’s important that your race is covered by a robust liability insurance policy, the circumstances under which a liability policy would kick in, and what happens when it does. But there was a significant part of that discussion we only briefly touched on in that episode, and that was the importance of supporting your liability...

If you’ve ever directed even a single race, there’s a good chance you would have received at least one email from a frustrated participant complaining about the distance they ran not matching your race advertised distance. They do have a GPS watch, you know. And although it’s easy to jokingly dismiss these kinds of demands - most people do - there often is an uncomfortable point to the complaint:...

If there’s one thing you can’t have enough of as a race director, it’s race insurance. Particularly - knock on wood - when the unexpected happens and you’re faced with a dreaded lawsuit that threatens to take away your livelihood and your piece of mind. So how can you best protect yourself and your business from the risks associated with putting on a race? What will your standard event liability p...

When doors start dropping off planes mid-air or your favorite online retailer gets in touch to let you know your personal details may have been compromised, it’s tempting to think you may have done a better job handling that crisis were you in their shoes. But how well-prepared are you really to manage the many crises that can come up during the planning and delivery of your race? Anything from a...

It’s that time of the year again. RunSignup ’s annual RaceTrends report is out for 2023, and it’s larger and more comprehensive than ever before! Among the most notable trends highlighted in the report we see registrations for 2023 races up from 2022 and tantalisingly close to 2019 levels, entry fees continuing to climb across most race distances and event types, and encouraging trends in younger...

With more than 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs), Instagram has secured a comfortable lead as the social media platform of choice for the vast majority of online-active almost-30s and 30-somethings out there. And with Instagram’s core audience slowly aging to match running’s demographic sweet spot, it’s really important your race gets its Instagram strategy right soon, if you have an Instagram...

As a race director, few things in the race planning lifecycle can be as exciting and enjoyable as designing a brand new race course. From picking a start area to mapping out race distances and figuring out where to place amenities, such as aid stations, race course design constitutes an important first step in shaping your race’s identity - one that will likely affect all aspects of your race expe...

Building a race from the ground up, as anyone who’s done it will know, is a tough business. But what about planning, coordinating and growing a whole series of races, all with a common theme and brand identity? How do you finance and grow multiple races from scratch? How do you choose when and where to launch a new race? And how can you make use of local delivery partners to deliver new races on a...