Claim OwnershipHead Start
Subscribed: 11Played: 727
Subscribe
© 2025 Race Directors HQ
Description
Head Start is a podcast for race directors and anyone involved in the business of putting on races.
It doesn't matter where you're based or how many years experience you have or whether you're putting on a running race, a triathlon, an obstacle race or whatever. If you’ve got an interest in planning, organizing and growing endurance events, this is the podcast for you.
The focus of the podcast is twofold:
1) we bring you the latest and coolest innovations hitting the mass-participation endurance events industry, and
2) we bring you tips and actionable advice from industry experts to help you improve your race - one episode at a time.
Head Start is produced by RaceDirectorsHQ.com, an online resource platform and community network for race directors and race management professionals.
91 Episodes
Reverse
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 take to turn a race brand into a global lifestyle movement? Why is Ironman focused not just on ...
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 the future of major race experiences, including what that might look like for Boston. What if AI c...
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, and intention to shape the future of the sport while honoring its 127-year legacy. What happens when the world’...
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 respected figures in global marathon production. What do you do when your race is already sold out? How do you keep i...
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? From media savvy to mental health, fan engagement to climate action, Rob shares visionary insights and ...
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 take to become a World Marathon Major? And what’s the bold vision behind a possible Nine Star Medal? Dawna and P...
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 to one of the most enduring traditions in mass participation sports: the finisher medal. So, what ...
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 future of major city marathons look like? How do you innovate in an event with decades of history, while keeping pac...
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 of his Boulderthon race). If you have, you would know Phil as a very energetic, forward-looking le...
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? What do the numbers say for current and future participation growth in endurance events? And are th...
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 process? What things do you need to prepare for and focus on before reaching out to your local coun...
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 remove obstacles holding back your race’s growth from its full potential? That’s what we’re discussi...
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 protection with the use of a liability waiver. So, what is a liability waiver? What needs to b...
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: How do you know the actual distance of your race course, if it hasn’t been accurately measured a...
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 policy cover? What does it exclude? And how should you expect to be protected against legal and ...
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 late delivery of medals or an unfortunate slip-up on social media to a full blown race cancella...
1It’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 runner participation first seen in 2022 carrying through to 2023 numbers. With me today to go th...
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 strategy at all. So, how do you master Instagram’s highly-visual storytelling to reach new audi...
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 experience, safety planning and logistics for years to come. So, how do you nail this critical first...
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 budget, while ensuring your quality standards and vision are adhered to? That’s what we’ll be...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States