I hope everyone has a relaxing Thanksgiving planned! But, I know my audience and I know that most of you will spend Thanksgiving making sure the most important of holiday traditions went off without a hitch – the Turkey Trot. After spending the last decade waking up at 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day to work at Atlanta’s Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon & 5K, I am sure this year just won’t feel the same.
Every year, between 800,000 and 900,000 Americans run, walk or trot in Thanksgiving events across the country. It’s annually the biggest single day for the running event industry. For many event organizers, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to share the joy of running with new faces, whether they be out of town visitors or family members who got reluctantly dragged along by their ambitious relatives. But, the event experience you provide has the potential to make them fall in love with something they once saw as crazy.
We have been saying for months that more people are registering for events. Now, we know that more people are showing up too. Across the country, attrition rates are plummeting at races big and small. It’s great news with big challenges that impact budgeting and ordering race services. Running USA wants to understand just how much the trend has shifted and what kinds of races are seeing the biggest reduction in no-shows. Let us know what you’re seeing at your events by taking this short survey.
And don’t be a no-show when we meet in Louisville this February to discuss this topic and so many others that are important to the industry right now. We will be announcing the full lineup of sessions and speakers for the 2025 Running Industry Conference presented by haku from Feb. 2-4, but you can register now.
I can’t wait to see you there.
Happy Running!
Jay
