USATF Colorado's Impact: Part 2 of 2

All right, so in the first post it was clear that elites supported the USATF Colorado championship races. For guys that have sponsor obligations to fulfill and are chasing sponsors, saying that you won the USATF Colorado State Championship carries more weight than saying you won the Evergreen 10K or the Boulder Marathon. To really make it worthwhile for both USATF and the races though, they need more than just elites. In a Facebook comment, Denver's Dan Edstrom, a 2:40 marathoner, indicated that he was not a USATF member, and didn't know why he should be. Dan competed in one of the USATF Colorado Grand Prix races this year, the Stadium Stampede 5K, where he placed 13th. That's a solid place in a competitive race, but he was almost two minutes out of the money. What if, as Mike Sharkey indicated in the comments to the first post, money instead went 10-deep? Then Dan would have a legitimate shot at collecting some money, and would have an incentive to purchase a USATF Colorado membership for $30. He won his age group, so what if, as Tyler McCandless suggested, Dan got a USATF Age Group State Champion trophy? I believe USATF did give out age group medals this year, but most will agree that medals aren't much of an incentive.



Looking at the Heart & Sole half marathon, the same situation holds. The tenth-place male was nine minutes back of the final money spot. With money going three-deep, and whether I posted an elite entrant list or not, that athlete knew that he wasn't going to be competing for a prize money. It's likely the same with the remaining races.

If USATF extended prize money to five- or ten-deep, the depth of the field would surely increase. I'd be tempted to enter the races myself and maybe sneak into a money spot.

USATF Colorado did extend commemorative jackets to USATF runners competing in three of the four Grand Prix races. My recommendation was to take those dollars and instead use them for age group trophies in 2012.

For what it's worth, USATF does list the benefits that accompany the $30 annual fee:

• Year-round 10% discount on USATF Store purchases and seasonal promotions with even greater discounts
• Access to the Members-Only aisle of the USATF Store
• Access to enter the Members-Only Monthly Drawing
• Travel discounts (hotels, air, car rental)
• Magazine discounts (Track & Field News, Runner's World, Running Times, National Masters News)
• Product discounts (equipment, books, and more)
• E-Mail Blasts to keep you up to date on what is going on in the sport
• Subscription to Fast Forward (USATF's quarterly membership magazine)
• USATF Membership Card
• USATF Member Decal

Would more local discounts be worthwhile - a discount to one of the local running stores, to the championship races, or to the Grand Prix series?

As they look forward, what else could they do for 2012? Mike Sharkey recommended keeping the championships to three distances - 5K, 10K, and half, but if a 25K wants to hold a championship race and willing to comply with USATF's requirements, should they say no?

Mike specifically commented on the marathon and what perplexed me with this year's Boulder Marathon was that the third-place male and the first-, second-, and third-place master's men were not USATF Colorado members. I think the first master may have been from out of state, and the second master had a unique situation, but for the others, the potential for prize money was not incentive enough to seek out a USATF membership?

Should the championships be linked into a series, and if so, is overall series money needed to create a true "series"?

They have also discussed holding a team competition, perhaps within a cross country race. Many of us recognize the success that the east coast racing scene has with the team format. Here in Colorado though, we have no one that can rival Boulder Running Company / adidas and it'd be a one-sided affair. Most teams would struggle to field complete teams in Colorado races.

USATF Colorado is then seeking input and feedback as they plan and improve in 2012. Thanks to those that contributed to that discussion in the first post and all meaningful comments are welcome. If not willing to post one's thoughts below, let us know and we can get you in touch with them.