Post-Race Survey Results: A quick thank you to all the TMC Get Moving Tucson participants who completed the survey we sent out. Tim Bentley, can you post this comment to the Southern Arizona Roadrunners page for me? As I write this, 137 Get Moving Tucson participants have completed the post-race survey we sent out 24 hours ago. I will keep reading through them, but I want you to know that we take your comments seriously. As we know with surveys, it’s best to look for themes rather than one-off praise or criticism. In that vein, we hear you on the need for more restrooms, more medals for half-marathon finishers, and better signage/information on race day. We also hear you on the desire for a smoother pre-race t-shirt pickup. Many of you acknowledge that in addition to your registration dollars, sponsors are an essential part of events like this. I want to thank you for acknowledging our roster of key sponsors: Tucson Medical Center, Cox Communications, The Running Shop, Dan Kalm State Farm (we will get him to have a booth next year!!), Afni, Snell & Wilmer, Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club – and our media sponsors of the Daily Star and Caliente, KHIT 107.5, Cox, Tucson Lifestyle, and The Morning Blend. Your survey indicates that many of you think higher of them for helping our sport – please be sure to let them know when you get a chance! Many of you also acknowledge the value of the Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown. (As an aside, please know how grateful we are to Ross Zimmerman and Emily Nottingham for allowing us to honor their son with this series.) OK, now, to other topics that came up in the survey. . . Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” has this line: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.” In that spirit: some of you really didn’t like this year’s shirt – but way more of you said how much you liked it. Experienced runners seem to not need medals, but new runners like them, even for short distances. Some of you loved the volunteers on the course: “The people along the route were great! Especially the ones who gave out orange slices, how nice! And the cheerleaders, they help me more then I can let them know (at least while Im running)”. But others didn’t: “The course was gorgeous! The drummers on the mountain was so cool! But the people out on the course cheering were unenthusiastic. At one point, after I passed two of the boys near mile 11, they told me to run faster. I did not pay to have that type of experience and I would never pay to be criticized.” Some of you said there was plenty of water along the course, while others said there weren’t enough water stations. For the record: we had water at 1.5, 3.1, 6.5, 7.5, 9.5 and 12 (and gatorade at 9.5). In terms of pricing: many of you seem to recognize that SAR races are very inexpensive compared to other local and national-type races. Respondents are very clear that you want this type of lower pricing for local races and you don’t need special amenities such as a VIP pass. To that end, I will strive to keep the hometown feel that you say you like, but I may try adding some added menu items for the 2015 races I put on for those who want more. Finally, a couple of one-off comments resonate for many of us who have lived in Tucson for a long time: “Fix ALL the pot holes...I thought I was in a 3rd world country!” and “Id be even happier if I beat Benito.”
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:44:44 +0000
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