findarace.com has launched a ‘back to the start’ campaign that aims to raise awareness of struggling mass participation events.
The company notes that… ‘After an incredibly tough 18 months for the industry and an estimated 20 million miles of racing missed, up to 40% of event organisers are not confident they’ll make it through the next 12 months.’
The Back to the Start campaign is calling on runners in particular to support their favourite local events by signing up for their next event and encouraging friends to join them in getting a race in the diary.
‘During the lockdowns, 8 million people pulled on their trainers and hit the road, many for the first time. People experienced the huge benefits to mental and physical wellbeing that comes with the simple act of running. However, UK race organisers are reporting that the boom in running is not yet translating into participation in events. Entries for events over the next few months are critically low.’
findarace.com Founder David Wearn, said “During the course of the pandemic, running events have seen a £65m drop in booking revenue. With public confidence not yet fully recovered, many events, especially locally-run events that do so much to bring communities together, won’t exist next year.”
He continued, “With events returning and proven to be ultra-low risk, we want runners to help out their local races and put those lockdown miles to the test. Let’s see together how many of those 20 million miles we can claw back.
“Running has such a strong community. We need them to come out and show their support in full force to make sure these races are around for the future.”
The campaign is asking everyone to support their favourite races by signing up, spreading the word using the hashtag #backtothestart and getting friends and family to join them on the start line.
www.findarace.com/back-to-the-start
