BlackStrap®’s Post

Are 5K's the key to the future of trail running? Yesterday I was curious about one of the fastest growing races on the platform - Healdsburg Turkey Trot - by Skip Brand and his team. I wanted to know how many of the thousands of runners in this race were new to the UltraSignup platform. So, I asked our data guru - Matt Abbott - to find out. The results - 2/3 of the runners were new to the platform. That's huge. So, that means, because of the efforts of Skip and his team, thousands of people have now had exposure to the broader community of trail adventures. Certainly, many of these runners will race more of Skip's races, but they will also explore races from other directors. This is the power of the community. Skip's efforts to put on a local 5K will have ripple effects across the sport. How far will the ripples go? That's hard to tell. A certain percentage of these racers will sign up for other races in the next weeks, months, and years. They will also brings friends along with them to share the experience with. Then the ripples will extend into their circles of friends. These are network effects in action. So, I would encourage all of our race directors to think about the power of the 5K, even if it's not on a trail. New Years Day resolution runs, St. Paddy day, Firecrackers 5Ks, Turkey Trots, etc. They may be the key to the long-term growth of our sport. Providing these athletes with an entry point into this awesome community is so powerful. Creating an accessible laddering of distances will pay dividends for you and for the sport more broadly. Just look at the number of kids in the photos - the future members of our sport right up front! Great work Skip and our team is cheering you on! #TrailRunning #UltraSignup #RunningCommunity https://lnkd.in/gYwfKJ6J

🪖Two weeks ago I put on a new hat! 🪖 Fundraising manager. NEVER something I’ve done before or wanted to do. I don’t think of myself as very salesy but I absolutely love this project so surely people will buy into the vision? The things I’ve learnt in my first two weeks of this new and voluntary role… 💰It is really exciting when the money starts rolling in! 👯♀️Without amazing friends, you’d be nowhere. 📖Most people don’t read stuff. Which is hard when you’ve tried to be clear, open and transparent. ❓Answering questions and not getting annoyed about the people who don’t read stuff is key. See the answers as another opportunity to get your point across. ☹️Not everyone you expected to help will help even when they absolutely should. 🏝️You can’t do it all on your own so be honest and ask for help. What am I going on about? 🏐I am doing community fundraising for my local park project to regenerate netball and basketball courts. I was asked (by my mum) what I’ll do if I don’t get the money… my answer was “I will get the money” I truely believe that. It will happen, so please come and be part of the journey, donate what you can because even if this project isn’t near you, if it works it could be replicated near you one day. #netball #fundraising #localpark #basketball #victoriapark https://lnkd.in/eTACZ8Xk

Recent studies shed light on how dangerous Tucson streets are for cyclists. 🚴♂️🚧 Local non-profit, Living Streets Alliance is working with city officials to pedal towards a safer future. 🌟🛣️ Read today’s Tucson Agenda to see some of the ideas the group has come up with. 📰🔍 #TucsonCycling #RoadSafety #TrafficFatalities #UrbanDesign https://loom.ly/Coh7PUQ

10 Reasons Why You Should Buy a Buddy Bike! With The Buddy Bike, the rider with special needs can be included on family rides, and they can even lead the ride. If this isn’t reason enough to know that The Buddy Bike can be life-changing, not just for your child with special needs, but for your entire family, here is reason #8 for why you should buy The Buddy Bike today! #8 Help Us Provide The Buddy Bike For More Families Each purchase of The Buddy Bike helps us fund more trade-in models to refurbish and resell, or allows us to build new Buddy Bikes, and sometimes allows us to donate bikes. This ensures that this unique bicycle remains available for more families of children with special needs and the schools, camps, and organizations that serve them. Last week we were able to help get TWO Buddy Bikes donated to organizations where many families will be able to enjoy them. We can only do this with your support! READ 10 Reasons Why You Should Buy a Buddy Bike https://lnkd.in/e-MvESQk #buddybike #adaptivecycling #specialneedsparenting #specialneeds #inclusivecycling

Bike Swaps in May 2024 Edmonton Bike Swaps - what’s new, what’s old, and how you can help us help others. 01 May 2024 - Alberta Bike Swap was founded in 2011 to provide a safe place to buy, sell, and donate bikes. Over the last 13 years Chris and Laura Grant have swapped thousands of tech-checked and serial-number recorded bikes. They’ve also been a conduit for thousands of donated bikes and they fund safe cycling in Alberta through the only recognized and standardized cycling education program – CAN-BIKE. What’s new? 1. There are two Edmonton Bike Swap events: May 11 at MacEwan University north side underground parking lot 10803 – 105 Ave NW and June 8 at CCT Golf Dome 11925 Kingsway NW. 2. Alberta Bike Swap is hosting a bike donation drive for Sports Central at both Edmonton Bike Swaps; 3. Alberta Bike Swap is building the CAN-BIKE certified effective cycling instructor base for the next generation. The first stage is a Level 4 Course May 25-26 and the Instructor Workshop May 30 - June 2. What’s old? This is still old: Ask anyone in Alberta whether they’ve heard about Alberta Bike Swap and you’ll typically get, “yes, I’ve heard of them”. This is getting really old, so please help us get the word out. What’s important? Alberta Bike Swap are honoured to be Bike Index Ambassadors and will continue preventing the selling and buying of stolen bikes; Sport Central’s mission is to empower kids, one piece of sports equipment at a time. The power of a bike is not limited to the hours of enjoyment a kid will experience, but also opens a new world of independence, physical activity, and offers an additional method of transportation. Last year, Sport Central Association saw a 48% increase in utilization of their services. The Bike program alone saw a 70% increase, and this is where you come in – please consider donating your outgrown or unused bicycles at either Edmonton Bike Swap or one of their other 46 donation locations so these bikes can go to those in need. #bikes #bikeswap #alberta Laura Grant https://lnkd.in/gPDCSjU2

Please help Us Raise £2,000 to Bring Mobile Access to Over 200 People! https://lnkd.in/egcWTRUz Find out more about our Road to Preparation and how you can help us achieve our goal of completing 200 miles and raising £10 per mile! A passionate team of over-50s from Edinburgh is gearing up for an incredible challenge to support a worthy cause. On June 22nd, we'll be taking on Chase The Sun Cycle North double-century feat, cycling an epic 200 miles from the beachfront at Whitley Bay at sunrise (04:40 am), cycling through the beautiful countryside of Dumfries and Galloway Council, to the esplanade at Ayr by sunset (22:05 pm). Jan Lauckner Judy Hardy Why We're Riding Our goal is to raise £2,000 to provide internet data to over 200 people in Scotland. In today's world, internet connectivity is essential for education, employment, healthcare, and staying connected with loved ones. Your donation will help bridge the digital divide and bring vital access to those who need it most. We are therefore proud to be supporting People Know How, a charity striving to make everyone connected and eradicate digital exclusion. People Know How runs the Connecting Scotland Helpline (SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations), helping everyone to be digitally included across Scotland. Their support consists of the provision of Data SIMs, ensuring that more people have access to the internet. (www.peopleknowhow.org) ·      Donate: Please contribute whatever you can to help us reach our goal of £2,000. Every pound makes a difference! ·      Share: Share our campaign on social media, with friends, and within your community. ·      Support: Send us messages of encouragement to keep our spirits high during training and on the big day. Did you know: ·      It is estimated that, in the UK, approximately 13-19 million people over the age of 16 are experiencing some form of digital poverty ·      In 2022, the average data consumption per user increased by 24% to 8GB per month, up from 5.6GB per month in the previous year increasing the cost. ·      The 2022 Lloyds Bank Consumer Digital Index established around 14 million people in Britain (a rather sizeable 27% of the population) still have the lowest digital capability. This means they’re not only likely to struggle to interact with online services but are at risk of being left out of society. Join us in making a real difference. Your support will motivate us to complete this challenging ride, and help provide essential mobile access to over 200 people. Together, we can bridge the digital divide and create lasting change. Thank you for your generosity and support! People Know How #FixTheDigitalDivide Good Things Foundation Nominet The Edinburgh Remakery Dumfries and Galloway Council

The Annual Running USA Global Runner Survey has been done and the results and data are ready. The really good news, other than the outstanding data in the findings - coming out of the pandemic, a record participation from Runners - over 10,000 taking part! Bodes well for where things are at in the Race/Event Business. If you are an organizer of a running race/event - this is must read stuff (and may be helpful reading for organizers of Cycling and Triathlon races/events as well - there are more similarities than differences). Rule #1 in any business - Know who your customers, in this case participants, are! 😀 #running #cycling #triathlon #events #races #liveevents #eventmanagement #eventmanager #eventorganizer

Not yet a member of the charity London Cycling Campaign? 25% off all new Individual & Household memberships, plus your choice of a free gift - bike lights, a pump or a D-lock. Ends Monday. https://lnkd.in/e6MJSKVs We got London's first fully protected cycle lanes, "pioneering" safety standards for HGVs (quote from The Economist), and London's first new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. As a result we've seen a 5x increase in the km of protected cycle lanes in London since 2016 alone. There are now 1.2 million cycle journeys in London every day - more than the Northern, Metropolitan and Bakerloo lines combined. But we can't do it without you. Join as a member of the charity London Cycling Campaign today. https://lnkd.in/e6MJSKVs #BlackFriday #GreenFriday

Today is the start of the Boxmoor Virtual Marathon. The challenge is something we’ve been involved with organising at One Impossible Thing. The idea is to run, swim, bike, walk or scoot the 26.2miles/42.2km distance over 10 weeks. I’ve challenged myself to swim at least half of it. That works out at a bit over 2km each week. I’m currently at 1km a week, so I’m going to have to up my game! At least the lake is getting warmer. It was 12 degrees at our last outing. I’ll be shedding my gloves, boots and neoprene hat in no time at all! Surely that will help me propel through the water quicker, therefore swimming further on the same energy levels? Is that scientific? I’m not sure, but that's what it feels like it should do. I’m kicking off my mileage around the lake on Saturday. So it’s not too late to join me in this challenge. Decide what sporting discipline (or disciplines!) you want to complete your marathon distance in, and once you’ve finished your challenge you’ll receive a colourful wooden Boxmoor Virtual Marathon medal. Surely it's worth it just for the medal?! You can register here: https://lnkd.in/d36R6isc If the medal doesn't persuade you, then you can always sponsor me instead! All sponsorship money goes to One Impossible Thing to help fund all the work we do collecting and redistributing preloved sports shoes to those who need a little extra help. Here’s the link to the donation page: https://gofund.me/ac115cfc #sportingchallenge #marathondistance

While surfing on the net, I have found this interesting report from the Centre of Sports and Human Rights on 'Bidding to Host a Mega-Sporting Event. Here are some thoughts on the current bidding process in the sport industry: The sport bidding process is a complex and competitive process through which cities and countries compete to host major sporting events like the Olympics, World Cups, and other international tournaments. The process typically involves a thorough evaluation of the bidding cities' infrastructure, facilities, transportation, accommodation, and financial capabilities. One current trend in the sport bidding process is a growing emphasis on sustainability and legacy. Host cities are now expected to demonstrate a commitment to minimizing the environmental impact of the event and leaving a positive, lasting legacy for the local community. This includes utilizing existing venues and infrastructure whenever possible, investing in renewable energy solutions, and promoting social and economic development. Another trend is the increasing importance of technology in the bidding process. Bidding cities are expected to present innovative and technologically advanced solutions that enhance the overall fan experience, improve event operations, and provide seamless connectivity for participants and spectators. Furthermore, there is an ongoing discussion about the cost and financial impact of hosting major sporting events. Some critics argue that the bidding process has become overly expensive and financially burdensome for host cities. As a result, there is a growing trend towards implementing more cost-effective and sustainable event hosting models, such as shared or regional hosting, to distribute the financial responsibility and maximize the use of existing infrastructure. Overall, the sport bidding process is evolving to prioritize sustainable development, technological advancements, and responsible financial management. These trends reflect a shift towards more inclusive and responsible hosting practices that have a positive impact beyond the duration of the event itself. https://lnkd.in/eDpfftSh