Didn't get left in the lerch at Beat the Blerch 10k

By Jen A. Miller

On Saturday, I ran the Beat the Blerch 10k in Morristown, N.J., starting at 9:55 a.m. I was supposed to start at 9:30 a.m. I was also expecting organized corrals and to not be shoved onto a single-track trail course with hordes of people, many whom didn't know that it was a technical trail race when they showed up that day.

It was one of the least organized races I've ever run. But while there was nothing I could do those organizational issues, I did take steps so I wouldn't blow my top. Here's a few tips on what you can do to make a less than ideal race not terrible.

1. Stay calm. Most likely, there's nothing you can do to rectify the situation, especially if you have no experience in race organization. In most cases, race officials are scrambling to fix the problem, and having people yelling at them won't help. One issue on Saturday was buses were delayed in bringing runners to the start. I tried to think about what I'd do if the race started without me because of something out of my control, which took the edge of my temper (which isn't always under the best of control, I admit). Even if the conditions during the race suffer because of poor organization, freaking out in the race won't help either. While on the over crowded course, one runner figured the solution to her frustration was to push past other runners on a very narrow part of the trail. Don't be that person. She put herself and other runners at risk.

2. Make friends. When the announcer said the race start was going to be delayed, I groaned, then jumped back in the porta-potty line. There, I talked to a woman who had never run a trail race before and wanted tips, which I was happy to give. I met two women who traveled from Canada for the race (their team name was "The Eh? Team"). Runners are generally friendly people, and taking an "we're all in this together" stance can help make the time pass easier - and less frustratingly so.

3. Adjust expectations. I don't have a lot of technical trail experience, but I knew what I was doing more than many runners in the 10k on that day. Being jammed up on the course for the first three miles was nerve wracking, but I reminded myself that this wasn't a goal race, and that the last thing I wanted to do was fall and/or make someone else fall. I worked to get past the jam of people, and ran the last three miles at my pace and maybe with fresher legs than if I had hit the course hard at the outset. Again, getting frustrated about things out of my control would have lead to an even worse experience.

4. Give feedback. This isn't the first time I've run a race with organizational issues. Every time, I've written an e-mail to the race director that laid out what I saw were problems that I hoped they would fix next year. These e-mails aren't nasty, but instead lay out the facts about my experience. I've never had a race director snap back at me - at least not outright. Most race officials want to put on the best race possible, and often welcome feedback that helps them make a better race for the following year. I find this easier than just posting on their Facebook page too where other runners might argue with you about conditions or for daring to criticize an event.

No race is perfect, and some have more issues than other. Would I run this race again? Probably not, though I still had a good race and enjoyed doing the event with some of my friends who traveled up from Philadelphia for it. But by not losing my temper about the conditions, I made it a less stressful day for myself and those who shared the course with me that day.