THE MORNING AFTER

When I was in college, the phrase the morning after meant only one thing to me: a splitting headache after a night of one too many (although this didnt happen too often, of course!).

Well, after 25+ years of directing events, the morning after means something entirely different and at the same time can sometimes be the actual cause of a splitting headache. In this day and age of instant communications, it is so easy for irate runners to fire off emails to you immediately after the race and complain about what they might have felt went wrong for them in the race. Even when it seems like just about everything went well to you and all you have been hearing is awesome race, it is inevitable for all of us that not everyone thinks you walk on water and that you produced a flawless event. To be quite honest, I have found that whatever it is that the runner is complaining about, it usually was caused by something they did or did not do themselves, not the fault of the race.

Even so, I have always believed it is best to take the high road and politely and diplomatically respond to as many emails, if not every email, I get that is critical of the race. More than not, I usually get a very appreciative email right back thanking me for responding right away to their email and generally accepting of my explanation. Sometimes our customers just want to be heard and responded to.

Knowing that I am going to get my fair share of bombs the morning after (and sometime the night of the race), I try to set aside an hour or so the evening of the race and at least 2-3 hours the morning after specifically to address these emails right away believing that the race is not truly over until everyone has been heard and satisfied. The quicker and sooner you do this, the more successful you will be in turning the accusers into supporters of you and your race. Whether they have a legitimate complaint or now, the worst thing you can do is to totally ignore them as this just adds insult to injury.