Some 130,000 spectators will flood the streets of downtown Akron to watch an estimated 15,000 friends, family and strangers run the 26.2 hilly miles of the Akron Marathon, happening this year on September 26. Drawing the eyes of local and national media, the event generates an estimated $6.3 million in economic impact for the city.
Pulling off an event of this size has become a full-time job. Specifically, it requires seven full time employees, three interns, and more than 3,000 volunteers and city workers. It’s also necessitated the establishment of the Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to executing the marathon and its two new events — a year-round effort.
Smart Business spoke with the race’s two key figures: Anne Bitong, executive director of the Akron Marathon, and the race’s founder, Steven L. Marks, to learn more about the race and what it takes to pull of an event of this size.
Smart Business (SB): Where did the idea to put on a marathon come from?
Steven L. Marks (SM): My wife and I are runners — we ran our first marathon in Columbus in 1985 — and we were curious as to why Akron didn’t have a marathon. I approached the City of Akron about it and they were very supportive. Before you know it, I was in charge of a marathon.
SB: What were some of the initial challenges in putting on the first run?
SM: It was like starting a business. We needed a lot of the same elements. We needed to procure about 3,000 volunteers. Trying to understand the landscape and how we were going to get from nothing to putting on a race at a set date became the most difficult challenge.
SB: What did the marathon look like when it first started and how does it compare to today’s race?
Anne Bitong (AB): In 2003, we had about 3,000 runners and about 3,000 volunteers. In the early years, volunteers were used for everything. Now, we have significantly streamlined our volunteer needs are able to support our runners with the same number of volunteers.
SB: What are the challenges of putting on the race now, 12 years after its debut, given how it’s grown?
AB: Even though you are planning the same race each year, the challenge is to make the event better each time. Sometimes we find that our key volunteers want to participate in the race after working behind the scenes for so many years. That’s exciting for us, but we have to fill a key role when this occurs, which requires lengthy training to catch someone new up to speed.
SB: What does it cost to put the marathon together each year?
AB: This year, in planning the entire Akron Marathon Rubber City Race Series, our operating budget is $1.6 million.
SB: When did you begin planning for the 2015 event?
AB: For the 2015 Akron Marathon, we began the early stages of planning a little over a year in advance in late August/early September of 2014 and then got more into the actual planning process in mid-October 2014 after all of the post-race surveys were in. It’s funny, sometimes our runners ask if we work year-round to put on the race and we do. That’s what makes the Akron Marathon so well-organized.
SB: How many man-hours go into making the race happen?
AB: Countless. In volunteer hours alone, over 10,000 hours are dedicated to our event on race day. That doesn’t even come close to the number of hours spent planning and executing the event by the staff, committee members, city workers, police, medical teams and other groups who make our event possible.
SB: What would you consider to be the major accomplishments you’ve achieved through the life of the marathon?
SM: I am very proud that we are Akron’s largest single-day sporting event and the largest marathon relay in the United States. Our event has enable charities to raise more than $800,000.
SB: What advice would you offer other event planners who are looking for ways to improve their events?
SM: We treat the Akron Marathon as we would any business. We’re very mindful of the customer: our runners. If our runners aren’t satisfied customers then we won’t be able to grow and prosper.
AB: Our customers, the runners, are the primary stakeholders of the event. Following our race, we conduct a post-race survey to see what we need to improve in our race experience. Year after year, we continue to make small adjustments or enhancements based on runner feedback, and I think it shows — our runners continue to come back and run with us.
SB: What are some major mistakes event planners should recognize and avoid?
AB: One major mistake to recognize and avoid is underestimating how much goes into planning an event. It’s critical to realize the scope of the event you want to put on and begin planning at least a year or two ahead of time. For example, the initial idea for the Akron Marathon began in 1999 and our inaugural race was not until 2003.
SB: What’s the most memorable compliment you’ve gotten for an event?
SM: Many people have told us that this event has changed their lives because they got into running because of the event. Others have told us that it is the highlight of their year because they use the event as a family gathering — to run in the event or have a party and cheer the runners on.
SB: How do you celebrate the end of a successful event?
AB: A few weeks after the event, we invite all of our committee members, key volunteers, staff and board members for dinner at Steve’s house. After dinner, we run through a slide show of the event, tell some race day stories and share some laughs. It’s a great way to enjoy each other’s company after a successful event.
The Akron Marathon will be held September 26 in downtown Akron. More information is available at www.rubbercityraceseries.org.
