It takes a village...
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PrintThe Bellin Run is now the 4th largest timed 10K runnning event in the nation. If you are a competitor you can say we are the BIGGEST 10K running event (per capita) in the nation based on the size of the Green Bay community. We have seen this event grow from a few hundred participants, to over 15, 000 in 2008. This year registration numbers are up, and if projections are correct we will see record numbers of racers again in 2009! Green Bay you rock, without the support of the community this event would not be possible.
In previous posts I have focused on the runners, those individuals that will participate in this years race. In this post I would like to give you a little look behind the scenes and focus on the people who work to produce this annual show.
Long before the runners start their training programs, the Bellin Run committee comes together to begin their preparations. In early February, employees within the Bellin Health system add another job (and a few more hours) to their current responsibilities to focus on an event still months away.
I can recall sitting in my first meeting, amazed at the ammount of people sitting in the room. I, like many others, had a perception of a race committee being 4 or 5 passionate runners- but here I sat with over 30 people!!
(A recent count of our Bellin Run "Staff" is 53)
The number of Bellin employee's who get involved is impressive, but honestly what blows me away is the level of expertise in the room! If you were to put together a "Dream Team" of individuals to put on an event, you couldn't get much better than this:
A passionate Race Director and Operations team that understand the needs and wants of runners. This is a group that has been there done that (and then some!). Without this team to lead the way this event would never evolve...
A phenomenal Marketing and Communications team to both promote the event and to communicate logistical changes and updates to the runners, keeping everyone informed.
The Team Leader of Pediatrics and a Community outreach coordinator to oversee our running events and entertainment for children.
A BMG Clinic manager and CSR to create a national recognized community programming - The Bellin Run Corporate Challenge, and the High School Challenge. Because of programs like these, out of over 15,000 participants last year more than 90% were local!! (This is unheard of in other events!!)
Who else would you want to handle your food, but the Team Leader of Food and Nutrition services. I have trouble cooking for a family of 4, how would you like to feed 15,000??
A team of IS specialists to create and maintain the website, allow you to register, purchase your collectables, time the event, take your pictures and video and post them to the site - all of this while being stranded in the middle of a park with no power and/or internet connections...
A Procurment and Logistics team to handle equipment and vehicle rentals, ordering and delivery of supplies, race day set up and tear down and a task list of other duties as long as the run itself.
A team of Safety and Security personnel to maintain order during race week. An often thankless job kept behind the scenes. If all goes well it should stay this way!!
And while most events struggle to get medical coverage, you should take comfort in knowing you have an outstanding team of medical professionals: ER Physicians, ER Staff, Nurses, Licensed Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, and local EMS providers working in collaboration to provide care for you on race day!
My fingers are getting sore as I type this but I am not finished yet - I feel as though I am running down Clay, just about to make the turn onto Porlier and I can see the finish line in my radar...
I cannot finish this post without also mentioning the individuals that are involved with coordinating the race registration ( you think your inbox is full), the volunteers ( would you ask 1,000 people to work for a t-shirt?) race sponsorship (would you like to purchase bananas for 17,000 runners?) The Bellin Health Expo (an event within an event), Bellin Run Clothing and Collectibles (Can you order 20-30,000 t-shirts and make sure everyone gets the right size...) and of course the individuals that work with our Elite runners (This year we have Olympic medalists running in the Bellin) our Back to the Road Crew, and last but not least the ladies that work to keep all of the rest of us organized and on task - you know who you are.
I hope this gives you a little insight behind the scenes as we prepare for this years run. At Bellin Health we have close to 2,500 employees, 50 of those sit on the race commitee, over 400 volunteered their time last year on race day, hundreds will participate in the run, and many others will continue to work within the hospital system providing healthcare to the Green Bay Community.
The Bellin Run truly is a comunal event, How Will You Participate This Year?
