Part III of our post race survey looks at the satisfaction levels of our runners regarding a few different elements of the race. Those we’ve focused on are those that got strong positive or negative marks.
We are happy to see that overall most of our runners had a positive experience and would recommend this race to others. That being said, there are a few glaring weaknesses that were highlighted by this survey. We intend to focus our efforts to improve those areas for 2014’s race.
So, here is what we are doing different in 2014.
Shuttles – Last year, we were planning on having Washington County school district buses to shuttle runners. Unfortunately, we can’t unless the city sponsors us. So we just got a bunch of shuttles and charter buses. Logistically it was sketchy. Due to the sketch factor, about 50 people started the race late. We still want to provide shuttles to the start line, so this year we are working with the city of Springdale to offer more shuttles. BUT there is going to be a lot of traffic on highway 9. So if you’re not planning to drive and park OR get dropped off at the start – know there are limited spots and you will need to register for the shuttle ahead of time (we will open registration in October). They are going to leave very early to ensure being on time to the race.
Starting Line Staging – The cold last year was abnormally cold. The high the weekend before and after was in the 80s! But race weekend it was brisk, to say the least. We don’t want to risk it this year so we have budgeted for a HUGE warming tent to be stationed at the starting line. We told vendors we want it to be 100 degrees in there!
Finish Line Food – we are working with Caveman Foods and other natural food providers to offer less processed food at the finish line.
Processing Fee – Last year when you registered there was a $5 processing fee that covered our transaction fees (software, accepting credit card payments, etc.). This caused some confusion when paying for registration or requesting a refund since this transaction cost was not refunded when you requested a full refund. You will notice the advertised price has gone up $5, but the fee went away. The price hasn’t changed (you will pay the same amount as last year), but the advertised price is consistent with what the price is after completing checkout. Make sense?
Runner Capacity – The number one thing we have changed this year is the runner capacity for the race. We are upping the cap to 1,500 participants (600 last year). We expect this race to sell out, so be sure to tell your friends and get online and register on August 1st.
We will post more specific information about these things as the year rolls on and the race gets closer. We just want you aware of the efforts we are making to improve the Zion Half for you in 2014.
Registration opens August 1st at 8:00 AM Mountain Time. The registration link will be live here (but not yet). Over the next 11 days we will be doing a lot to spread the word and ramp up to registration. Check your inbox and follow the action on Facebook. We will be holding monster giveaways and tons of fun stuff. Watch for the announcement tomorrow!