If your event isn't involved with the Road Warrior ‘Handicap Rating Program’ you're missing some valuable promotional opportunities.
How Do Races Benefit? The new Road Warrior website gets thousands of hits by participants who check their ratings and standings. Race directors can have their event promoted on the site for free, being listed as a “designated Road Warrior race”.
Races will get additional exposure:
- on RoadRaceResults.com with a Road Warrior logo beside the race name
- on the Get Out There Magazine events calendar
- on the Athletics Ontario events calendar
- in the Road Warrior newsletter
What Do Races Have to Do to Participate?
Send us your race logo in jpg format along with basic info about your race. We'll have it up on sites within a few days.
Can You in Turn Help the Road Warrior Program?
We want more exposure so any way you tell your race constituents or database is helpful. You can:
1. place the Road Warrior logo and a brief explanation (with a link) on your race site (we'll provide the logo and info)
2. place a brief blurb of the program in one of your emails to your database (we'll provide the blurb)
3. add a space on your race's on-line and printed entry forms for the Road Warrior ID#
4. let Road Warrior staff attend your race with a self-standing banner to hand out promotional cards
5. in a post-race email announce the winners of the Road Warrior category (we'll contact winners and mail them prizes)
How Does the Program Work? Less skilled golfers have always enjoyed golfing with and against better golfers by using a ‘handicap rating’ on their final results to even the scores. “Road Warrior” offers the same type of ‘handicap’ so runners of all abilities can enjoy running against those with different running abilities at Ontario races. The ‘handicap rating’ lets both men & women participate as if on a level playing field.
The Road Warrior category of prizes is what we can offer your race in addition to the usual race categories you have. The top three Road Warriors of the day will win prizes and all finishers will earn a sliding scale of points. At year’s end, prizes go to those with the most points. Because of the ‘handicap rating’, everyone has a chance at winning the Road Warrior category. Men and women win the Road Warrior category equally. We aren't yet able to provide the top 3 in the Road Warrior category at races but we'll let you know within 24 hours.
Free ID# Because of the various ways people enter personal data on race registrations – like full name, David, shortened name, Dave – or a ‘fun name’, DJ or Roadrunner, or different city names like Toronto or North York – it’s sometimes difficult for the Road Warrior staff to apply the correct results and points to runners. The program needs accurate info on runners, hence the need for Runners to simply register for free on the Road Warrior site to receive a unique Road Warrior ID number for easier and more accurate identification for race results and to access their ‘handicap rating’.
About the Program The program is an initiative of Athletics Ontario (formerly Ontario Track & Field Association) in conjunction with a grant from Ontario’s Trillium Foundation and the original concept is from British fitness experts who designed the program and software. As of August 17th, 2009 the revamped system is being done by RoadRaceResults.com.
“The program is designed to encourage current runners to train a bit more, to enter more races and have fun with the competitive aspect of running ‘against’ others of all abilities“, according to Road Warrior manager Michael Brennan. “It’s not supposed to replace current road race results like overall winners or age group winners, it’s just going to add another category of winners. The ‘Road Warrior’ winners at races could well be people who never win awards at races so for the masses, this program will be fun to participate in.”
Any Ontario running race can be a ‘Road Warrior-designated’ event and benefit from the exposure the program offers. Races will be added as the season goes so that eventually ‘Road Warrior’ events will be offered all over the province and everyone will have a chance to participate.
Contact Michael Brennan to have your event designated a Road Warrior race.
