Yogesh Ashok Powar

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    • Organizing LSoM

    Learnings from organizing a LSoM Run

    Tags: Community Running LSoM

    LSoMs are runs organized on the last Sunday of every month. Different running groups take responsibilities to organize the event. Last month’s LSoM, March 26th, 2023, was organized by Nanded City Runners and Vishwa Runners.

    LSoMs are community runs with the only purpose of spreading awareness about running in the neighborhood. Unlike other commercial running/marathon events, they are organized by volunteers who are runners first. Because of this, there is no commercial angle to the run, hence no hefty sponsors, no profit-driven agenda, and no paid marketing. That’s the reason why LSoMs are organized with just 150 Rs of registration fees in an era where well-known running events charge anywhere from 1000 to 3000 Rs.

    The following are the main features of the LSoM Community Running Event held on March 26th at Nanded City, Pune:

    1. The event was organized by 150+ spirited volunteers who are runners first.
    2. 1800+ participants, ranging from a 15-month-old child with their parents to a 76-year-young man.
    3. 60 senior citizens were sponsored and enjoyed the fun run.
    4. 25 ZP school children were sponsored to participate in the event.
    5. Many volunteers sponsored their maids to participate in the LSoM.
    6. The main theme of the event was “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.” Plastic was not used throughout the event. Steel plates, spoons, and glasses were used for drinking water and juice, which significantly reduced plastic usage. The entire event venue and route were plastic-free.
    7. Handmade cloth carry bags were distributed to every runner & volunteer to support local craftsmen and the environment.
    8. An eye donation awareness campaign was run, with distribution of forms and pamphlets at the venue.
    9. A specialized team of physiotherapists and doctors were involved to support the runners.
    10. A Dhol and Tasha Pathak were involved to boost the morale of the runners.

    The event was well received and appreciated by all, and many veteran runners have even conveyed to us that it was the best LSoM ever.

    To plan an event like this, in my opinion, one needs the following:

    1. An active running group who runs together, strength trains together, participates/trains in other running/triathlon events together, and stays together. Just creating a Whatsapp running group is not sufficient. The life of any group is extended by regularly adding newcomers to the group. Organizing a small similar event with smaller capacity of LSoM is recommended before actually applying for it. This is where volunteers with high josh come from. Would be roughly busy last 2 days of the event.
    2. At least 10 group members who can lead and take ownership of specific tasks. These are people who will be planning and executing their specific tasks. They are the subset of volunteers who are willing to spend extra effort and time for the event and will be in charge of assigned tasks. Called incharge and would be roughly busy for around 3 weeks.
    3. At least 2 individuals who can take the event as the first priority from their day-to-day tasks. These persons will have an overall picture imprinted in their mind; must have performed the incharge role in previous LSoMs and volunteered at many other runs. Would be roughly busy for 2 months.

    Specific to Nanded City LSoM:

    1. The NCRunners group was active thanks to a 16-week training planning done for events like TMM and Bergman.
    2. Many members from the group were either volunteers or incharges in the last LSoM organized in 2019 and were aware of the challenges. Besides, we organized a 5th-year celebration event to engage and activate the group from the organizing side.

    Challenges faced and open

    1. NCRunners is not a legal entity, so we couldn’t collect registration money ourselves. We had to find an NGO to handle the money and accounting, which took time. If LSoM had a legal entity or collaborated with one, we could have avoided this search.
    2. It was difficult to get permission from NC-PMS because the event was not limited to NC residents. Renting a venue also had an impact on the budget.
    3. Finding sponsors for breakfast, volunteer T-shirts, and post-event dinner was a challenge. We had to make sure that no single sponsor dominated the event.
    4. Online booking has high transaction costs, with Townscript charging almost 15%. With UPI prevalent, we need a cheaper alternative for low-ticket events.
    5. It’s becoming harder to get people to register for the event because we’re competing with OTT platforms, social media apps, and online gaming apps. Many big institutes with deep pockets are also announcing running events with high marketing budgets which get more attention than event like LSoM.

    Finally, Events like this tests the strength & stamina of the group which runs tirelessly just to keep the joy of running flowing.

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    Tags: Community Running LSoM
    Updated on: 2023-04-03