171. Behind-the-Scenes of a Major Marathon: Eli Asch on Directing Big Races

The Strength Running Podcast

Jason Fitzgerald

Health & Fitness, 10k, Beginnerrunning, Marathontraining, Fitness, Injuryprevention, Marathon, Halfmarathon, Running, Sports

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2020

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Eli Asch is currently the Race Director for the Twin Cities Marathon. Prior to this role, he directed the California International Marathon (CIM), which hosted two USATF marathon national championships. Under his direction, CIM was the fastest-growing major marathon in America.

Eli also served as the Logistics and Operations Manager for the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon events. He holds an MBA in Sports Business from San Diego State University and a BA in English from Whitman College, where he was captain of the cross country team.

I wanted to bring Eli on the podcast to share the details of what it takes to put on a major marathon race.

We talk about:

Nitty gritty details of getting a race permit
How races are measured and certified
Reconciling your GPS watch data with the race distance
Expanding the running community to be more inclusive
What you can do now to support your favorite races

Enjoy my podcast with Eli and rejoice in the knowledge that races are, in fact, coming back!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ready?
0:02.0	Say, go.
0:04.0	This is episode 171 with the former race director of the California International Marathon,
0:10.0	the current race director of the Twin Cities Marathon, and host of the early
0:14.7	call time podcast, Mr. Eli Ash. Welcome to the strength-running podcast. I'm your host Jason Fitzgerald and the
0:31.1	episode you're about to listen to is a behind the scenes look
0:34.4	into what it takes to put on a major race. We rarely get to look behind the
0:39.2	curtain and hear how races come together, the hurdles that all races face, how races have
0:45.2	innovated during the COVID pandemic, how courses are measured, and what you can do to
0:50.5	support the races that you love right now. I would like to first thank you for making the
0:55.7	Strength Running Podcast, consistently the number one or number two most popular running podcast in the country. My job is to bring you the thought leaders in the
1:05.1	running industry, the coaches, psychologists, elite runners, dieticians and therapists
1:10.8	who can help you elevate your performance.
1:14.0	While you have to do the work, my goal is to show you the most strategic ways to work smarter
1:18.9	and more productively so you can take your running to the next level.
1:23.0	Because if you better understand running,
1:25.0	if you recognize knowledge as a competitive advantage,
1:28.0	you'll make better decisions about your training,
1:30.0	leading to more effective running,
1:32.0	fewer injuries, and faster races.
1:35.0	Don't miss our other resources that can help you bring your running to the next level.
1:39.0	We have a video channel at YouTube.com slash strength running where I answer your questions
	...

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