Badlands Update #1: So Fresh & So Clean
Hey Badlands Runners! (And Friends who have reach out through our contact form)
I'm Jay, your race organizer. As many of you know, I prefer to keep things informal, so apologies in advance for the lack of flashy email campaigns!
Our primary goal for the Badlands Race is to provide a solid course with well-managed aid stations and exceptional food. Regardless of your distance, we will be offering full meals throughout the entire race, as well as dinner at race check-in. The night aspect is meant to help prepare those of you training for your first hundo and it allows us to kinda have a party in the woods with the trails to ourselves.
Since this is our inaugural year, I am very open to input. I wanted to share my initial thoughts on the main piece of merchandise included with your registration.
I hate cheap cotton shirts that cling to you while running. My favorite piece of race merch is a light blue sun hoody from Cocodona 2022—it was quick-drying and breathable, and I still wear it constantly. I'd love to offer a similar, high-quality Tech Hoody for our race. We've already ordered one and it's being field-tested by race command!
I am also exploring options for nice buffs, but the pricing is quite high; a full order from Buff is currently estimated around $5K. I am still shopping around. The aim is to include multiple "nice" items with your registration that you will actually use, not cheap race swag that gathers dust. We also plan to offer hats as a separate, optional order.
Please let me know your thoughts on the Tech Hoody idea! If you want to let me know your size, just respond to this email and I will make note!
PRIZE PURSE... so few races offer one. We think this is a way to give back to our runners who train to make this race their "A" race. I'm not a competitive runner and I will never win a race. I know most people are like me, but for those of you who are looking to go fast... we salute you! Race companies spend a lot of money on gear, timing, merch, and infrastructure and very little on people. We're looking to do both! For start-up races like ours, it is really tough to offer & guarantee large sums of money, but we're making it happen! I won't quit my day job anytime soon just to be sure...
P.S. I took a shot at adding Courtney to the email list to see if we can get a legend to sign up... =) Courtney, if you read this and sign up I will double the prize purses for first place and your crew can stay at my place. It's not UTMB or STATES but we're gonna have a good time!
Finally, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. If you'd prefer to be surprised by this stuff on race day or you hate trail running, just let me know, and I can remove you from this mailing list.
That's all for now folks, see you out on the trails!
J
