Racecheck award winners!
Winner, winner, winner!! Whoop whoop!
I'm so happy with the Racecheck awards Big Bear had picked up. The Gato Sports Summer 10K series’ averaged 4.91 making it the highest rated event on the platform in 2021, the Salcey Series events scored 4.90 the 2nd highest on the platform and the Warwickshire Bear Ultra was joint 3rd with a 4.89 score.
Without making this to much of a back slapping exercise or a Oscars acceptance speech full of cliché and waffle I did want to put a few words down to go with my shiny new labels.
Thank you.
Thank you to you if you have ever left a review for Big Bear (or told a friend about us). Although we’re a running event company ultimately Big Bear Events is a small local one-man-band - being run out of a bedroom office! We’re smaller than your local coffee shop or bakers most likely. Reviews, and your kind words to others, help spread our reach better than any advertising campaign could ever do and is vital to any success.
No-one buys anything these days without checking the reviews. I certainly don’t. If something scores less than 4 out 5 I’m either not going in or not buying it! Rating our events so highly helps so much. Added to this the amazingly kind and positive comments and anyone who was on the fence would be mad to not enter! It really is the biggest reward you can give me to review an event once you’ve rung the bell. I know time is precious and everyone is asking something of you so I do really appreciate everyone that is written.
However, the events wouldn’t score very well if it wasn’t for the amazing volunteers who come along. Especially for the Warwickshire Bear Ultra where we had a team of around 30 and the Gato Sports Summer 10k’s had 10+ at each night. I’m incredibly lucky to have some excellent regular volunteers. If you’ve been to a few events you’ll notice Ann and Dave (my mum and dad!) are at a lot of them. If you’ve been to all the events you’ll notice they’ve volunteered at all of them! It wasn’t the original plan to rely on them so heavily but they’ve become a fundamental part of the on-the-day Big Bear experience and enjoy the day themselves too!
It’s not just my parents however, Jo volunteered at 8 events last year (and 3 events this year already!), Pete and Adam where at all the Gato Sports Summer events and the Warwickshire Bear Ultra too and there are too many to name who have helped at the other events often multiple times. It’s these people who make the events what they are. A huge thank you from me (and I’m sure the Bears too!). These events would not happen without you. Heroes. Every one of you.
Everyone involved, the Bears who turn up, the volunteers and myself are very lucky we have somehow discovered a positivity spiral. The Bears are friendly when they arrive so the volunteers are friendly back. The volunteer was friendly to the Bear so the Bear is even friendlier back… and it goes on all day. It’s magical!! We’ve had thousands of Bears come to our events and nearly every single one has added to this spiral. I could put 100’s of flags up and give you tonnes of jaffa cakes but if the people involved are miserable and unenthused the spiral quickly dwindles.
The high ranking for the Warwickshire Bear Ultra is a particularly proud moment for me as it was a very different event to our others. With 5 aid stations I was trusting others to run them like Big Bear aid stations but I couldn’t be at them to oversee it. As I’ve said, it’s more than just rosemary, salt and olive oil covered potatoes (although they were much talked about – thanks Lisa!!!), it’s an attitude and enthusiasm. The fact it all went so well is a testament to the great individuals in the clubs/groups that are Step it Up, Daventry Road Runners and Social Runners Rugby along with my own merry band of volunteers during the day. Thank you!
These awards are really hard for me to be in the running for. To get 30 reviews (minimum needed to be eligible) from an event that only has 80 finishers is much more difficult than for a half marathon with 2000 people. I’ve a huge percentage of Bears to convince! The fact that 59 out of 89 finishers left a review is simply outstanding. Normally to get that high a ratio I’d have to do something so awful you felt the need to tell the world – instead it was the opposite!! It really does mean a lot.
So all of this is to say thank you. If you’ve left a review thank you. If you’ve volunteered once, or lots of times, know that this award genuinely is about you. I can put the nuts and bolts of an event together but without the great team of volunteers on the day it’s for nothing.
I will proudly update my email signature and website with the new awards soon (and hopefully hang another certificate on my wall!) but I promise to keep trying to do better. I never want to be stuck on past glories and accomplishments I just want the next event to be even better. It does help me know I’m on the right track though.
Thank you.
**walks off stage**