Official Publication of

MARCH 20 1 3

Central Market Serving it up for the CommunityH-E-B Organization is Active in More Ways than One

Following the Form Follows Fitness 5KRace Management ona Whole New Level

Doc in the Box By Holly Johnson, M.D.

Om: Yoga Yin for Running Yang

Wanna Get Lucky?DFWRUNS offers Business without Shenanigans

Happy New Year!It’s Time to SpearheadYour 2013 Calendar

Beware the ides of March! Normally we’d agree with this sentiment, but this year I’d beware the day AFTER the ides of March!

For the first time in our storied history here at DFWRUNS, we will be representing one of our clients in a float during the Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival. The Gladiator Rock ‘N Run float is shaping up to be the craziest you’ve ever seen and we’re anxious to start slithering down Greenville Avenue like a snake outta Ireland!

Over the past year we’ve been privileged to work with the Gladiator Rock ‘N Run – a national mud run series owned and operated by Dan Clark, aka: Nitro from American Gladiators. Yep, you know him!

The Gladiator Rock ‘N Run is guaranteed to test your post-race laundry detergent, all the while helping out a great local charity, Back On My Feet!

Outside-the-box thinking is our forte, so when we sat with Dan one afternoon and started sippin’ a few green ales, we came up with a fistful of ideas on how to creatively promote the race.

Now, parade floats aren’t a new thing, but believe me – you’ve never seen a float like this!

If you haven’t been to the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, I would HIGHLY recommend you go

this year – if not to see our spectacular Gladiator Rock ‘N Run float, then to mingle and frolic with 80,000 beer-sippin’, toe tappin’, leprechauns who know how to throw a party!

Letter from the EditorChief Running Officer, Eric Lindberg

GREEN SPANDEX WORKS IN A PINCH

The grass (roots marketing) IS greener on the other side of Greenville Ave. Call our McKinney Ave. office at 214-339-7867 and we’ll hit the streets with your brand!

Now, parade floats aren’t a new thing, but believe me — you’ve never seen a float like this!

MARKETING // PUBLICITY // SPONSORSHIP

Some of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day memories happened at this very festival. You may not know it, but the festival and DFWRUNS go back a few years! You might remember a sad day back in 2008 when the upper Greenville location of Two Rows Restaurant & Brewery closed. It had previously served as the start and finish to the Dash Down Greenville, the 5K race held just before the parade begins.

DFWRUNS was moved to tears when we heard the news, but did help move the race to Central Market’s Upper Greenville location. In addition, we helped bring in the North Texas Food Bank as the race’s beneficiary and helped grow the 5K from 3,000 runners to a whopping 5,000 pairs of feet hitting the pavement!

As luck would have it, we had a few pints, met some fantastic people and before we knew it, the Central Market Thrill of the Grill, the Central Market Run ,Walk & Roll, and the Rahr Oktoberfest all hopped on board the DFWRUNS bandwagon!

How’s that for the “Luck O’ the Irish”?!But Eric, you say, you’re not Irish!This is true. My heritage is a tasty smoothie mix of Norwegian,

Swedish and German. Still, growing up a block away from Notre Dame and idolizing some of the greatest Fightin’ Irish to ever hit the gridiron, I’m convinced there must be a pinch o’ St. Patrick in me!

But to circle all this up to my original point — if you come out to the Dash Down Greenville and stay for the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, I can promise you one thing - you’ll get more than a pinch of (from?) DFWRUNS!

– Eric Lindberg

WHO’S SHOUTING “On Your Left!”?

OWNERS & EDITORS IN CHIEF Eric Lindberg elindberg@dfwruns.com

Sharon Lindberg slindberg@dfwruns.com

DESIGNCathy Hutzler cat@dfwruns.com

WRITING & EDITINGCherilyn Wilson cwilson@dfwruns.com

Seth Gonzales sgonzales@dfwruns.com

CONTRIBUTORSPaul Hutzler phutzler@dfwruns.com

Gabriella McCord gmccord@dfwruns.com

Maggie McCarthy mmccarthy@dfwruns.com

CATCH US!(IF YOU CAN)

Two years have passed since I got lucky.

In March 2011, I sat down with Eric & Sharon Lindberg to discuss joining their awesome staff at DFWRUNS. Since then, two years have raced by! You know the saying about time flying. The reasons are many but my co-workers are definitely the fourth leaf on my clover. The way our staff supports one another keeps business moving at race-pace and therefore have been so lucky to see a huge number of new clients join in the fun each year. Consequently, we are growing rapidly like a patch of hardy and thriving clover. Watch for Jessica Kane sliding down our rainbow March 19th as she dons the lucky

leprechaun green hat as Race Engineer. We’re excited for you to meet her in next month’s issue of On Your Left!

ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY?Do you have event sales, media sales or sponsorship

sales experience? Introduce yourself to us at: info@dfwruns.com. You don’t have to be green with envy over our careers.

DO YOU HAVE A BRAND OR EVENT THAT NEEDS A LITTLE CHARM?

Then you are in luck! DFWRUNS has the versatility to brand, market, promote, manage, and/or direct your biggest wishes without any shenanigans. We offer a unique spin on traditional marketing services but the icing on the DFWRUNS cake is the people you’ll have working tirelessly for you. DFWRUNS is made up of creative thinkers who share strong passions across the active market. As a unit, we research the most recent marketing trends and implement the best campaign to

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Hero Rush – North TexasSaturday, April 6, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

Central Market Thrill of the GrillSaturday, April 20, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

ZERO Prostate Cancer Run Ft. Myers

Saturday, April 27, 2013RACE WEBSITE

Gladiator Rock’N Run - DFWSaturday, May 11, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

Wanna Get Lucky?DFWRUNS offers Business without Shenanigans

Are you feeling Lucky? Dial 214-339-7867 for your marketing, promotions, branding, race direction or corporate wellness needs.

MARKETING // PUBLICITY // SPONSORSHIPACTIVATE your business. And we put in great effort to function together as a well oiled machine trekking toward your pot of gold. To do that requires the desire to help one another to be the best we can be through team building and friendly field research. This march, we reminisce of running together on St. Patrick’s Day 2012. Just for the record, the angels really did beat the Bosleys and our free lunch and green pints were magically delicious.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO FIND A FOUR LEAFED CLOVER?

Four-leaf clovers are more abundant in disturbed and/or trampled areas. Look along footpaths and trails that run through a clover patch. Mutant clovers are most prevalent in the late summer. The best time to look for a four leaf clover is when it is raining.

Look for is a patch of white clover (Trifolium repens, identified by white flowers) because they’re more likely to produce a four-leaf plant than other types of clover.

Once found, gently remove a strand of the multi-leaf clover, about 4-5 heads worth, and set it in water and place it in indirect sunlight. When it starts growing roots, plant it in a clear area in your c. It spreads fast, and the patch will have the same genetics as the original.1

– Cherilyn Wilson

Run Drenched - Dallas Saturday, May 25, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

Patriot Half MarathonMonday, May 27, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

ZERO Prostate Cancer Run Chicago

Saturday, June 1, 2013RACE WEBSITE

DFWRUNS National Running Day Celebration

Wednesday, June 5, 2013RACE WEBSITE

HOP TO IT!GET SIGNED UP NOW TO SAVE!

1 Directly from wikiHow.com

Not only is the Easter Bunny sneaking up on you in March this year, but so are some price increases and sell-outs! Be quick like a bunny, get signed up and save!

CENTRAL MARKET THRILL OF THE GRILL 5KPrice increase 3/16

REGISTER NOW

HERO RUSH NORTH TEXASPrice increase 3/28

WAVE UPDATES11:30a, 12p & 12:30p SOLD OUT9a is 50% Full10a is 70% Full11a is 60% Full

REGISTER NOW

GLADIATOR ROCK’N RUN DALLAS Price increase 3/30

REGISTER NOW

T he name of March comes from ancient Rome — when March was the first

month of the year and named Martius after Mars, the Greek Mythological God of war. So then, March gets us thinking about New Year resolutions, Greek Gods and Roman Gladiators of War!

HAVE YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS ALREADY GONE SOUTH?

Well, change direction and head east with such promises because, lucky for you, this month gives you another chance at making those well-intended improvements to your lifestyle. (Do-Over!) Celebrate March the old-fashioned way—as the first month of the year according to the ancient Roman calendar and start getting active (again) now! DFWRUNS rang in the new year (again) this March by celebrating 2013 LIKES on OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! Just read on for more ways you can stick to your 2013 goals!

Does this month of Marius have you reminiscing about the Greek running god — the Ultra Marathon Man,

Dean Karnazes, and Greek Gods Greek-Style Yogurt at last year’s Central Market Thrill of the Grill 5K? If thoughts like this have you licking your chops then get in on the sizzlin’ hot price before prices go up on March 16! REGISTER HERE (Race day is April 20th).

BUT DON’T STOP THERE! You’re resolving to make

Texas-sized changes this year by spearing those resolutions ancient Roman Spartacus-style! Gather your troupe! It’s time to release the Gladiator/Goddess inside of you! For more reasons WHY you should fight for your right to wear spandex, REGISTER HERE! You don’t want to miss the insane party thrown by Dan Clark aka “Nitro” from the American Gladiators. You’ll never get a race tee or swag bag like this anywhere else!

We’re giving you permission to throw away your Gregorian calendar and start (again) this month! One of the best New Years resolutions we know is, “Always resolve to have even more fun than last year.” Can’t go wrong there. Stick to it by signing up for these spring races today. Enter the arena bravely my friend.

– Cherilyn Wilson

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ZERO Prostate Cancer Run - Los Angeles

Saturday, June 15, 2013RACE WEBSITE

DASH4DAD - AtlantaSaturday, June 15, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

Run Drenched - ColumbusSaturday, July 6, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

Run Drenched - Washington DCSaturday, July 13, 2013

RACE WEBSITE

Happy New Year!It’s Time to Spearhead Your 2013 Calendar

http://www.drenched5k.com/

Next month, on April 20th, we will produce one of our favorite races of the year, the Central Market Thrill of the Grill 5K. The event starts and

finishes at the Central Market store in Plano—a venue which will serve up the best post-race hot breakfast for the 5th annual event, and who has served it’s community in multiple ways for more than 10 years.

Central Market’s commitment and involvement in the community has been an important part of the way they do business and it is never more apparent to us than during this event. Their contributions to the Plano ISD Education Foundation from the proceeds of the Central Market Thrill of the Grill 5K, however, are only one helping of what the H-E-B organization hands out. Each year, they also give away $600,000 in cash prizes to deserving

teachers, principals and school districts in the form of Excellence in Education Awards.

“The H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards celebrate public school professionals whose leadership and dedication inspire a love of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities.” Their website explains. “It is the largest monetary recognition program for educators in Texas and one of the largest in the nation.” Awards

aren’t solely dedicated to teachers and principles but also include one of DFWRUNS’ favorites, the Healthy Campus grant, “designed to assist school campuses with resources and funding to implement and improve activities and programs centered around the three pillars of H-E-B’s statewide health improvement effort: Food, Body and Life.”

– Cherilyn Wilson

Central Market Serving it up for the CommunityH-E-B Organization is Active in More Ways Than One

“The H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards celebrate public school professionals whose leadership and dedication inspire a love of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities.”

It is through active events and many programs like these that Central Market takes strides to be a positive part of your neighborhood. Run, walk or jog with their family and yours in support of our sizzling sponsor.

SPONSORED BY

®

BENEFITING

GET

UP!

FIRED

APRIL 20, 2013

RUN OR WALK - HOT BREAKFAST - LIVE MUSIC - POST RACE PARTY

thrillofthegrill5k.com /thrillofthegrill

Over 1,200 participated in a hugely successful second year for the Dallas Center for Architecture Form Follow Fitness 5K last week.

The race was held at Klyde Warren Park, the newly opened deck park built over Woodall Rodgers Freeway in downtown Dallas. It was the first 5K race the park has hosted in its history.

“We couldn’t be happier with how things went,” said Greg Brown, program director at the Dallas Center for Architecture. “The venue was spectacular, the course was great, and the running weather was perfect. You couldn’t ask for a better second year.”

The race benefited the Dallas Center for Architecture, whose mission it is to advance the importance of architecture through education and collaboration, fostering the public’s understanding of the power of architecture to enrich the lives of Dallas citizens.

Participants bolted past some of Dallas’ most recognizable architectural buildings, such as the

Federal Reserve of Dallas, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the Wyly Theatre and the Cresecnt Hotel.

Atlanta native and now Dallas resident Stephen Cohn was the 5K’s overall male winner, having crossed the finish line in 16:57.

“That was the fastest I’ve ever run a 5K,” said Cohn. “I really enjoyed it. The course was good, marked well, and I enjoyed the varied terrain.”

Dallas resident Christina Hughes-Babb clocked in at 19:17, becoming the 5K’s overall female winner.

As the final runners clocked in, participants settled in front of the stage, enjoyed an ice cold Gordon Biersch brew and took in the sounds of The Lucky Pierre’s on stage.

– Seth Gonzales

VIEW FINAL RACE RESULTS

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Following the Form Follows Fitness 5KRace Management on a Whole New Level

“That was the fastest I’ve ever run a 5K... I really enjoyed it. The course was good, marked well, and I enjoyed the varied terrain.”

IN REVIEW

https://cui.active.com/event-reg/select-race?e=3280003&mailingId=&recipientId=&style=active

WGrowing up, I participated on my high school cross country team. I remember waking up before dawn and having my mom drop me off at Erwin Park in McKinney. Erwin Park was the site of our home cross country meet and where we would do a lot of our training during the fall. It was the perfect location for a cross country race — complete with trails and hills. My earliest memory of Erwin Park is the grasshoppers jumping up at our legs as we took off along the course. After 4 years of racing on the course, I could run it in my sleep! Later on, after I had graduated from high school, I would continue to drive out to the park to do my long runs on the trails in order to decrease the pounding on my legs.

Recently, I decided to revisit this park with my mom in tow. We ran for about an hour all over the park and I was reminded about how nice it is to run out there. It isn’t crowded and the occasional mountain bikers are friendly and announce their presence on the trails. The trails are shaded for the most part but with some sections right out on the fields. The trail is well marked and easy to follow and a nice break from pounding the roads.

Erwin Park is located in McKinney, TX off of 380. There are 8.8 miles of trails out at the park, along with a fishing area, three picnic pavilions, restrooms, playgrounds and large expanses of open space. You can also go camping out there. I imagine it’d be sweet to emerge from your tent and be the earliest one out. Happy trails!

Jaunt JunkieBy Lindsay Hazard

BLAST FROM THE PAST

RockTheBlockTexas.com

Bandits Wanted!...that is, Birthday Bandits! Be a part of the fun! Each month we host an “exclusive” social run (location will vary month-to-month) to celebrate all the bandits who have birthdays that month. Asphalt and good cheers will be provided to all … AND did we mention, an EPIC gift for all the Birthday Bandits.

SIGN UP HERE

MARKETING // PUBLICITY // SPONSORSHIP

Doc in the Box By Holly Johnson, M.D.

OM: YOGA YIN FOR RUNNING YANG

How did I know I was really a runner? It wasn’t the first time I pinned on a

bib. It wasn’t the first time I crossed the finish line or wore a chip in my shoe. Believe it or not, I was sitting in yoga class, legs crossed in lotus pose. Following my instructor, I crossed my ankles, jumped back into a plank, then bent my body in half–booty in the air–in downward dog. The instructor walked around the class, and I could hear her whispering, “Nice,” “Lift those hips,” “Good,” “Spread your fingers wide.” When she got to me, I heard, “You’re runner aren’t you?” Stretched upside-down, hamstrings burning, I commented, “How do you know that? Are my hamstrings looking as tight as they feel?” She laughed, “Yes, everything is tight...your hamstrings, your shoulders, your hips, your toes...”

YOGA IS GOOD FOR RUNNERSDue to the repetitive motion of running — legs, hips, trunk,

and shoulders in a straight line — arms pumping, you get strong in your legs and tight everywhere else! Yoga, therefore, is good for runners. You want total body fitness, not just strong, fast legs. You want pain-free running. Yoga increases your flexibility and improves your posture. You want fast muscle recovery and no soreness. When your muscles are tense after a run, your muscles don’t receive good blood flow or oxygen, but if you do some yoga poses after a run, this relaxes and stretches your limbs and encourages deep, purposeful breaths which maximizes oxygen use and aids in recovery.

The consistent practice of yoga has a long list of benefits that can elevate your running game from a casual cross-the-

finish-line high to a zen-ninja level. Yoga is meant to quiet the mind. It is said that when practicing meditation a still gaze stills the mind. This relieves stress and subsequently increases energy. Another benefit of yoga is increased flexibility. With proper practice, yoga not only relaxes muscles, but it also relaxes our deeper connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Yes, when you are in any of the strong, stealth warrior poses, you are not only looking cool, you are stretching and casting out your worries of the day, therefore helping to protect yourself from injuries by relaxing all tension in your being. Balance improves as you practice yoga. It is a great injury preventer and strength builder. The various poses in yoga build muscle tone and definition (think arms like Madonna or Jennifer Aniston, who are avid yoga students). Yoga is not only about strength training; it can also be a fat burner which leads to weight loss, and therefore a decreased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. It has been said that yoga even improves our immune system function.

ANYONE CAN DO ITThe cool thing about yoga (and about running) is that

anyone can do it! It is relatively inexpensive to start. Beginners are always welcome! I read on a yoga blog, “It’s not about doing the yoga poses, it’s about undoing what is in the way of the poses.” All you really need is a mat, bare feet, and a free video on YouTube. (I found a yoga mat at Target for ten bucks.) Classes are easy to find online if you need encouragement from an instructor and camaraderie of others bending and stretching in unison with you.

The types of yoga are endless. How do you choose? Hatha (pronounced hah-ta, not hah-tha) yoga is the foundation of most yoga practices. It encompasses all types of modern yoga and teaches a basic, classic approach that is good for calmness, stress reduction, focusing on breathing and meditation and is slow-paced. Anusara yoga helps you learn proper alignment and form. It is a relaxed, upbeat environment–yoga with a sense of humor–where students are encouraged to do what feels good for them to their fullest ability with no pressure for perfect form. Ashtanga constitutes of strenuous pose sequences where you move rapidly from one pose to the next with each inhale and exhale (called a vinyasa).

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Bill Rodgers wore a wool Snoopy hat on all his Boston training runs. In 1979, he decided to race in it. He won and broke the American marathon record.*

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MARKETING // PUBLICITY // SPONSORSHIP

REACH OUT!Learn how DFWRUNS can help grow your brand or event. Contact us today!

PHONE: 214-DFWRUNSEMAIL: info@dfwruns.comWEB: www.dfwruns.com

IT’S GREAT FOR STRENGTH BUILDING, WEIGHT LOSS, AND CARDIO FITNESS

Bikram yoga is practiced in a humid sauna-like room at 95-105 degrees. A series of twenty-six yoga poses is performed twice. Do this type of yoga if you feel like you need to sweat to call a workout a workout. It is perfect for improving stamina and loosening muscles. Bring your water bottle! Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment and deliberate sequencing using props like blocks and straps. No, it is not kinky-yoga, but will improve muscle definition and balance, speed recovery from an injury, and assist with learning fundamental yoga poses. Power yoga is an active and athletic version without

sticking to the same sequence of poses and is a great calorie burner. These aforementioned types are muscle forming practices called Yang yoga. After torching calories and moving around a lot, Yin yoga helps balance the other side of the yogi coin. This is a quiet, meditative

practice of long poses, held for often five to twenty minutes, which helps lengthen connective tissues and relax muscles while gravity does the work.

As a primary care physician, one of my mottos has always been that you don’t have to be sick to get better! Yoga is a great way to prevent illness and injury, tap into your spiritual side, become a bit more flexible, and to loosen up your tight runner’s hamstrings and toes. It takes you into the present moment and grounds your soul, even if only for a moment in this busy world.

Back in Red Sun Yoga class, I’m on my spongy mat, flat on my back and my eyes are closed; my toes uncurl, my legs are loose, and for one hour of my day, I let go, and I yoga yin out of my running yang. Namaste.

Please Note: The info in this article is not a substitute for medical advice from your own PCP. Talk to your doctor before engaging in any new form of fitness, yoga included. Dr. Johnson and DFWRUNS/On Your Left! are not liable for untwisting you from a pretzel pose.

Keep sending us your compliments! TOO COLD TO HOLDCOMPLIMENT: Well organized and fun!

CITY: Dallas, TX DCFA FORM FOLLOWS FITNESS 5KCOMPLIMENT: Fantastic race! Great venue, fun course and lots of energy! Looking forward to next year!

COMPLIMENT: Great course, I loved seeing parts of downtown Dallas up

close. Klyde Warren Park is amazing!!

COMPLIMENT: The course was awesome and the event was even better than last year (which was already great). Great work by DFWRUNS!

CITY: Dallas, TX

COMPLIMENTS DEPARTMENT

Do you have a lucky race charm? Tell us about it at info@dfwruns.com and we’ll share stories our next issue.

“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”

–Yogi BKS Iyengar.

Abby RoadBy Abby Werner

GRAFFITI RUNOk, February 2, 2013 has made my list of Top 10 favorite

Saturdays. Why? Well let us see — I woke up early, I ran in the Graffiti Run, I did some math homework; so I wonder what made it so special? Ding ding ding we have a winner! Yep the Graffiti Run is definitely something I look forward to doing next year. I started out with my clean, white t-shirt but ended a colorful mess.

Before the race, they had big buckets of green and blue powder-like chalk that you could put on yourself. Some people were going a little crazy, lying on the ground and making chalk-angels with it! (I just sprinkled myself!) I lined up with my dad and waited until they let us all go. In the third wave, I

set off with a confident start, quickly getting separated from my dad. I ran up a hill before running through the hot pink. Just FYI — powder chalk is disgusting and is hard to wipe away from your eyes.

A short while later, I ran through the bright blue- with my eyes and mouth closed this time. As I was running I met this really sweet 7 year old girl. It was her first 5k and she was slightly ahead of her mom. I could tell she

was really tired and wanted to stop, but I encouraged her to keep going. We just talked about running and I told her about some of the other 5ks I’ve ran in. I joked about how we were both beating our parents. Before she knew it, she’d gone for another mile before she had to stop. I felt proud of how she pushed, it proved how much mental strength running takes. You can be in enough physical shape to run 500 miles, but if you don’t believe in yourself and don’t push when you think you’re tired then you’ll never reach your full potential.

After I ran through the next color, a cheerful orange I finally had to walk. I took 15 steps and then went right back to jogging. I passed several people who were more color-soaked than me and cheered on anyone who looked like they needed

it. When I passed through the last color, green, I picked up my speed and pressed on to the finish line. When I turned the last corner, I sprinted with every last ounce of energy I had. I gulped down four bottles of water, both rehydrating myself and trying to rinse my mouth out. I was especially ecstatic to see that I finished barely under 30 minutes!!! Glowing and colorful I waited for my dad to turn the corner. When I saw him, I cheered him on as he finished too. My mom just gawked at us when we got home then told us to take a shower. Four days and eight showers later, I still had pink in my ears.

Track practice has also started. I’m doing long distance of course and loving it. I’m running between two and three miles a day and slowly getting back into shape. Most of my friends are doing sprints and think I’m psycho for wanting to do long distance. Like I’ve said before, the feeling you get when you obtain that steady rhythm is incredible. Besides, my mother is happy — I sleep very well at night.

“If you don’t believe in yourself and don’t push when you think you’re tired then you’ll never reach your full potential”

http://www.storeassured.com

Each one of our DFWRUNS races brings something

unique to the table, and the NBA Run, Walk Dribble 5K was certainly no exception. Each of our staff brought something different to the table also. While some of us managed the packet pick up at Academy Sports + Outdoors, others were out setting up the event space at Discovery Green in Houston. On race morning, we had staff taking care of sponsors as well as course monitors, announcers, volunteers, and even celebrities. Since each of us defended different zones or were shooting off to make big offensive plays, we all observed different shining moments and had varying experiences. Though we won’t list all the cool components of this event, like the free basketball-style jerseys that replaced traditional race tees, the free Jam Session tickets our 5K participants received with their registrations, or the cool Panini half-court free throw zone, we would like to share a couple brief replays from our busy trip.

ERICDFWRUNS produces so many events, most of which have a long history and/or are marketed strongly to the running community. The NBA All-Star FIT Run, Walk and Dribble was a bit different. Having the advantage and marketing power of the NBA brand means the annual NBA All-Star FIT Run, Walk & Dribble draws a unique crowd, most of whom have never participated in a 5K style event. As we prepare for the start of any event I walk around, talking to participants to help answer any last minute questions. On this day, there were a lot of questions ranging from how far five kilometers was to “do I have to dribble a basketball the entire time?” What I mostly noticed, however, was the overwhelming number of participants who didn’t know how to use their timing chip, evidenced by the fact a lot of participants had not removed the D-tag from their race bibs. I love these kinds of events because it ties so much to our mission at DFWRUNS which is to spread the message to families about living a healthy, active lifestyle.

SHARONThe best part was the whole day morning schedule and flow of the event. The morning started at 8:30am with the 5k, then 9:30am with the 1k and then the dribble at 10am. This structure allowed participants to run on a completely closed course in downtown Houston on a perfect crisp morning and then stay to watch the 1k and dribble. The latter two events were largely made up of kids. NBA FIT

There's No " I " in DFWRUNSThe NBA All-Star FIT Run, Walk & Dribble Success was a Strong Team Effort

IN REVIEW

is all about children’s fitness and so the participation for these events were right on target. We had over 2,000 youth & parents in the dribble and seeing the kids shoot out of the starting blocks with NBA and WNBA celebrities in tow was a breath of fresh air. They looked like they were having the time of their lives and creating a memory that I’m sure will be a vivid one as they get older.

LINDSAYWhat I thought was awesome/hilarious was the warm-up that Elite Physiques did. It was a 10 minute Zumba style warm-up that they completely ROCKED and that a lot of people participated in. It included Gangnam Style which was awesome to watch such a crowd of people do.Everything was really smooth, no hiccups. I got to give away some cool prizes for the Academy Sports + Outdoors fast break zones – a few autographed all-star jerseys and some autographed hats from Academy Sports + Outdoors.

SETHIn an effort to punctuate the NBA brand and its commitment to helping communities get fit, NBA Legends T.J. Ford, Felipe Lopez and Lindsey Harding came out to encourage the runners. Sometimes, events like ours can be cumbersome for celebrities – but not these wonderful ambassadors. All three genuinely felt excited to be there. How excited, you ask? T.J. Ford decided to make his first ever 5K start – an impromptu decision, but one he

made despite a spinal injury that forced an early retirement from the NBA. Lindsey Harding and Felipe Lopez started and completed the race. When they crossed the finish line together, they turned around and begin hi-fiving every participant crossed the finish line.

Yet, the most satisfying thing for me to see was the look of joy on so many faces – parents and children alike. That’s when you know you’re doing something right.

MAGGIEAt packet pick up at Academy, a lady who was picking up her packet realized her friend registered them for the 1k not the 5k. She became visibly upset. She told me she had promised her doctor to run/walk a 5k each month in order to live a healthier lifestyle and to keep losing weight. I reassured her she can “upgrade” her registration from a 1k to a 5k and she was thrilled. I felt like it was so easy to do my little part in helping someone reach their goals. Hearing the participant’s stories always keeps me going. She loved the NBA and her father was in the army so she has a soft spot for the USO (beneficiary), and she got to keep her promise to her doctor!

REACH OUT!Learn how DFWRUNS can help grow your brand or event. Contact us today!

PHONE: 214-DFWRUNSEMAIL: info@dfwruns.comWEB: www.dfwruns.com

MARKETING // PUBLICITY // SPONSORSHIP

PHONE: 214-DFWRUNSEMAIL: info@dfwruns.com

WEB: www.dfwruns.com/dfwruns @dfwruns