Running Industry Response to COVID-19

Editor's note: Running USA, the non-profit trade organization for the sport of road running, has been working to advocate for the running industry as a whole since the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting the United States in late February. We are part of the Endurance Sports Coalition, which is asking Congress for direct relief for the businesses and non-profits affected by mandatory event cancellations.

Hundreds of Running USA events have been moved, cancelled or transformed as a result of the pandemic, and we have tracked those changes here.

Our vendor members have put together a tremendous breadth of content related to this pandemic and you can find that here.

We’ve organized this page in such a way that you can easily:

Take Action

Be Informed

Protect Your Business

Read Future-Focused News

We encourage you to contribute links to this page by emailing them to us at [email protected]. We will continue to update this page daily.

We appreciate your support of our ongoing virtual race camps, content and advocacy. If you would like to support us, we encourage you to become a member of Running USA today and be part of road running’s most dynamic non-profit organization.

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Take action

Voice your support and join Running USA in asking Congress for relief for the endurance industry

Anyone can participate in asking Congress for endurance industry relief here: https://www.endurancesportscoalition.org/take-action

General info here: https://runningusa.org/RUSA/News/2020/Join-Running-USA-in-asking-Congress-for-relief-for-the-endurance-industry.aspx

Join the coalition here: https://join.endurancesportscoalition.org/

Latest Running USA Virtual Race Camp: Virtual Event Case Studies

In this Running USA Virtual Race Camp, we'll hear from three spring events that had to rapidly switch to virtual runs due to Covid-19. They'll share what went well, what they learned and pitfalls to avoid. Learn from their experiences and apply the lessons to your events. Speakers will include Tanner Bell of Ragnar Relay, Allison Corbett of P3R and Amy Frostick of J&A Racing Inc..

Listen to the recording

View previous Virtual Race Camp recordings to stay informed on best practices and the viewpoints of industry peers.

Sign up for the Running USA newsletter - bi-weekly sends with the latest industry news and updates

Use the Contractor Directory to find resources for rescheduled events, or list your availability.

Find support, ask questions and join ongoing industry peer discussions online:

Running USA Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/106718176920351/?source_id=152384698126880

Event Professionals Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/EventPros/about/

Be informed

Protect your business

U.S. Chamber of Commerce webinar series: Navigating the Return to Work

https://web.cvent.com/event/09e3fc00-f29c-4fbf-9f16-d9f585c43722/summary?rp=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

Guide to Federal Small Business Stimulus Aid Programs:

https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/federal-small-business-stimulus-aid-programs-guide

CARES Small Business Guide and Checklist

https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/023595_comm_corona_virus_smallbiz_loan_final.pdf

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance and Loan Resources

https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources

COVID-19 Resources for Non-Profits

https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/covid-19-resource-center/

SBA Disaster Assistance

https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance

Paycheck Protection Program Fact Sheet

https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/PPP--Fact-Sheet.pdf

Small Business Relief Tracker from Forbes (includes state-by-state resources);

https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannegarrett/2020/03/20/small-business-relief-tracker-funding-grants-and-resources-for-business-owners-grappling-with-coronavirus

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Resources page

https://www.uschamber.com/coronavirus

Video of U.S. Chamber of Commerce Briefing held on 3.30 (emergency funding for nonprofits)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZqDIKBc3G0

2020 Sponsorship Outlook from IEG

Download PDF here

Insight for small events dealing with COVID-19 (content resource)

Download PDF here

By Lonnie Somers, owner and Chief HAL Officer, HAL Sports and Running USA board member

Event Cancellation Insurance and COVID-19 (content resource)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in early March, Running USA has received a high volume of questions about event insurance and the options for future event cancellation coverage.

Find answers here: https://runningusa.org/RUSA/News/2020/Event-Cancellation-Insurance-and-COVID-19.aspx

Find additional content resources from Running USA vendor members (extensive list)

Read future-focused industry news

Recent articles suggest the nationwide lockdown could bring new runners to the industry. Here are some articles that might make great sharing pieces for your social channels.

ESPN: Coronavirus has changed the course for races big and small

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/29137444/coronavirus-changed-course-races-big-small

CNBC: Some marathon races may not survive the pandemic

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/17/some-marathon-races-may-not-survive-coronavirus-pandemic.html

How is the pandemic affecting the running industry?

https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/05/22/how-is-the-pandemic-affecting-the-running-race-industry/

Endurance Sports Sidelined by Virus Join the Race For Federal Relief

https://about.bgov.com/news/endurance-sports-sidelined-by-virus-join-race-for-federal-relief/

What Will Endurance Races Look Like When They Come Back?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/sports/coronavirus-triathlons-endurance-races.html

SportsTravel talks to Running USA CEO Rich Harshbarger about running participation trends

https://t.co/wcAn3ajYxl?amp=1