The Aid Station

This week on Episode 123 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to the stunning city of Lucerne in Switzerland to meet Reto Schorno, Partner Athletics Sport Consulting and Race Director, Swiss City Marathon

Like so many in our industry his journey started as a result of his father’s involvement in organizing events – at that stage the Lucerne City Race which ultimately became the Swiss City Marathon.  A few of the highlights of the conversation include:

#TheAidStation #SwissCityMarathon #MassParticipation

This week on Episode 121 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to the United States for an inspiring conversation with Cade Netscher, Founder, Neurun.

A wonderful story of how Cade and his partner have taken a simple idea and created a fantastic course visualisation concept and app at the intersection of two of his passions – running and neuroscience. A few of the highlights include:

- Staying the course despite the challenges of COVID

- Taking a simple idea and stretching it at the edges to deliver amazing impact

- The power of partnerships to help create scale

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #Technology #MassParticipationEvents #Visualisation

This week on Episode 120 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to Hong Kong for an amazing story highlighting the power of following your passion as we meet Janet Ng, President, International Trail Running Association (ITRA).

At a time when so many people are changing roles and organisations in search of alignment with their purpose and passion, Janet's story is sure to resonate with many. A few of the highlights include:

#MassParticipationWorld  #TheAidStation #njuko # JanetNg #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #ITRA #MPW

In this week's episode of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we have have a series first - a second conversation with the same guest.  In December, we travelled to Poltava in Ukraine to meet Maxim Krivenko, Director, NewRun. Obviously a huge amount in the country has changed since then and we took the opportunity to hear first-hand from Maxim about the situation and the impact on the Mass Participation industry.  Maxim and most of his team are still in Poltava, central Ukraine, where some of them are helping receive refugees from across the country whilst others have escaped to other parts of Europe.   He shares how the industry has completely shut down but that in Poltava people are still able to occasionally get out and run albeit with the risk of an air raid. There is an amazing air of positivity and determination in the conversation with Maxim and his translator Ekaterina.  They are determined, once this is over, to get back to putting on their label races and bringing the running community back together at events. "We have become very united and everyone helps out in any way that they can".  #MassParticipationWorld #MassParticipation #MassSports #TheAidStation #GlobalUpdates #Ukraine

So many powerful insights of regional impact from a tiny island barely 30miles long in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Join the journey which starts with a geography lesson and ends with the inspirational story of a Japanese marathon runner crossing the finish line with his family and only becoming aware of his success days later.

In between we talk about the impact of traditional culture and values on Robin and his tiny community and organising a marathon from his garage. Hear his insights into overcoming the challenges of fulfilling his role as President of Oceania Athletics via zoom and the all-important story of the eel and sea cucumber. Make sure to stay tuned until the very end.

#MassParticipationWorld  #TheAidStation #RobinSapongEugenio #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #OceaniaAthleticsAssociation #NorthernMarianasIsland #MPW #njuko

This week on Episode 117 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to Portava, Ukraine for a fascinating conversation with Maxim Krivenko, Director, NewRun, and Katia Shevchenko, Partnership Manager, Newrun.  

Despite all the world headlines, life and events continue as normal in many parts of the country.  

Maxim and Katia repeat a story that we have heard so many times on The Aid Station over the past two years - the power of our industry to impact the lives of communities and massive growth.   

From a first running event of 700 people to a calendar of events with tens of thousands of participants and a multitude of finish line proposals. 

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #MaximKrivenko #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #NewRun #Ukraine #MPW #njuko

This week on Episode 116 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to Istanbul for a hugely insightful conversation with I. Renay Onur, General Manager & Board Member, Spor Istanbul.

A few of the highlights include:

- The life-changing impact of volunteering 

- Personal and business lessons from his corporate transition to creating and delivering a strategy with health and wellbeing of citizens at its core

- Behind the scenes Insights into the delivery for the 2021 Istanbul Marathon

#MassParticipationWorld  #TheAidStation #RenayOnur #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #SporIstanbul #njuko #MPW

This week on Episode 115 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to Barcelona, Spain for an insightful conversation with Alexandros Tanti.  Alex wears two hats as Co-Founder of RaceCheck, an online platform that helps recreational athletes find and evaluate endurance sports events around the world as well as being Chief Product Officer at Super League Triathlon.  Lots of inspiring and valuable insights in the discussion including:  

This week on a bumper Episode 114 of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to the USA for a far-reaching conversation with Ian Adamson, former competitive adventure racer, television professional and president of World Obstacle.

It's an episode so packed with insights and inspiration that it stretches way beyond our usual limits to 30minutes. A few of the highlights include: 

#MassParticipationWorld  #TheAidStation #IanAdamson #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #WorldObstacle #OCR #Spartan #JoedeSeana #MPW #Spartan #Ninja 

This week on Episode 113 of The Aid Station presented by njuko, we travel to a tiny mountain community in Patagonia Argentina to hear the remarkable story of Alex Tersoglio.

Hear how teaching the local doctor to speak English in the stunning alpine village of Villa la Angostura opened up an amazing journey. 

In a conversation that could have gone on for hours we explore her role in starting a blind runners club and taking an athlete to New York Marathon, creating a canine rescue squad and helping start a trail running event which she credits with helping her beat cancer.

Feel the raw emotion of the terrible impact of COVID-19 on the ill-equipped community of 3,000 people counterbalanced by Alex's incredible passion and zest for life including her role plogging at the back of last weekend's K42 trail race with 3,000 participants.

Hear stories of competing in endurance events with her daughter, Kenya and exploring the region together in her Citroen 3CV.  

For all your registration needs, visit njuko here: http://njuko.com

#MassParticipationWorld  #TheAidStation #AlexTersoglio #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #Patagonia #FromAdversityToOpportunity #VolunteerHeart 

In this week's amazing episode of The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to Sheffield, England to meet Danny Bent, Co-Founder of One Run, and recognised as one of the Top 100 Happiest People in the UK. Join us for an inspirational episode where we discuss how a run from the west to east coast of USA in solidarity with victims of the Boston bombing has turned into the One Run Global phenomenon, and so much more.  

For all your registration needs, visit njuko here: http://njuko.com 

#MassParticipationWorld #DannyBent #TheAidStation #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents #MassSports #OneRunGlobal #BestSelf

This week on The Aid Station, presented by njuko, we travel to Beijing for a hugely informative conversation with Julia Cui, Founder and Partner of CGX Management. Join us as Julia shares valuable insights regarding the industry in China.

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #MassParticipation #MassParticipationEvents #MassParticipationSports

This week on the Aid Station, we travel to Chamonix, France to talk to Frédéric Lenart, Managing Director, UTMB. Some wonderful insights shared just days before this year’s edition of UTMB with 10,000 participants. We discuss their permit requirements, leadership, parallels between his roles at Le Mans and UTMB as well as the partnership between UTMB and IRONMAN.

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #ChrisRobb #MassParticipation #MassParticipationEvents #FrédéricLenart #UTMB #MassParticipationSports

This week on the The Aid Station,  we visit Buenos Aires, Argentina for an inspiring conversation with Soledad Zongaro. 

Soledad is the Communications Manager of NB Urban Mile and two time Argentine steeplechase silver medallist. 

Hear the story of how her team was able to bring together over 48,000 participants from 150 countries in an amazing entry level virtual event.

Watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/LiY_dN1b_04

P.S.  Don't miss the opportunity to explore the role of Mass Participation sport in rebooting our future in Thursday's MPW Web Series where we will be joined by globally recognised thought leaders, Matt Rogan and Dr Martin Yelling as we explore "All to Play For: Thinking Differently About Our Lives and the Industry"

Register here 👉👉 https://bit.ly/36m6ty4

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #SoledadZongaro #BuenosAires #Argentina #NBUrbanMile #ArgentineSteeplechase #Steeplechase #MassParticipationEvents #MassEvents

This week, we travel to Malta where we interview veteran coach and currently the Head of Endurance for Malta Athletics Federation, Ivan Rozhnov. 

Hear insights from his travels over the past few weeks to events in multiple European countries. “What I saw in my travels was very different from what I see in the media. Life is very normal in many places”

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #ChrisRobb #MassParticipation #MassParticipationEvents #MaltaAthleticsFoundation #IvanRozhnov #EnduranceSports

This week, we meet Jaymie Pizarro, the first Filipino to finish the all of the World Marathon Majors. 

Watch her inspiring story from discovering her passion for running at the age of 30 to becoming an icon known as the Bull Runner and launching her own marathon that has inspired thousands of Filipinos.

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #ChrisRobb #DiscoverYourPassion #JaymiePizarro #MPath

We are very excited to venture into our first subtitled interview as we speak in Spanish with Daisy Zereceda, an icon of Peruvian athletics.

An amazing success story that highlights Daisy’s story from a curious 11-year old to overcoming discrimination on multiple levels and working “twice as hard” on her journey to representing Peru, becoming a successful lawyer and a state official.

Today, Daisy co-manages ZM Sports with her husband Andy. Her journey from adversity has helped equip her to thrive in today's Pandemic challenges including using the power of the internet to maintain communication with the running community in Peru whilst stuck in Germany.

Watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/yHikBzsH08s

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation

This week on the Aid Station, we go to Brazil and have a conversation with Roberta Hernandez, Project Manager of Agência Califórnia, a 360 Creative Digital Agency focusing on live marketing, content, technology and digital.

Hear Roberta’s inspiring story as she embarks on a new chapter of her career which is barely a week old after six years fully immersed in the Mass Participation industry delivering events close to her heart.

As a former professional waterpolo player being part of the Effect Sports team that was able to deliver one of the biggest mass participation swimming events in the world last year – the 2,000 participant King and Queen of the Sea brings a huge smile to her face.

On leadership – "it’s all about people" hear her lessons from her first boss and working with the United States Olympic Committee as a client.

In this The Aid Station, we go to Texas and meet Anthony "Tony" Reed, CEO of Caribbean Endurance Sports Corp.  As a pre-teen, he was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic and was told he would go on insulin as a teenager. By the end of last year, he had run over 46,000 miles, averaged three miles a day, and, at 66 years old, he’s still not on insulin. However, he didn't let that stop him from having completed the marathon “hat trick” which consists of completing seven continents, 50 states, and at least 100 marathons.  He was also the first Black man in the world to complete marathons on all seven continents.

On this week's episode of The Aid Station, we travel to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania as we meet John Addison who was the originator of the Kili Marathon back in 2002 and later the iconic Vic Falls Marathon on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. He said it was a spark of an idea over a cold “Kili” beer after meeting guests who were climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Hear how that idea has grown into an experience for 12,000 runners from close to 60 countries and created a massive health and wellbeing impact in addition to an enormous economic impact on the town of Moshi. This year’s COVID-adjusted event in February attracted 9,000 runners.

“When we started with around 250 participants there were perhaps 2-3 runners in Moshi and the surrounding area – there are now thousands. On race weekend every hotel in the town is full, people sleep in their cars and some travel over 125km on race morning to get to the start” says John.

Watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/6nPziN9n1TE

We are thrilled and proud to have reached the amazing milestone of 100 episodes of The Aid Station in just over a year.

To celebrate the milestone with a massively inspiring conversation with industry icon, Hugh Brasher, Event Director, London Marathon Events, makes the occasion even more special.

So many wonderful insights including emotional examples of the immense power of mass participation events to change lives and communities, the heightened role of communication in these times and the importance of self-belief.

Some wonderful insights into Hugh's life, the role that his parents played and his journey from running a small running store which grew into a huge network of stores across the UK to ultimately being handed the reins to one of the most iconic events in the sporting world is certain to inspire.

Listen out for the gold nugget that is so relevant in these challenging times where some of us are frozen by the fear of making a mistake - the vital importance of letting go of the fear of failure and instead seeing it as a huge opportunity to learn. 

Watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/xY2MSTkQcdo

#MassParticipationWorld #MassParticipationEvents #TheAidStation #100thEpisode #londonmarathon #AWMMM #mistakes #inspiration 

On our 99th episode of The Aid Station, we travel to Kingston, Jamaica to meet Diane Ellis, Sponsorship & Marketing Director of the annual world renowned Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K event, now in its 20th year.

Listen to Diane's inspiring story as she shares "The Power of Destination Events" not only to showcase the beauty of Jamaica but also how participants from over 40 countries help create a huge impact on local charities. 

Hear how Diane and her husband and Race Director, Alfred ‘Frano’ Francis, have created such a formidable team and their leadership principles of leading by example with integrity and love.

COVID-19 has created significant challenges but they have embraced them and delivered a hugely successful global virtual event and are planning for a live in-person event in December.

It sounds to me that the Reggae Marathon and Half Marathon is definitely one for the bucket list.

Watch our conversation here to learn more of Diane's wonderful story and some of the unique elements of the event like crossing the finish line and walking straight into the sea to cool down.

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

On this week's episode of The Aid Station, we travel to Sweden to meet Staff Movin, President of the Swedish Mass Participation & Sport Event Association and hear some valuable insights as to how the Association has successfully engaged with Government.

Some of the successes include the setting up of a Government-backed insurance fund and changing the narrative to focus on the health and wellbeing benefits to communities.

Also, an interesting insight into some of the huge events that take place in Sweden across cross-country running and skiing, open water swims and cycling and the successful collaboration between events.

A far reaching and inspiring discussion with a man who wears many hats and has had a huge impact on the Mass Participation industry.

Watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/18LMutMMdu8

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

On this week's edition we visit Sri Lanka to meet Hajith Mohamed, Race Director, Arugam Bay Half Marathon & President, Arugam Bay Development Forum in a hugely inspiring conversation which highlights the immense power of being purpose driven.

Sri Lanka is one of my favourite countries, I have amazing memories from my trip in 2001 exploring one of the most beautiful and diverse countries I have been lucky enough to visit.

Listen to Hajith's inspirational story and dreams to build the Arugam Half Marathon into a globally-recognised event, which attracts runners from all over the world to his piece of paradise; and in the process, makes a huge charity contribution to local communities.

Hear the initial disappointment of only a handful of entries for the first event in 2016, the impact of the Easter Sunday 2019 Colombo bombing and the determination and perseverance which now has the event on track to return this year.

Listen to our conversation here: https://youtu.be/XnNTqXTM3ik

#TheAidStation 

On this week’s Aid Station, we meet Daniel Krutman, CEO of Ticket Agora, the biggest registration platform in Brazil. Hear his insights into "the worst country in the world right now for COVID" with massive infection and mortality rates. 

Be inspired by his hugely positive attitude and lifelong commitment to learning which he passionately believes is "the elixir of life". Be sure to watch to the end to hear his heart-wrenching but uplifting inspiring story of a struggling member of the industry.

A wonderful and inspiring conversation with Alison Desir, Co-Chair, Running Industry Diversity Coalition and Director of Sport Advocacy, Oiselle. 

Alison shares insights from growing up in New York and visits to Latin America to learn about her Haitian and Columbian heritage to some gold nuggets on leadership and inspiration. Hear how she was able to overcome depression and was mentored and inspired by former New York Marathon Race Director, Mary Wittenberg – "Mary has this incredible ability to see that someone has a light shining in them before they see it themselves and has a way of bringing it out". 

Listen for the insights of seeing life through the eyes of her young son, Kouri, and her the excitement of the recent re-location to Seattle with him and her husband Amir to take up the new role with Oiselle.

This is one not to miss.

Watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/y_9VGKMhKwc

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation 

On this week’s Episode, we travel to Riga in Latvia a small nation of only 2 million people on the Baltic Sea to hear the inspiring story of Inese Kikule, Project Director & Partner NEcom, Nords Porter Novelli. 

Listen to the insights of how Inese and her team have managed the Riga Marathon with 15,000 people and was cancelled 15 minutes before they started road closures. 

It’s a Gold Label event that usually attracts 38,000 runners. 

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation

This week on The Aid Station is very special.

In a week where International Women's Day recognises women all over the world we are absolutely delighted to share the inspiring story of the oldest volunteer at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon - Betty Jenkins.

It's wonderful to have an incredible 93 year old woman for Episode 93 and our first cameo of the series with the support of one of Betty's 11 children, her daughter Sandra. 

Listen to Betty's inspirational story as she shares what keeps her going, her passion for cooking and young people, her strong independence of still living alone and much more. Her family statistics alone are mind-blowing 

11 children, 34 grandchildren, 68 great grand, 18 great-great grand children. This is a special one not to be missed.

#MassParticipationWorld #TheAidStation #BankofAmericaChicagoMarathon #inspiration #InternationalWomensDay

This week on The Aid Station, Trailblazer edition, we travel to Botswana as we talk for the second time to Lehlohonolo Makaja, MPW Trailblazer for Africa, Founder & Chief Experience Officer of DiverseU he is a sports tourism social entrepreneur based in Gaborone. 

Listen to the inspirational story of how Lehlohonolo embraced technology and reinvented himself and his business when his then growing enterprise literally disappeared overnight with the onset of COVID. His bank account was down to virtually zero and he couldn’t afford to pay a supplier to create his new platform so he taught himself to code.

DiverseU was born and connects casual runners to global races. They integrate international mass participation sports with cultural experiences before and after races for casual runners to experience their dream destinations sustainably.

Stay tuned as Lehlohonolo shares the journey of how he embraced technology to create new opportunities during the pandemic.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/vY3AVgr88XQ

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

This week on The Aid Station, Trailblazer edition, we talk to Nicole Lockwood, Manager Volunteer Program at Chicago Event Management and the MPW Trailblazer for North America.

Nicole has taken advantage of COVID to immerse herself in other functional areas to gain a wholistic view of the company and events such as the Chicago Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle. 

Apart from her obvious desire to serve and help others her initiative has created the opportunity to progress her career and also have a clear understanding of the needs of each department when allocating volunteers.

One of the wonderful opportunities of COVID is the chance to learn discover new skills in both our business and personal lives.

Learn more about Nicole's journey and hear some inspirational volunteer stories in this video: https://youtu.be/rPrqhTQeNko

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

This week on The Aid Station, Trailblazer edition, we talk to Shaun Gad, Co-Founder & CEO of Paradise Sports Management our MPW Trailblazer for Latin America.

Shaun has started GFNY races all over Mexico including Cozumel, Monterrey, Mazatlan, Mexico City, as well as in Jerusalem and soon he will be taking over Colombia as well. The first race had over 1,000 participants and quickly grew to over 3500 participants in just four years.

Listen to the challenges that he was able to overcome and the key role that marketing and branding played to promote one of the busiest cruise ship destinations in the world in successfully delivering GFNY on the beautiful island of Cozumel in November despite COVID. 

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

Today on a special MPW Trailblazer episode of The Aid Station, we talk to Robyn Andrews, Regional Manager of GivenGain who was recognised at the MPW2020 Online Summit in December as MPW Trailblazer for Europe.

Robyn is responsible for the overall country management and strategic planning of GivenGain and its activities in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Oceania. 

Listen to our interview as Robyn shares how she manages digital fundraising events and executes campaigns for running and cycling race events to raise much-needed funds for causes across the globe.

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

This week we travel to Launceston, Tasmania, which is an island south of Australia to meet Victoria Bhojwani Cunningham, Director of Marketing & PR, APAC, Spartan.

She shares her fascinating story on how she studied film but ended up being in the mass participation events industry.

Hear how her big break came after being interviewed by Spartan Founder & CEO Joe de Sena at the birthday party of one of his children.

Listen to our interview as she shares her challenges during the pandemic and how she overcome them, leadership principles that kept her going and some people who inspire her to continue along the way.

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld #ChrisRobb #MassParticipation

"The comeback is always stronger than the setback"

This week on The Aid Station, we interview Dave McGillivray, Race Director of Boston Marathon and President of DMSE Sports.

He was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, a condition he had always assumed wouldn’t be an issue for him. When he received the news, he did everything he could to reverse the condition. But it wasn’t enough. 

He was faced with the choice to keep his condition a secret from the running community, or choose to share his experience with the world. He chose the latter, urging others—especially the fittest of athletes—"if you feel something, do something."

His transformation from fit athlete to fit and healthy person has inspired others to seek counsel from their physicians, which may have saved countless lives.

Listen to our interview as he shares his inspiring story and his purpose to raise the self-esteem and self-confidence of tens and thousands of people.

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld

On this week's The Aid Station, we head to Hong Kong where we are joined by a veteran in the Mass Participation Industry - William Ko.

William is the Senior Vice-President of the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association where he has served for over 50 years. He has also been Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon for 24 years.

One of his key observations in organising marathons is that each one has its own character and challenges. For him one of the biggest challenges was during the 1997 Hong Kong marathon when it ran across the border into China. "To start with I really didn't know how we were going to do it" he said.

Subsequently, in Hong Kong one of his biggest achievements has been to persuade the government to agree to a more urban route on major roads to attract more participation and help grow the event to over 73,000 runners.

The past year has been incredibly tough with the double blow of political unrest and the Pandemic. Listen to his take on how he has overcome those challenges and the focus on ensuring that he is able to keep his team employed.

Listen to our interview below.

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld #WilliamKo #ChrisRobb

This week on The Aid Station, we head to Chicago where we are joined by Jonathan Broutin, President of the Seagull Institute.

Jonathan leads, manages and develops educational & professional programs for over 2,000 students.

Hear how some of his childhood experiences of travel laid the foundation for him to move from his native France to live in Chicago. It ultimately gave him his big break from Michael Nishi which presented the opportunity to partner with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Of his 10 years in the industry, 2020 was supposed to be the best year ever for his business. Best in terms of finances and impact. But COVID-19 hit hard and everything changed. Programs and flights bringing students from France were cancelled and they had to pivot and make everything a virtual experience.

Listen until the end when Jonathan shares the people, mentors and leaders who have inspired him to become a better person. One important person is Betty who at 94 years old is the oldest volunteer at the Chicago Marathon. She is an inspiration to not only him but to everyone in the team. She truly displays the "can do" attitude Jonathan wanted to impart to his students.

Listen to my talk with Jonathan now.

#theaidstation #MassParticipationWorld #JonathanBroutin #SeagullInstitute #ChicagoMarathon #CanDoAttitude

On this week's The Aid Station, we head to Tokyo, Japan, where we are joined by Osamu Uemura, ASICS Corporation, Commercial R&D Lead.  

Osamu manages the business development team, sources the new technology and business ideas for creating minimum viable products to commercialise.

In this episode he shares how he started in the industry - working for an insurance company, a professional soccer team, a non-profit organization, getting an MBA in the United Stated, then he joined ASICS digital team in Boston.  He also talks about how life has been like in Japan during COVID and the possibility of in-person events in a few months and how they adapted by creating virtual events. Between November 11 to 22, they are doing the first World Ekiden Race. The Ekiden is a Japanese relay that’s all about teamwork, rivarly and competition.

Learn more about the event here: https://www.asics.com/gb/en-gb/mk/asics-world-ekiden

Listen to the end for his tips on leadership, mentorship and meditation  that helped him develop his management skills and to keep himself calm.  

Watch my talk with Osamu now.

#TheAidStation #MassParticipationWorld #ASICS #WorldEkidenRace

Today on The Aid Station I have the privilege to meet Lornah kiplagat at the world famous High Altitude Training Centre in Iten, Kenya.

With a career that includes participating in three Olympics, winning four World Road Running Championship titles a World Cross Country title and breaking 16 world records you may expect the conversation to be mostly about training and racing but it goes way beyond.

Listen to the entrepreneurial insights of how an idea 20 years ago has become a magnet for both elite and recreational runners from around the world to train and be part of a community at 2,400m above sea level. Hear what motivated her to launch her African inspired sports brand 'Lornah'.

"My Dad told me 'if you make your own decision you don't have to be pushed, do your own way and make sure you prefect it' ". It seems that Lornah has succeeded in perfecting many things.

Another theme that comes through is a passion for helping others. Hear of the challenges of helping runners stranded in Iten as a result of COVID-19 to get home and of getting back to Iten herself from her home in Holland. Lornah had only landed back in Nairobi a few days before we spoke earlier this week.

Watch my talk with Lornah here https://youtu.be/gomYZY0PS_E

Thanks Jan Schuttert for the introduction

Today's episode of The Aid Station takes us to Taipei where we meet Zach Fan, race announcer for XTERRA Taiwan and China.

Taiwan has been a global leader in the way that it has managed the pandemic and was one of the first countries to return to professional sport with it's baseball league. "Life has been almost normal for months now and we only have to wear a mask when we go outside and we are able to see our friends and participate in activities".

Although XTERRA has chosen to cancel events until 2021 there are now running events happening each weekend with significant numbers of participants and the Taipei Marathon is set to go ahead on 20 December. A few days before I spoke to him Zach had been the announcer at a 3 on 3 basketball tournament at a shopping mall.

One of Zach's biggest challenges has been missing out on the opportunity to inspire participants and spectators at the finish line of events but he has used his spare time to study. It has included learning Japanese so that he can welcome the many participants from Japan over the line in their native language.

Listen for his two key tips on leadership which he learned from his boss Charlie. "She is an amazing leader and has taught me so much".

Watch my interview with Zach here https://youtu.be/mmyIqowuvWw

#theaidstation

On today's edition of The Aid Station we head to Ashdown Forest in England to meet Sarah Kenny, Founder and Director at Gladiator Events.

A wonderful story of yet another person in the industry who is working their passion and also an insight into one of the many thousands of small teams that create such an impact on the lives of so many people.

Listen to Sarah's story of following her dream of getting into events by sending out over 200 letters which led to three interviews and a job in corporate events. Despite amazing opportunities of traveling in style to amazing locations something was missing.

Her calling was answered when she got a role working on army style boot camps and ultimately broke away to set up Gladiator Events with a focus on delivering bespoke obstacle races for charities which includes the Muddy Dog Challenge for owners and their dogs.

Her team of two full time staff and a number of interns deliver 20 events in a normal year. This year is obviously not normal and Sarah expects the pause between her last event and the next one will likely stretch to 20 months. The inspiration from participants and volunteers are helping to make the wait bearable.

Watch my chat with Sarah here https://youtu.be/4bFlFHyKHyM

Today's edition of The Aid Station is a fascinating interview with Carlo Capalbo, President of Run Czech, in the beautiful city of Prague, Czech Republic.

Get an amazing insight into the origins of the Volkswagen Prague Marathon - it involved a long dinner with the legendary Emil Zatopek and a handful of table napkins with the first course sketched on them!

Carlo himself is a legend of the industry and an innovator who has made a massive contribution in many ways over decades including being Chairman of the IAAF World Running Commission for four years.

During COVID-19 he and his team at Run Czech have managed to create a program of unique events that have seen almost 12,000 runners in total being able to participate in safe events.

Make sure you watch until the end to hear Carlo's take on what the industry will look like five years from now and stay tuned on September 5 when he will be making a big announcement that will look to influence that journey.

Watch my talk with Carlo here https://youtu.be/dKXSZLiBUs4

On today's edition of the Aid Station we visit Bosnia Herzegovina to meet Vladimir Selec, Race Director, Banja Luka Half Marathon.

Hear the story of how Vladimir was bored while living in the Ukraine so decided to enter and train for a marathon in Kiev. "I got hooked on it and then we moved to Banja Luka and I felt that I had to share it and so started the Banja Luka Half Marathon."

That was six years ago and the event has grown to 6,000 runners "in good weather". It seems that the people of Banja Luka are fair weather runners so the fun run component of the events is not so well supported if it rains. This year the event has been moved to October in the hope of a dry day but COVID has brought much bigger challenges.

Life under COVID "has been tough, its been rough. We are trying to learn, trying to adapt but we don't know what is next and we are trying to survive. We are always tight with funds and the sponsors are now not so open".

Make sure you listen to the end to be reminded of the power of our amazing industry to positively impact lives "When I came to this city there was no one running ... we started with a few kids and its now one of the biggest events in our region".

Be inspired by Vladimir here https://youtu.be/3xTaG3eTWnE

In a somewhat late start to The Aid Station this week we head to Pregens, Austria where we meet Gunter Ernst, Race Director of the 3 Country Marathon.

Another example of someone following his passion in the Mass Participation industry with his Race Director role being an addition to his day job of running a sports medicine laboratory looking after both professional and amateur athletes.

The Three Country Marathon takes in Austria, Germany and Switzerland with much of it around Lake Constance and is scheduled to take place in October but with approvals from three countries is probably more complex than many but "right now we are on".

Lockdown has recently ended after two months and a few smaller events of a few hundred people have started. It was a challenging time of not being able to work or earn any money for over two month although it did create an opportunity for Gunter to spend time with his children Maja, Rosa and Nico.

Make sure you listen to the end to hear the inspiring story of the person who approached Gunter weighing in at 160kg two years ago with the goal of running a marathon. He now weights 95kg and will run in the 3 Country Marathon in October.

Watch my talk with Gunter here https://youtu.be/85PoFzvCPXY

We round off this week on The Aid Station with a trip to the resort island of Bintan, Indonesia just an hour's ferry ride from Singapore to meet Abdul Wahab, Group GM, Bintan Resorts International.

Bintan has developed a reputation as a Mass Participant destination particularly for people from Singapore with a portfolio of events including Tour de Bintan, Indofood IRONMAN 70.3, Bintan Marathon and Triathlon built up over the past 15 years.

The island has been hit hard by COVID-19 with visitor arrivals of around 90,000 per month in January plummeting to just a handful of people - mostly returning Indonesians.

"Typically we had five ferries from Singapore each weekday and 10-14 on the weekends. We now have one per week with sometimes only 3-5 people on it". Hotels across the island have been moth-balled and thousands of staff are out of work.

"The one positive is that we have remained totally COVID-free and the hope is that we may soon be able to open up to events but that will require agreement between Singapore and Indonesia to re-open the border".

Listen to my talk with Wahab here https://youtu.be/53oTnM1Z2Eg

On today's episode of The Aid Station we head to Nottingham, England, to meet Melanie Berry, Co-Founder, Her Spirit.

When COVID-19 broke Mel was in Majorca and had the realisation that "our business model is now completely flawed because it is all around those Mass Participation events that won’t happen anymore so how do we continue to live and thrive"

Hear the story of how Mel and fellow Co-Founder Holly Woodford took the opportunity to pivot their business with a focus on their digital offering to continue to support their community of women and grow their business by 300% in the process.

"Community is at the heart of everything that we do so women had the opportunity to be supported through our three pillars of mind, body and fuel."

The Her Spirit community is filled with inspirational stories of women who have overcome adversity like 50 year old Marie Moss who has completely turned her life around since discovering exercise and becoming a "Her Spiriter".

Listen to my chat with Mel here https://youtu.be/8N7g_PFV5dQ

In these challenging times when there is limited good news of events going ahead today's episode of The Aid Station provides a ray of hope as we travel to Athens to meet Makis Asimakopoulos, General Manager, Athens Marathon, The Authentic.

On Friday it was announced that the event will go ahead in November with two races of 5,000 runners spaced one hour apart and when I spoke to Makis yesterday the race was already close to sold out. The Athens Half Marathon postponed from March to September will also go ahead.

"Greece has done extremely well at managing the pandemic with early lock-down and other measures".

Makis shares details of how the races will be managed - essentially broken down into multiple waves of 500 runners with hugely detailed social distancing plans at the start line with mini waves of eight runners sent off every few seconds. Well worth listing to the intricate details.

Its hard not to get swept up with his passion and enthusiasm for the event that he has been instrumental in managing the growth of the event. "In 2006 we had an event with 4,000 people and last year 14 years later we had an event with 60,000 people so the passion has paid of".

Watch my talk with Makis here https://youtu.be/ZtGRx_oWBvs

On today’s episode of The Aid Station we head to Milan, Italy, to talk to Enrico Fili, CEO, RCS Sports & Events DMCC.

Usually based in Dubai where he heads up RCS operations for the region he had just flown home to spend time with his parents when I spoke to him.

Hear about the massive challenges that he faced when the UAE Tour became one of the first sports events to be cancelled on 27 February as a result of COVID-19 with two stages to go.

“With athletes and race staff quarantined in hotels we were working non-stop for days. I would turn on my phone and get 600 WhatsApp messages”.

“One of the most inspiring things was the collaboration and the way everyone worked together. Especially that there was never any finger pointing or blame towards the infected bike mechanics”.

Enrico’s most important piece of advice to anyone in the event industry “make sure that you have contact tracing in place”.

Watch my insightful chat with Enrico hear https://youtu.be/mHATXOEqUNk

This week The Aid Station starts out in Quito, Ecuador where we meet Elena Nolasco Diaz, General Manager of Bike Family.

Elena, an economist who was born in El Salvador, shares how her passion for triathlon resulted in meeting her husband, Christian, building a business together distributing Felt bikes to Ecuador, Panama and Columbia and then gaining the rights to GFNY.

Life under lock-down has been busy with the arrival eight weeks ago of their "COVID baby daughter" and the ongoing challenge of trying to stage the second edition of their event. Elena and Christian are used to challenges - the first edition had to be postponed because of political demonstrations.

Road cycling is relatively new to Ecuador and challenging due to the mountainous terrain as well as traffic that is not always cyclist friendly so attracting 500 cyclists to the first edition of the postponed event was hugely satisfying.

"We got told that we are inspiring people by putting on the race but in the end it was us that got so inspired by the people doing the race. It was amazing to see so many people who are not actually athletes going through the finish line. We had a blind rider riding 100 miles on a tandem bike."

Watch my chat with Elena here https://youtu.be/LGPBDiBTOpA

#theaidstation #masssparticipation

The Aid Station has had a strong Antipodean flavour this week as we close off in Auckland New Zealand talking to Scott Rice, Managing Director, Quantum Events.

Like parts of Australia, its exciting times for the industry in New Zealand where events are able to come back without social distancing limitations.

Its been something of a roller-coaster for Scott and his team. They had to cancel the last three races in their Ocean Swim series (www.oceanswim.co.nz) due to COVID-19 earlier in the year but this week were able to launch their seven race series for 2020/21.

Scott shares how being decisive and courageous as a leader in the early stages of COVID when he decided to cancel the events lifted the pressure of planning multiple "what-if" scenarios and focusing on the next series.

Listen to the end to hear his inspiring story of age being no barrier and the joy of high-fiving an 85 year old competitor who participated in every race of the series.

Watch my talk with Scott here https://youtu.be/xHy-BFB6xvM

On today's edition of The Aid Station we meet K. Nichapa Yoswee, CEM, Senior Vice President, Business, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) in Bangkok.

Its exciting times in a country which prides itself for amazing hospitality and a normally vibrant events industry of which Mass Participation is a key pillar. Thailand has been COVID free for 32 days and events are starting to return, albeit with strict guidelines.

In a scenario which seems different to most parts of the world where our industry is forming alliances and coalitions to lobby governments for the return of events, TCEB (a Government organisation), recognised the impact of events and approached key organisers to explore collaboration.

The result was TCEB lobbying key ministries such as Health to help move Mass Participation sport and other events from the back of the queue.

Hear the story of how K Nichapa started in the fledgling Thai events industry over 30 years ago and has gone on to her current role helping shape Thailand as a preferred destination for events.

"We can always change the world and the changes start within us. We have to think big because we can never go beyond what we think." Clearly K Nichapa thinks big.

Watch her story here https://youtu.be/wPh30orNNwk

We are back in Australia again for today's edition of The Aid Station where we head to the other side of the country to Sydney where we meet Nat Heath and hear a hugely inspiring story.

Those of you that watched Episode 37 with marathon legend Rob de Castella AO MBE would have heard him speak about the program he founded with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. Nat is a proud Aboriginal man and a 2012 graduate of the program.

The program culminates in each participant running a marathon and in Nat's case that was supposed to be the TCS New York Marathon but Hurricane Sandy had different ideas. Instead Nat and his fellow runners ended up shovelling mud in the basement of an apartment block to help its residents.

He ultimately completed the Tokyo marathon the following year and has gone on to finish four marathons and six IRONMAN events including Kona. On July 12 Nat will run 100km as part of the Run Sweat Inspire Festival http://www.runsweatinspire.org/.

What makes it all the more remarkable is that in 2010 Nat was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome and went from playing First Grade football to barely being able to walk.

Listen to Nat’s amazing recovery and the many lessons from the Aboriginal Marathon Project here https://youtu.be/FXiNppacQco

Today’s edition of The Aid Station is a glimmer of hope in the dark tunnel of event cancellations as we head to Perth, Australia to meet David Budge, Operations Director of The Event Team (WA).

As restrictions are lifted in Australia, Dave and his team were able to announce last week that they have approval for their mountain bike and trail running event to go ahead in September.

Some great insights into the background as well as the excitement that it has brought to the team.

Follow the highs and lows as Dave generously shares the challenges of having to shut down his former business in 2018 and the support of the community that helped him through.

The time out gave a great opportunity for perspective, re-evaluation and a different business model which has him loving his work again.

Be sure to listen until the very end to hear his inspirational story of a 97 year old participant.

Watch Dave’s story here https://youtu.be/-3w2fDuvwqA

We start off this week's Aid Station in Tuscany, Italy where we meet Lidia Fluhme, Co-Founder & President of Gran Fondo New York, Inc.

Hear the inspiring story of how her husband, Uli, took her to Italy to ride in a Gran Fondo "which was the toughest event I had ever done, even harder than IRONMAN" and inspired the creation of a business that now has 22 events in 17 countries.

"I said if they can have it in Italy why can't we do it in New York?" So they swapped their banker and lawyer jobs on Wall street to create something that is "passion and purpose driven." Gran Fondo New York was born and ultimately became GFNY.

Despite the 2020 calendar likely shrinking to 6 or 7 events there is plenty to look forward to. "As endurance athletes we love the challenge and we will overcome it. Each day I ask myself 'what can I do today to be the best I can tomorrow?"

Be inspired by Lidia's story here https://youtu.be/Coby9Et0m1E

We round off this week on The Aid Station with Edition 40 in Beunos Aires, Argentina, where we meet Luis Vinker, Race Director of Beunos Aires Marathon.

The lockdown in Argentina has been strict and has seen Luis who's day job is working for the local newspaper mostly locked down at home with little opportunity to go outdoors.

It has had a massive impact on the economy and lives of it's people who are sports mad with the obvious passion for football and also rugby.

Running is popular and growing with 20,000 in the half marathon and 11,000 in the full. The events are known for their fast scenic routes which attract many of the world's best and opportunities for PR's.

Luis talks about inspiring moments of cancer survivors running in the events but one of the highlights which sounds spine-tingling is the 20,000 participants in the half marathon signing the national anthem on the start line.

Listen to my talk with Luis here https://youtu.be/R1vYcodS57c

On today's edition of The Aid Station we meet our first sponsor when we head to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to talk to Van Anh Nguyen, Head of Marketing at Techcombank.

Techcombank have a huge commitment to Mass Participation which includes Title sponsorships of IRONMAN 70.3 and the Ho Chi Minh City International marathon in their portfolio.

Whilst there have been significant budget cuts "this is very important to us and we are proud of our ongoing commitment to the races"

Van Anh lives by the motto of Be Greater "my philosophy is I don't compete with others, I try to improve myself a little bit every day. I used to set big aspirational goals but I couldn't complete so now I set small goals every day and every week".

"I used to be this person that couldn't run and slowly I used little goals to build to a marathon. The journey is as good as crossing the finish line" which for Van Anh includes finishing TCS New York Marathon.

Watch my talk with Van Anh here https://youtu.be/L37DdSRVCLA

Next week is very special on The Aid Station with two running legends. We meet Blanche Moila the first black woman to represent South Africa and an inspiration to none other than Nelson Mandela while in prison on Robben Island and former world maratrecord holder @robert de castella

On today's edition of The Aid Station we head to Tel Aviv, Israel, to meet  Eitan Hefetz, Co-Founder and CEO of Pic2Go, a market disrupter in the participant photo space.

As the father of an active 5 year old boy, I can only imagine the challenges him and his wife, Ronit, have had managing three young boys and a global business which spans 40 countries from home during lock-down.

His business relies on partners and one of the key challenges has been supporting partners "Cash flow has been challenging but we have been sure not to exert pressure on our partners. We are all in the same boat together and this is about long term relationships."

"One of the things we have noticed across the board is creativity, for instance one of our photographer partners has started to service the real estate industry"

"We have also focused on continuing to engage the community, runners are here, they are passionate to run again and it doesn't cost a lot to stay engaged"

Eitan has been inspired by how quickly people and businesses have adapted. His hope is that "we will keep the good stuff once this ends"

Life is starting to return to normal in Israel after a strict lock-down with a number of events this week announcing September dates.

Watch my talk with Eitan here https://youtu.be/guwC_dC0ua

One of the common themes of The Aid Station interviews is the number of people that say to me "I'm so lucky that my job is my passion". Today that theme repeats as we travel to London to meet Hannah Clark, Events Director at Limelight Sports

Hannah shares her journey from tennis to mass participation "I love the variety of campaigns we run and the amazing opportunity to do something really authentic that's about much more than just sport."

Heading up an event delivery team of 12 people of which 10 are currently furloughed has not been without its challenges "but we make sure that we check in with all the team on a weekly basis whether they are working or not to see how they are going personally"

Leadership has been key and the "example set by our CEO Craig Dews has been amazing especially his honest and open communication which has inspired the whole team to feel comfortable to do the same."

Hannah lives in the countryside and has the opportunity, even in these times, to indulge in her passion for trail running and cycling which she has made a priority each day. Its been important to structure my day to ensure that I don't get stuck in front of my laptop all day"

Watch my chat with Hannah here https://youtu.be/qTcFyFyBTgY

On today's edition of The Aid Station we head to Canberra in Australia to meet Craig Johns, a man who wears many hats and has taken the opportunity that covid-19 has created to pivot his business and achieve some amazing things in a short time.

As a High Performance Leadership Coach, Craig certainly practices what he preaches. Listen for the tips that have helped him launch the first World Endurance Coaching Business Summit which will take place in June.

Hear Craig's insights into the mass participation industry in Australia and his role as CEO of Triathlon ACT. Events look like coming back in Australia next month and the pent up demand is already obvious. "Pools re-opened this week and one pool had over 500 applications for training slots in a few hours."

He believes that one of the keys to making decisions is communication. "Giving people clarity that gives them hope. If you give them hope they will buy into what you are doing. If it's right or wrong doesn't really matter, as long as there is clarity"

Craig has been inspired by the massive number of people out exercising, especially families. "So many new people for our events"

Pick up the many tips from Craig here https://youtu.be/q900bG9zD1g

Today on The Aid Station we head to Boston, USA, to talk to Mary Wittenberg who is I'm sure known to many in the industry for her time as CEO of New York Road Runners. Mary is currently President of EF Education First Pro Cycling Team.

She talks about the tough decisions of being one of the first teams to decide that it wasn't safe to continue racing and the ongoing challenges around putting safety of staff and riders first once racing resumes, which is currently scheduled for 1 August.

"The riders have been extraordinary and the leadership has been incredible often from those that have been the hardest impacted." Listen for the huge contribution of Colombian Rigoberto Uran and Canadian Mike Woods. "Mike broke his femur in Paris Nice in March and couldn't even walk but was getting on his bike and doing recovery rides on Zwift with fans"

"We are lucky to be surrounded by inspiration and one of the things that has inspired me so much has been the huge response of runners to the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. I hope it's a moment during this time that is in some way unrelated but carries forward in our community".

Watch the interview with Mary here https://youtu.be/_y7i9GrhISc

Today on The Aid Station we travel to Belgrade, Serbia to meet Veroljub Zmijanac.

The industry in Serbia has shown massive growth in the past 10 years from less than 1,000 runners to over 100,000 but, like in most countries, has ground to a standstill since the onset of covid-19.

Veroljub shares "like many event organisers, I'm a 'Control Freak'. One of the most important decisions was to accept that I'm not in control. This is an opportunity to reframe". He shares that "some businesses are going to die but I have made the decision that we will not die - that is an important mindset to have"

His key focus is keeping his team motivated and engaged, exploring ways to help runners and the industry and part of that is recognising that "we are not an event company but and experience business - there are many ways to create experiences that support runners"

Veroljub believes there are opportunities to create "hybrid events" where for example there may be multiple small groups of maybe 100 runners meeting social distancing guidelines participating in an event and linked together virtually.

He is hugely inspired by the massive number of people out running in Belgrade "its a revolution for running"

Watch the interview with Veroljub here https://youtu.be/h1ha5FDKfmg

In today's edition of The Aid Station we travel to Stellenbosch, South Africa, to talk to Agné Du Plessis, Road Running Manager at Stillwater Sports.

Agne shares the challenges of home schooling three young children whilst managing her team remotely and planning multiple, ever-changing scenarios for when events return.

"I really don't know how teachers do it" she says as she recognises the opportunity it has given her to become a better communicator. "Teaching the kids has made me realise that I can communicate more regularly and effectively". It has also taught her not to be so hard on herself "it's ok to spend that extra hour with your kids".

Agne has been hugely inspired by the attitude of the poor people in South Africa. "Unfortunately we have a huge gap between wealth and poverty. When the lock-down happened overnight it was amazing to see the poor people in their tiny houses with huge smiles and so grateful for the little they have".

Her challenge to everyone "Redeem this time with loved ones - it's a gift which probably won't happen again in our lifetime." Her commitment "to connect with someone every day".

Watch the interview here https://youtu.be/VZ7mmKPz_LU

Today on The Aid Station I have the privilege of meeting Azran Osman-Rani, one of Asias' most sought after speakers, an inspirational business leader and a passionate triathlete. The show is jam-packed with valuable personal and business tips.

I caught up with Azran from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday on the day of his first outdoor run in over six weeks. He shared that "the lock-down here is pretty serious, we have police and military on the streets and someone even got arrested for running within their gated community compound".

Among his weekly rituals are the importance of allocating "at least an hour with my team to reflect on how things went and what needs to be adjusted." The key is to ensure that everyone is engaged "in a virtual world it is important to have a process that ensures the conversation is not dominated by a few and that each team member is drawn into the conversation"

Azran also allocates time "to imagine opportunities beyond COVID-19 and not just be caught up in a tactical survival focus"

He believes being willing to ask for help and surrounding yourself with people who can support you is critical.

Watch the interview with Azran here https://youtu.be/a0R8XmHxfeQ

On The Aid Station today we meet AIMS President, Paco Borao In Valencia, Spain, and hear some amazing and inspiring insights from a man who has overcome adversity and contributed so much to running globally.

When we spoke he had already been in lock-down for over six weeks with his wife Victoria and has realised that "I'm much more patient than I thought".

Paco talks about the adversity of the GFC and colon cancer which gave him the opportunity to shift from a corporate role with IBM to his life in running which apart from the AIMS Presidency includes being the Race Director of Valencia Marathon and the opportunity to have "a job which is my passion"

Paco shares the discussions he had at IBM way back in the 90's about "teleworking" and how "sometimes we need to be really pushed to embrace innovation" as COVID-19 has now forced the virtual world into our lives.

He believes that "life is a survival exercise and one of the most important things is making friends. If you have friends you can always ask for help"

Watch the interview with Paco here https://youtu.be/-wNSBURFur8

n  today's edition of The Aid Station we travel to Mumbai, India to meet  Anil Singh the MD of Procam International who organise some of India’s  biggest running events.

Anil has been totally locked down for  over four weeks with one exception - sneaking out at 4am one night to  take pampers and milk to a friend with a new born baby. "I'm a hugely  gregarious person and if you had told me that I would be locked down for a month I probably would have shot myself, but here is the beautiful thing ...."

He goes on to talk about the inspiration that the frontline workers in  India give him and the massive role that Mass Participation events will  play post COVID-19. "I believe there will be a closer relationship  between Cities and Citizens and that our events will be a beacon of  society"

Anil's passion screams at you as he talks about the  industry coming back stronger, more meaningful and with a bigger purpose  as it helps create more cohesiveness, love, bonding and a spirit of  giving.

Today's guest on "The Aid Station" is Andrew Messick, CEO at IRONMAN Group coming to us from Tampa, Florida.

Andrew gives a behind the scenes look at the operational complexities  of having to postpone 97 races into an already packed Q3/Q4 calendar. He  talks about the importance of "over communication" to make it happen,  especially with staff and a key focus on supporting younger staff during  such trying times.

He also highlights the value that our  industry plays in giving people a goal and focus with so many athletes  saying things like "I just want an anchor to focus on" which has also  been reflected in the huge participation levels in the newly launched VR  Club.

Andrew shares his belief that the endurance industry  mindset is ideally positioned to "just keep going" through these  challenging times "it's like being in the last half of the marathon -  keep putting one foot in front of another .."

We travel to Stockholm, Sweden to meet Charlotte Melchert, CEO of World's Marathons.

Life in Sweden is different to most parts of the world as there has  been no compulsory lock-down. Shops and restaurants are still open but  business challenges are still huge.

Charlotte gives an intriguing  insight into running a team of 18 people working remotely across 12  countries and the challenges faced by a business that relies almost  solely on people traveling internationally to events. One of the key  take-aways is the importance of helping clients solve their problems.

A mother of two young children (our interview was rescheduled due to  her teething 5 month old daughter) Charlotte believes that one of the  big opportunities of COVID-19 is for those who may not be happy in the  corporate world to become entrepreneurs more aligned to their purpose -  something she did three years ago.

The  production of today's edition of "The Aid Station" with Phil Liggett,  The Voice of Cycling, was an endurance event in itself which took almost  a week to complete due to him being stranded in a remote game reserve  in South Africa with limited connectivity.

In this entertaining  edition Phil shares the parallels of the challenges he experienced last  year following the death of his dear friend and co-commentator for 33 years, Paul Sherwen and the impact of COVID-19 on his life in 2020.
 

He talks candidly about the impact on the cycling calendar. He believes  "it will never be the same" and questions how many of the Pro teams  will be able to survive if there is an extended lock-down. He also  wonders how the pro riders will be able to be fit enough to ride the  Tour de France if it is able to go ahead in August.

In  this edition of "The Aid Station" we travel to Manila to meet  Princess Galura, GM of Sunrise Events, the dynamo behind the vision of  Fred Uytengsu to bring IRONMAN to the Philippines.

Sunrise, now  part of The IRONMAN Group has a portfolio of events showcasing the  stunning beauty of the Philippines and regularly voted byathletes as  some of the best on the circuit.

Princess has not been able  to leave her home which she shares with her husband, Miko and 17 dogs  for 22 days and is still in lock-down for at aleast another 22 days.
She talks about the realisation that "I have enough" as well as  discovering the power of prayer to get her through the dark times.

Princess see's the potential for many post COVID-19 positives such as  the hope that the acceptance of remote working will help ease Manila's  notorious traffic jams and pollution.

For this edition of The Aid Station we travel to Mexico to meet Joel Espinoza Jimenez, CEO of Altec Experiences Deportivas.

I have been mentoring Joel for the past year as part of my Mass  Participation Masterclass and in our monthly call just over a month ago  he was sharing a bunch of wins and exciting plans for his small and  growing business - how things have changed.

Joel shares the challenges  of life in Mexico right now with a massive currency devaluation and no  government support for small business. He talks about how he has been  able to pivot part of the company by providing services to another  industry sector. What skills and capabilities do you have in your  business that may be of value to another sector that is flourishing in  these times?

Clara talks about her tough decision of whether to return to her family in Spain or stay in her home in an alpine Swiss Village from where she does fantastic work as Fundraising Manager for GivenGain Foundation.

Listen out for the part where she shares her reaction to discovering  that one of her neighbours, who she had been sharing a lift with, had  tested positive to COVID-19 - pure gold and a great lesson for us all.  Clara also shares some of the things she has learnt about herself in  lock-down and some of her challenges which I'm sure will resonate with  many.

Taylor  Host, Co-Founder of Miro AI. Taylor is currently holed up in a log  cabin somewhere between Chicago and Detroit while his fiance, Jackie is  in Hong Kong and he manages his team of nine people spread across five  countries.
He shares some of the challenges of the added impact of COVID-19 off the back of months of political demonstrations in Hong Kong which resulted in him moving his business to the USA.
Like many businesses, one of his key challenges right now is cash flow  and one of the tips he shared was not being scared to pick up the phone  to big suppliers, which in his case include Amazon, to re-negotiate  agreements on more favourable terms.