Organizers Compete for Runners and Cyclists : Participation and corporate sponsorship are down, while the expense of putting on an event keeps going up.

Like many endeavors in these cash-strapped times, the business of organizing running and bicycling races is feeling the pinch.

As anyone who runs or takes part in 10K runs or multi-sport races can attest, the number of events has dwindled over the past few years. That’s easy enough to explain from a business standpoint: Participation and corporate sponsorship are down, while the expense of putting on an event keeps on going up.

“This business is not recession-proof or bullet-proof,” explained Donnie Wade of Esco, an Alta Loma-based race organizer. “Our costs go up, just like they do in any business.”

Tim Murphy of San Diego-based Elite Racing, which operates the popular Carlsbad 5,000 in addition to some events in Orange County, said, “The big events are continuing to do well (but) the smaller events, especially in this economy, are having a harder time. It’s very expensive to put them on, and the numbers are down.”

Not only is overall participation down, but many people are waiting until race day to register, Wade said. That makes it harder to plan several aspects of an event, and raises the stress levels of race directors. All of the race expenses, from permits to T-shirts, are paid up front, and organizers are left wondering until the last minute about the success of the event.

“People don’t preregister anymore,” Wade said. Preregistration for the Chino Triathlon was down 40% this year from the previous year, although the final field was about the same. “As a race director, you’re sweating bullets,” he said.

Wade is sweating bullets over the first event in a new sprint duathlon series set to open Saturday in Rancho Santa Margarita, co-sponsored by Fleet Feet Triathlete, an Irvine running shoe store. The event (with a 3K run, 15K bike and 3K run) is billed as the perfect “entry level” multi-sport event, but preregistration levels are lagging.

While participation is generally down, so is corporate sponsorship. Coors Light, for instance, dropped out of sponsoring a national duathlon series this year, after years of promoting the sport. Athletic equipment manufacturers are supporting fewer grass-roots community events, preferring to spend their marketing dollars on professional athlete endorsements and sponsorships.

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Permit and other costs are going up as well, especially for events involving bicycles. Cities are “going to require more of you because bicycles are going faster,” Wade said. That often includes having paramedics on hand during a race (about $600), electronic arrow boards on the routes (up to $200 each) and increased police staffing and more volunteers.

Liability insurance for bicycle events is about 60% higher than for running events, Wade said; also, some cities require a minimum $2 million in liability insurance for bike events, as compared to $1 million for running events. Legal liability in case of accidents has become one of the primary concerns for cities considering permit applications for bicycle events.

“That’s the big thing that’s making it harder,” Wade said. “Cities are more concerned about getting sued than anything else.”

Paramount Cycling, which merged last year with Orange County Wheelmen, puts on a criterium race each year that is sanctioned by the U.S. Cycling Federation (criterium races are on a closed loop course).

Recently, the team has investigated putting on the event in the parking lot of a large corporation, to avoid the expense and red tape of going through municipal agencies. “The first problem is just finding a location suitable for putting on a race,” said team assistant director Steve Nelson. “The second problem is just finding out what city officials to talk to.”

The final problem is going through the process and paying for the permits. Last year, the team investigated one area for a possible race, on county property in an industrial area with little weekend traffic. The “very simple permit,” which required one road closure, would have cost the team $800. The race didn’t go on.

Last year, the team’s annual race was held in conjunction with a festival in Santa Ana, which is one way of gaining more cooperation from a city. “We help the festival by drawing people in,” Nelson said. “Then they have a desire to do it . . . . It’s easier to get the city to work with us to close the road, to get the police.”

Orange County Wheelmen puts on several large-scale group rides each year, but because they are not races and do not require road closures, no permits are required.

The county’s most successful multi-sport event, the Orange County Performing Arts Center Triathlon in Mission Viejo, will take place on June 6 this year. Race director Michael Braunstein said it’s important to establish a cooperative relationship with a city.

“It certainly was a new concept when we started,” Braunstein said. “We’ve had to reassure them that their interests are our interests. Keeping the people in Mission Viejo happy is in our interest.”

In years past, the event has been at the “international” distance: a 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run. This year, the event will be shortened to a 1K swim, 30K bike and 8K run. The shorter distance is designed to attract more competitors--triathlons in general are getting shorter--but Braunstein said the shorter distance will also “have less of an impact on the community.”

(Because the event is the U.S. Professional National Championship for triathlons, a professional race at the international distance will also be held. The bike race will be on a closed loop criterium-style course.)

Not only are shorter triathlons and duathlons becoming more popular, but participation in marathons and other long-distance runs is dwindling, while 5K runs are gaining a new popularity.

Wade said the lower numbers for race events can be traced to the economy in two ways: People have less money to spend on race entry fees, and they have less time to train. Hence the interest in shorter events.

“We understand the plight of the athlete out there,” Wade said. Some have lost their jobs, and as for the others: “I guarantee you people are working more hours, because they’re afraid to tell the boss ‘no’ . . . .

“People used to make time (to train), and now they have to find time.”