‘First One Is Free,’ Says Race Director Pushing 5K Entries on Street
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A hoodie-wearing race director is offering loose 5K entries on the street, Dumb Runner has learned, luring first-time runners by offering their first bib number for free.
“5K? 5K?” said the man, identified as Frank Lucas, outside a shuttered bodega downtown. “You wanna do a little race?”
Most passers-by ignored the offer, according to a witness who asked to remain anonymous, though at least one curious woman stopped when Lucas called out to her.
“Hey, sweetheart, wanna race?” Lucas said, glancing left and right before moving closer. “First one’s free.”
“Maybe,” said the woman, a professional in her 30s.
The ensuing conversation, which the witness described as “furtive,” ended with the woman taking a bib number and shoving it into her bag before walking away.
“She’ll be back,” a grinning Lucas said, to no one in particular.
The sight of race directors pushing their entries on the street, once rare, is becoming more common, according to experts.
“There are more events than ever, so competition for entrants is fierce,” said Richie Roberts, a professor of criminal psychology and former race director himself. “So certain event organizers feel compelled to get creative in recruiting folks.”
“In cases like [Lucas’s], that means hustling on the street, trying to get people hooked on running.”
The 5K, Roberts said, offers a relatively cheap and easy way for even non-runners to get a taste of racing.
“It’s a gateway distance,” he said. “A lot of folks—not all, but many—will start with a 5K and then eventually realize that 3.1 miles isn’t delivering the same high it used to.”
From there, said Roberts, they move up to a 5-miler, a 10K, or half-marathon.
“Before they know it, they’re hooked on marathons. And from there, some will even move up to ultras.”
“Over time, they’ll spend thousands of dollars on their habit,” he said. “And it all starts with that little ‘free’ 5K.”
At last report, Lucas was seen offering a flyer advertising a kids running program to a group of schoolchildren.
“Don’t tell your parents, OK?” he told them. “This will be our little secret.”
