Comptitor (RocknRoll Races) Is being sued over the status of it's volunteers

[IamTrike]

I thought it was interesting to see that competitor was facing a class action suit from it's voluteers. The basis of the suit is that volunteers felt that they were benefiting a charity when in fact competitor was actually charging the charitable organizations and not donating anything to them.

It seems like this will be interesting to follow as it could impact any of the big for profit running events.

A link to the lawsuit is below
http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1849&context=historical

 

[Ariel484]

I feel like things are getting sketchy for Competitor. They canceled 4 races this year...(this quote is from an article about RNR Cleveland getting canceled - I was signed up for that one and was notified about a month before race day that it wasn't happening):

"Cleveland is the fourth U.S. half marathon scheduled for 2014 that Competitor has canceled. In September 2013, Competitor announced the cancellation of the St. Petersburg, Florida and Pasadena, California halfs; both were scheduled for February 2014. In January, Competitor announced that its half marathon in Providence, Rhode Island, which was run in August or September since 2011, wouldn't be run this year. In all instances, the races had sharp drops in registration after the first year."

http://www.runnersworld.com/races/cleveland-rock-n-roll-half-marathon-canceled

And now this. Hmm...

 

[VAfamily1998]

I've only run one Rock n Roll race--Chicago half this past July.
The medal was AWESOME! Probably one of my favorites! But there were also so many negatives that make me wary of running another Rock 'n' Roll race.

There were NO bands the first 6 miles of the course! Apparently, there is a noise ordinance in Chicago that would prohibit it so early in the morning. How do you have a "Rock'n'Roll" race with no music? Even after the first 6 miles, I think there were only 4 or 5 bands the rest of the course. Around mile 10, they had a DJ that was announcing "only 3 miles left" at least once a minute. The problem was they had him on speaker throughout most of the remainder of the course so for almost 3 miles, you were constantly being told you had 3 miles left!
And the corrals were a mess! They weren't enforced at all, but also you had to enter way in the back and then weave and wind your way through all the people to get to your corral.

Rock'n'Roll San Antonio has a GORGEOUS medal for there 10k (not a fan of the medals for the other distances)...but I'm nervous to travel so far to try out another R'n'R

 

[Castle2Castle]

I'm curious to hear the outcome, though I imagine CGI and other race organizers are familiar with the law as it pertains to volunteers. Just skimming DOL on FLSA regarding volunteers, it seems to me (non-lawyer) like CGIs approach could be legal since charities may benefit and volunteers appear to be doing so for that potential benefit of the charities, even if the benefits are not as the volunteer may have believed it to work or believes it should work.

 

[wellesleyprincess]

In general I've has good experiences with competitor. I've done New Orleans three times, dc twice, and philly once. I find them well organized but I do at times think you can tell they're definitely a business and sometimes to the detriment of participant experience. I think it is good this may bring light to an issue that I highly suspect competitor is not the only one to have. Tbh I very rarely consider my races to be charity events. The exception would be when I did the Memphis st. Jude marathon or a race like the gingerbread 5k at gktw.

 

[IamTrike]

It was interesting I had two different lawyer friends look at the case and they came to two different opinions. One thought that it seemed like a frivolous case and that it would be thrown out. The other that it could have merit and especially given the scrutiny that companies are undergoing for unpaid interns now.

A large number of road races are run by non-profits including big races like the NY marathon. So a ruling against Competitor wouldn't necessarily impact race fees for all races. There are a large number of races that would still be able to recruit volunteers.

 

[Dug720]

I feel like things are getting sketchy for Competitor. They canceled 4 races this year...(this quote is from an article about RNR Cleveland getting canceled - I was signed up for that one and was notified about a month before race day that it wasn't happening):

"Cleveland is the fourth U.S. half marathon scheduled for 2014 that Competitor has canceled. In September 2013, Competitor announced the cancellation of the St. Petersburg, Florida and Pasadena, California halfs; both were scheduled for February 2014. In January, Competitor announced that its half marathon in Providence, Rhode Island, which was run in August or September since 2011, wouldn't be run this year. In all instances, the races had sharp drops in registration after the first year."

http://www.runnersworld.com/races/cleveland-rock-n-roll-half-marathon-canceled

And now this. Hmm...

Not to mention they took over the Women's Running Series races and cancelled all but Nashville - and flat out said that they didn't cancel Nashville because it was only 2 weeks away.

I was not one bit surprised the cancelled the "New York" 10K which they held in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. To get a 10K in that park, you have to do a double loop. NYRR (of NYC Marathon fame) caps their SINGLE LOOP races in PP at around 4500. I know in the first year of the Bklyn 10K RnR did they had AT LEAST 6500 pre-registered and still allowed registration on site. I ran it that first year, but honestly feared for my safety.

 

[Ariel484]

Not to mention they took over the Women's Running Series races and cancelled all but Nashville - and flat out said that they didn't cancel Nashville because it was only 2 weeks away.

I was not one bit surprised the cancelled the "New York" 10K which they held in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. To get a 10K in that park, you have to do a double loop. NYRR (of NYC Marathon fame) caps their SINGLE LOOP races in PP at around 4500. I know in the first year of the Bklyn 10K RnR did they had AT LEAST 6500 pre-registered and still allowed registration on site. I ran it that first year, but honestly feared for my safety.

...that sounds horrible. I'd never pay to do that!

 

[Dug720]

...that sounds horrible. I'd never pay to do that!

I didn't know it was going to be that big - I was under the impression that to get the permit for a race in Prospect Park you had to cap the number of participants. I was clearly either under the wrong impression or they just ignored the regulations (which could have been part of the reason it only lasted 2 years).

 

[glaserjm]

I ran the R n' R 1/2 in St. Louis this past weekend, and while I enjoyed the overall experience, there were some definite downfalls. STL also has noise ordinances that prevent bands from playing in certain areas, and these seemed to always be the areas where you could have really used it. They also listed a GU stop at 7.5 miles, but only one person I talked to was able to find it and said it was a table that had a box of GU interspersed between water tables. I was really disappointed by that. Since this is more or less a corporate event, I can forgive those things less than I would if it was a non-profit.

I like the route because it went through neighborhoods that I love and the spectator support was great, the medal was also awesome and the Brooks shirt is nice (although the design is cr*&).

They do "partner" with a local charity which I think can be deceptive because many people may think they are donating through their registration when in reality you have to pay additional monies to support the cause.

I don't always think racing has to equal charity, but I'm not a huge fan of the way they skirt the issue here.