Five Years of Fast Cat: A Labor of Love

I am a self-proclaimed running junkie.  More specifically, I have a passion for learning from other coaches- especially high school coaches.  Clinics, books, podcasts, anything that offers a glimpse at what good coaches and thriving programs are doing.  

I loved Chris Quick’s book “One Way, Uphill Only”.  I think I finished it in two days. It is now making the rounds on our team, the cover so gnarled that it is hanging on by a thread.  On mornings when Jeff Purdom’s Chicagoland coaching podcast is released, I spend my lunch break with headphones on and listen for nuggets of wisdom from his most recent guest.  If Barack Obama and Scott Christensen were both speaking next door to each other at the same time and I had to pick one, I’d be front row taking notes on Special Endurance 2 workouts and endothelin.  In recent weeks, Lincolnway North’s Coach Purdom, Grayslake Central’s Coach Jimmy Centella and I have started a google doc where we trade training-related questions, discuss recent workouts/races of our teams, and bounce ideas off each other.  

There is one topic, however,that rarely if ever gets talked about in any of these forums.  One of the most important and time consuming parts of our jobs as coaches, yet one we dislike and dread more than any other:  Fundraising.  

Cookie dough sales, kids walking the halls with briefcases of candy bars, discount cards, bake sales… Not things that fire me up.  

Fortunately, I am proud to be involved in two fundraisers at Plainfield North that I look forward to, am passionate about, and have become points of pride for our track/cross country teams.  

In the fall, our cross country team’s one fundraiser is a Run-a-thon.  This is a concept used by other teams, one that I was first introduced to as a junior at Rochester High School in 1997.  My dad, Bill Derks, was the Head Track Coach.  He used to to say that the best fundraiser was to simply ask people for money.  That year we did a two-hour run-a-thon on the track.  This was our first year doing this.  I remember running 16 miles in those two hours-  The first 8 miles at 8:00/mile pace, the 2nd 8 miles at 7:00 pace.  While many of my teammates were taking bagel breaks and walking laps, I challenged myself.  It might as well have been a marathon, as I remember finishing exhausted and going straight to Godfather’s Pizza for a lunch buffet afterwards.  I don’t think I have ever been so hungry.

Fast forward to the fall of 2011, my first year at Plainfield North High School.  The team had a tradition of also doing a run-a-thon fundraiser, a one-hour run on the track…. In September… at 2:30 in the afternoon… 90 degrees and sunny… black, scorching hot track.  It was not fun.  The following year, more of the same.  Instead of guys challenging themselves, it basically consisted of guys crowding around a water jug  with dixie cups, walk-jogging an occasional lap before retreating back to the watering hole…

Finally, in 2014, we wised up and tried something different.  We moved the run-a-thon to the evening, under the lights on a Friday night (most of our guys don’t go to football games).  We enlisted the help of parents.  Everyone brought a dish to share.  Many brought their running shoes and came out on the track to join us. Brothers and sisters came out as well. Those that didn’t run cheered us on.   After the one-hour, we all enjoyed a feast together.  

Guys got in a great workout, with good music, good friends, family, and everyone left feeling like they were a part of something special.  

We didn’t sell anything. We simply asked for donations, then ran for an hour, that’s it.  Almost too simple.

 

 

Track season is a different story.  Five years ago, the team had tried various fundraising strategies.  Selling ESPN Magazine subscriptions, car magnets, etc.   As Coach Holler laid out last year in his blog about money, high school sports, and fundraising (See his blog HERE), we absolutely have to do something to raise money.  It is an unfortunate reality.  We aren’t funded.  We don’t have a budget.  If we are going to carry out our mission of maintaining a top-notch schedule (which includes several trips in which we must pay for our own gas), great uniforms, provide guys with shirts, affordable warm ups, etc. for a team with 100+ guys,  we have to do something.  Student-athletes already have to pay $129 in athletic fees for each sport, so by the time track rolls around, some parents aren’t looking forward to another $129.

We wanted to do something that didn’t require door-to-door sales, didn’t require selling the very foods we discourage guys from eating, and we didn’t want parents taking order forms to their workplace break rooms trying to sell discount cards or cookies so that their son could run track.

In my first year at Plainfield North, Head Coach Tony Holler, ever the outside-the-box thinker, used to come down to the room I was working in during his prep period.  We would talk all things track.  He mentioned that when he was at Harrisburg, the team put on a 5k run, got McDonalds to be a sponsor, and used that as a fundraiser.  Could this work at a school like Plainfield North?  

So we started brainstorming… What kind of race would it be?  Where would we have it?  What goes into planning and hosting a race in the suburbs?  Would the administration give us permission?  What would we call it?  We had more questions than answers.  

After several days and several bad ideas, we came up with a rough concept:  Offer a 5k and a 10k.  A 5k because it is easily accessible for even the most novice jogger.  A 10k to offer something a bit more challenging and out of the ordinary.  Call it Fast Cat (every Plainfield High School is named after a cat).  Start and end the race at the school. Have it the weekend our team does not have a meet, the transition between indoor and outdoor track.

Step 1-  Admin approval-  We met with the Principal Ray Epperson and Asst. Principal Ross Draper.  (Draper will take over as Principal during the ‘16-’17 school year).  We were convinced  they would say no. Surprisingly, they loved the idea.  We were granted permission to begin planning.  In fact, Draper’s son, Mason, is one of the most talented young runners to participate in Fast Cat during our first four years.  In 2013, as a 9 year old, Mason placed 2nd in the Kids 1-Mile run with a 7:12!  The following year, he took his talents to the 5k where he ran 22:57.  Hopefully we will see Mason wearing a PNXC uniform in a few years…

While I am on the subject of administrative support, it is important to mention the contributions of Athletic Director Ron Lear.  We’ve been extremely fortunate that he gives this event his blessing each year.  It would make his job much easier to just put the kibosh on Fast Cat.  We take up space in the building, create more work for the custodial staff, and clog up the parking lot for a couple hours on an already busy Saturday in the spring.  Instead, Lear helps make sure race morning goes smoothly by contacting badminton teams coming to PNHS that morning for a tournament, making sure they are aware that a race is going on.  Rather than me having to track him down in the weeks leading up to the race, he seeks me out to make sure we have everything we need.  With the horror stories we sometimes hear about coaches at other schools butting heads with their administration, we know we are fortunate and do not take it for granted.

Once we got the school on board, the next step, the much harder step, was getting the Village of Plainfield on board.  In my naive mind, we could have our own volunteers block streets, use our own cones, put up some signs, no big deal. We discovered putting on a road race was going to be a series of complications.

First there was the issue of the race course itself.  We went through several drafts of proposed courses.  To the south was a hospital, so the road race could not go that way.  To the east and west were neighborhood streets, perfect I thought.  I mapped a few different routes I thought would work.  However, after meeting with the police, we learned that every intersection had to be manned by a police officer and we had to pay for it.  Parents standing at a corner with an orange vest would not be enough to satisfy village requirements for an event like this.  Intersections had to have police officers.  Police officers cost money.

My brilliant course ideas would have cost us more than we made and blocked off too many streets.  We were also told that the village of Plainfield had never allowed a 10k race. A 10K race would block too many streets and inconvenience too many citizens.

Our last hope was a jogging path just north of the school that Coach Holler occasionally ran on when training for the Chicago Marathon (Yes, the “King of Speed” has jogged a few marathons).  We devised a course half on roads, half on this jogging path.  A 5k loop starting and ending at the school, with the 10k doing a 2nd loop.  

Although skeptical, the village approved and Fast Cat was born.  In addition to the 5k, we would have Plainfield’s 1st ever 10k road race!

Much like it is crucial to have the school administration on your side, I’ve found it equally important to have the village police on your side as well.  Commander Ken Ruggles of the Plainfield Police Department has been instrumental in helping get Fast Cat going, and ensuring that all of our ducks are in a row each year with the village.  He attends Village Board meetings on our behalf, volunteers his time to be at our event and oversees all of the police working the event. as well as meets with me each year to go over race.  Once again, we would not be able to pull this off each year without dedicated support of Ken Ruggles.

As I have learned throughout the last four years, putting on a road race, regardless of the size and scale, is a labor of love, especially if you want to do it right.  Some people are blessed with organizational and delegational (not sure if that’s a word) skills. Directing a road race requires making checklists, to-do lists, seeking sponsorships, creating timelines, and foreseeing potential problems.  The final product: a well-oiled machine with all parts woven together in a way that seems effortless.  

I, however, am not one of these people.  My only road race experience is running them.  

Luckily, we have had the good fortune to have very dedicated people working behind the scenes to allow us to pull this race off year after year.

Some of our unsung heroes:

Brad Runnion–  Brad is a former EIU teammate of mine, and in 2011-2012, became a training partner when I moved to Aurora.  Brad is the cofounder of Steepleweb, a company that creates websites for Track & Cross Country teams (see our own: www.pnrunning.com).  Simply put, Fast Cat would not exist without Brad’s help.  Brad created/designed our race website, www.runfastcat.com.  In our first year, when I, also naively, thought we did not need chip timing, Brad handled the timing and results for us.  Brad handles most of the behind-the-scenes tech-related questions, registration issues, mass communication, analytics, etc.  Brad is the type of guy that answers emails within minutes, does anything asked of him, and then still offers to pay for his own entry into the race.  After learning a few months ago that our regular chip-timing company was unable to time Fast Cat 2016, I talked to Brad to inquire if we could do this without paying for chip timing.  He wisely reminded me that Fast Cat has become a success because we don’t cut corners or do things on the cheap to save money.  We pride ourselves in delivering a top-notch race that people will remember and come back to.  So, of course we will have chip-timing again in 2016…

Janet Wells–  Nicknamed “Mama Wells” by all of the Plainfield North runners, Janet Wells is one of the most relentless, tireless, dedicated individuals I have ever met.  Her two sons, Walker and Connor, both run on the team.  Janet and her husband, Walker Sr., are surrogate parents to all runners on the team.  One of the things we have learned about having a road race as a fundraiser is that you have to continuously work to get new sponsors.  If a road race only brings in money from registrations, it won’t make enough to sustain itself, let alone be a viable option as  a fundraiser for a 100-member track program.  Sponsor-seeking is probably my least favorite part of Fast Cat.  Our first year, I had sit-downs with managers of pizza places, sub shops and grocery stores.  I typed and signed letters to almost 100 businesses, had high school students addressing and stuffing envelopes.  We did ok with sponsors for a new race with no proven track record, selling them on the hope that we could one day be the next Chicago Marathon or Shamrock Shuffle.   But I knew that this would not be a sustainable model based on my limited time, skills, and lack of stick-to-it-iveness when it comes to asking people for money.  Enter Janet Wells.  Two years ago, I asked Janet if she would be interested in helping seek out sponsors for Fast Cat.  As per usual, she said yes.  Within weeks, I think she had hit up every business on Route 59 between Naperville and Joliet.  She resiliently plays phone tag with doctor and dentist offices, health clubs, restaurants, stores, banks, etc.  If the phone doesn’t get her a conclusive answer, she pays them a visit … again and again until she does.  Because of her efforts, Fast Cat has continued to bring in new sponsors each year and retain old ones.  In addition to sponsor-seeking, Janet is also a problem solver.  Last year, when we were less than a week out from the race and I realized we had not yet secured any sort of athletic trainer/ambulance for the race, Janet came through and convinced the Plainfield Fire Dept. to station a truck on site in case we had any emergencies.

In addition to Brad and Janet, the Fast Cat volunteer army has grown each year.  Parents take care of working packet pick ups events, race-day registration, awards and post-race party set-up, parking lot attendants, course marshals, you name it.  We even have one set of parents, the McConnaughey’s, who are in the restaurant business and make a pasta meal for every runner.  While the distance crew participates in the race, all of the sprinters and field event guys spread around the entire 5k course to assist and cheer on runners.  Coach Holler does what he does best, takes great pictures and announces the race/age group winners at the post-race party, while adding insight, humor, and sincerity.

Fast Cat is not the perfect road race, and we do not claim to have it all figured out.  I am sure we could be doing more to bring in more runners, advertise better, recruit more sponsors, etc.  What I do know if that with each passing year, my sleep during the weeks leading up to the race gets a little better.  And each year, race day feels a little less hectic and the feedback we get from runners is positive.  

 

Whatever you are doing to fundraise,  I know most coaches out there are doing what they must and are fighting the good fight.  Unfortunately, there are no certainties for the future of Fast Cat.  Sometimes timing is everything.  If we came to the village board in 2016 pitching the idea of Fast Cat, it would not get approved, and we’d be back to selling ESPN Magazines.  According to Commander Ruggles, the local 5k is becoming the new golf outing.  Everyone wants to do one, and many can’t afford to pay the village for it.  For the first time ever, we had to submit a report of our earnings and expenses for last year’s event.  It is almost assured that next year, they will either tell us “no” for the first time, or at the the very least start charging us more.  We may be forced to decide if it’s worth it to continue.  Until then, we press on, and expect to have our best year yet.

 

Fast Cat 2016:

On Saturday, April 2, Plainfield North High School will host the 5th Annual Fast Cat 5k/10k and Kid’s 1-Mile run.  As has been the case for each of the previous four years, Fast Cat coincides with either the beginning or end of our spring break, and always marks the transition from indoor to outdoor track season.  

We invite any and all runners, walkers, and joggers to come out and be a part of a great event.

We keep the price very affordable for young runners, only $20 for the 5k/10k, even if you register on race day.  For adults, the price to register on race day is $35.  The Kids 1-Mile run $10.

While only those who pre-registered by March 23 are guaranteed shirts, we order a bunch of extra, so if you come to one of our early registration/packet pick up options, you should have no problem getting one.  

Early packet pick up/in-person registration-  Thursday, March 31, and Friday, April 1 (4-7pm) @ Roadrunner Sports (2555 W 75th St, Naperville, IL‎).  

Race day registration/packet pick up-  Plainfield North High School.  (12005 S. 248th.  Plainfield, IL) beginning at 6:30am.

Kids Run starts at 8:00am

5k/10k start simultaneously at 8:30.  5k = 1-loop.  10k = 2 loops.

Awards:  Custom Tumblers for age groups winners.  Medals to all Kids Run finishers.  Geneva Running Outfitters Gift Cards for the top 2 overall in the 5k/10k, male and female.

Lastly, while it is great to put on a fundraiser that we can be proud of and make some money for the Track program, we have made a point each of the last couple years do donate  a portion of our proceeds to charity.  In 2014 and 2015, we sent Team One Step Children’s Oncology Services, Inc. a check for $500.  

This year, we are going to make a donation to the family of PNHS PE/Health teacher Susan Triplett, who was killed in the fall of 2015.  

All participants will have the opportunity to make additional donations for the family at the race.  

For more information on Fast Cat, check out our website  www.runfastcat.com or email aderks@psd202.org