Phil Dumontet, CEO, Laurel Innovations

Ted Metellus · 27 years in endurance events · From 1,000 to 60,000 participants

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ted Metellus — Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director at New York Road Runners and one of the most thoughtful minds in endurance event production — on The Future of Running podcast, on Head Start. Over the course of our conversation, Ted dropped nugget after nugget of hard-earned wisdom from 27 years on the ground. He promised at least three to five. He delivered ten. Here they are.

01 — Experience Design

People will never forget how you made them feel

Ted opened with a Maya Angelou quote shared by his colleague Christine Burke back in 2021 — and it became the philosophical foundation for everything that followed. In event production, we obsess over logistics, timing, and operations. But the thing runners carry with them for the rest of their lives isn't a split time. It's a feeling.

"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

That feeling extends from the first finisher who breaks the tape all the way to the very last person across the line. Both share in the same joy. Designing for that emotion — not just for efficiency — is what separates good events from unforgettable ones. As Ted put it: in our world of events, logistics is black and white. Experience is color.

Takeaway: Ask yourself at every planning decision: how will this make the participant feel?

02 — Participant Journey

The journey begins long before race day — and ends long after

Ted was emphatic: the participant journey doesn't start at the start line. It might begin when someone watches a friend race, donates to a charity runner, or simply sees a run club pass through their neighborhood and wonders what they're training for. Those early seeds matter enormously — and as event producers, we have to be thoughtful about every stage of the path.

And the journey doesn't end at the finish line either. Ted pointed to what he calls the "post-marathon blues" — the depression runners experience when months of singular purpose suddenly disappear. Smart event organizations lean into this window with reunion events, alumni programs, and re-engagement campaigns that keep the journey going.

Takeaway: Map your participant journey from first awareness to long-term community membership — then find the gaps and fill them.

03 — Community Engagement

Create an alumni reunion — it's an untapped opportunity

Ted called this nugget number one, and it stuck with me. Most events celebrate their finishers and then move on. But what if you invited past participants back — a month or two post-race — for an in-person celebration? Photos, stories, medals, community.

It's a recruitment tool, a retention tool, and a brand-building moment all rolled into one. Ted noted that many run clubs already do this informally with their own version of "Medal Monday" — a celebration that lives well beyond the Monday after the race. Race organizations should formalize that same spirit at scale.

Takeaway: Launch an alumni engagement program and host at least one post-race reunion event each year.

04 — Run Clubs

Meet run clubs on the ground floor — not just at the expo

When it comes to partnering with run clubs, Ted's advice was direct: don't wait for them to come to you. Show up to their runs. Follow their social media. Come out and listen to what they need. Run clubs reflect the communities they serve — women's groups, LGBTQ+ crews, youth programs, neighborhood collectives — and they are some of the most powerful organic recruitment channels in our sport.

Ted pointed to NYRR's Club Council as a model: regular meetings, shared resources, and even bringing in Road Runners Club of America to help clubs formalize as nonprofits with proper structure and bylaws. The diversity of run clubs is a feature. They reflect the people they serve — and creating platforms for those groups to learn, connect, and grow is one of the most important things a large event organization can do.

Takeaway: Build a structured run club council or liaison program, and show up to their runs — not just your events.

05 — Participant Segmentation

Know the difference between a road race and a running event

This was one of Ted's most actionable distinctions. A road race is where participants are dialed into split times, PRs, and competitive pacing. A running event is where people are out to move their bodies, connect with community, walk, jog, or bring their stroller. Most events are both — and that's fine. But you have to design the experience intentionally for each audience.

For walkers and first-timers, have coaches, volunteers, and sponsor partners celebrate their arrival with signs and dedicated cheer zones. Don't make them feel like they're in the way of the "real" race. And don't make the competitive runner dodge walkers either. Both groups deserve a designed experience.

"The last thing you want is a first-time walk-runner having to dodge around faster runners. And you don't want the competitive runner dodging walkers. Design for both."

Takeaway: Segment your corral strategy and event experience intentionally for both competitive runners and community participants.

06 — Industry Standards

Our sport needs its version of the FAA — and a safety video

This was Ted's big idea — and one of the most important conversations I've had on this podcast. No matter which of the 18+ major U.S. airlines you fly, certain things are universal: seat belts, no smoking, stay seated during turbulence. The FAA provides that backbone of standards. Ted points to the valuable industry groups and conferences that exist in road racing, but nothing serves as a full, direct equivalent — and there should be.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ted used the airline world to frame a question our entire industry needs to sit with. Every airline has its own style, brand, and personality — but they all share a uniform safety core. Which raised the question I couldn't let go of after the conversation:

"What is the safety video for our running industry? Is it on social media? Is it part of the final steps before the start line? Where do runners watch it?"

The metaphor maps onto our entire industry well. The event organizations are the airlines. The race directors are the pilots. The course and its operations are the aircraft. The runners are the passengers. And just as it doesn't matter how many times you've flown — every aircraft is different, every airline is different — the same is true for every race. A first-time runner and a runner with 20 marathons deserve the same baseline of clear, universal information.

Ted pointed to organizations like Running USA, Road Runners Club of America, NCS4, and Road Race Management as the building blocks of something bigger — a unified layer of operational standards covering safety protocols, medical station ratios, aid station placement, course marking, and more. The FAA of running doesn't exist yet. It should.

Takeaway: Engage with existing industry bodies and advocate for shared operational standards — then ask yourself: where is your safety video, and who is watching it?

07 — Participant Data

Treat your repeat runners like Delta treats their million-milers

Ted is a self-described Delta loyalist. And he pointed out something that feels obvious once you hear it: Delta knows his birthday, his milestone moments, his status tier, and it celebrates all of it. Why don't running events do the same?

When a runner completes their 10th race with your organization — tell them. When they log their longest training run ever — acknowledge it. When they hit a consecutive days streak — celebrate it. The frequent flyer lane used to be a literal lane at the airport. The million-miler gets a personalized greeting. Platforms like Haku and Athlinks already capture this data. The opportunity is connecting it to a human moment that makes runners feel known, valued, and seen.

Takeaway: Work with your registration platform to build milestone triggers and loyalty recognition into the participant experience.

08 — On-Course Innovation

Imagine if your favorite song played when you crossed the timing mat

Ted floated this idea and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Collect participants' favorite songs at registration. Place small speakers at key split points on the course. When a runner crosses the mat — their song plays for them.

At 60,000 runners, there will be hundreds of people who share the same favorite song. Imagine that moment of collective, unplanned joy at mile 18. Ted extended it further: host a post-race party and play the top 20 songs your runners submitted. Watch the dance floor ignite because everyone recognizes something they personally chose.

"How dope would it be to run over that mat and suddenly hear your song? Now you've connected the community through shared music taste."

Takeaway: Start collecting participant preference data at registration — music, motivations, milestones — and use it to personalize the on-course experience.

09 — Leadership Philosophy

Anybody can point. Not everybody can lift.

One of my favorite Tedisms. It's easy to walk into someone else's event, spot what's wrong, and criticize. It takes something different to roll up your sleeves and actually help fix it. Ted's practice is to attend other events, offer constructive feedback with grace, and get his hands dirty alongside peers across the industry.

He described it simply: give grace, give time, and say — here are some recommendations I can offer to help. Anyone can point at a problem. The race directors and event producers who move the whole industry forward are the ones who lift. That distinction matters more now than ever, as our sport grows faster than our shared infrastructure can keep up.

Takeaway: Get out and see other events — big and small — and show up ready to help, not just to observe.

10 — Culture & Inclusion

Turn the NDCs into cans — no, don't, can't have no place here

Ted's final Tedism is the one that hit hardest. NDC: No, Don't, Can't. Those three words are what Ted works hardest to eliminate — inside his organization, across his team, and on the course itself.

"No, don't, can't. You've got to change that no to a yes, a don't to a do, and a can't to a can."

He described literally shouting back at runners on course who muttered "I can never do this" as they passed him. Yes, you can. You're doing it right now. When you see athletes of every ability, every shape, every background crossing a finish line — there is no room for NDC.

And once someone crosses that line — the confidence doesn't stay on the course. It bleeds into everything. They go home and think: I ran a marathon once. I think I can do this. That confidence is what we are ultimately building when we design great events. Turn the cants to cans.

Takeaway: Build "turn the NDCs to cans" into your team culture — and extend it to every runner who doesn't yet believe they're a runner.

"The future of running is community and impact."

Ted's closing words — and a mandate, not just a sign-off. If we build with those two things at the center, the rest follows.