Recently, I was giving a speech in a Toastmaster meeting. It lasted seven minutes, so I decided to talk about something that I am familiar with. It was about running. The specific subject was the difference between kit for runners in races organized in the USA and DR. My inspiration was part of the podcast of Cultura Fit with Karla Martin. You can see the conversation starting in the minute 38 of the podcast.
Here I leave you my draft of the speech with some images. In the actual speech, I just cover like a 40% of what was predicting, but it help me a lot in the flow of my speech.
Enjoy it.
Subject: Comparing kits for runner between races in DR and USA
Intro: My Experience in RBC Brooklyn Half
It’s 5:30 a.m.
The alarm on my phone is ringing.
I have 10 minutes waiting for it.
Yes, I am the type of guy who awakens before the alarm.
I don’t like alarms, but this is a special day.
It’s Saturday, May 17.
I took a bath, put on my running clothes, running shoes, ate an apple, and at 6 a.m. I was getting into the train in direction to Prospect Park.
I am a little nervous.
Two days before, I was picking up the running kit at the pre-party for the RBC Brooklyn Half.
I got bib number 33352. I asked for an available number that included the 52 on it. That is my lucky number. The bag also included a T-shirt and some brochures with information about the race.
Moving forward to the Saturday at 7 a.m., I was in the waiting line with a lot of other people. I arrived with enough time to take measures if needed.
My Wave is the number 4, that was scheduled to go out at 8:15.
The time comes. I started to move slowly. It is not possible to run yet because all the people. I’m excited, so all people that are around me. I can feel it; I can see it.
I decided to run without music to enjoy the whole experience.
There were people cheering on in all the 13.1 miles.
Signals with a lot of funny messages, and even more supporting ones.
People dancing in the street.
It was a big parade in Prospect Park, all the Coney Island Avenue, and the Coney Island Park.
In mile 8, a friend of mine was waiting for me with a big sign that said
“You’ve already lasted longer than you did last night.”
In the finish line were my father and sister.
When I crossed the finish line, I received:
• A towel soaked in water to cool myself down a little
• A bag with an apple, pretzels, Gatorade, and water
• And the finisher medal This was one of the most amazing races that I have ever run.
Context: My previous experiences as runner
This was the third race that I ran in the USA.
The first one was in March of this year.
It was 13.1 miles too. Four loops to Prospect Park.
In my running kit, I got the bib, a T-shirt, and the finisher medal.
The second was in April.
It was 10K. Two loops on Governor Island.
I got a bib and a T-shirt. No finisher medal.
But I have two additional races this year.
February 2
The race’s name is “Volando Bajito” (flying low).
It’s one of the most exciting races in DR. It is organized by the Air Force of the Dominican Republic.
Ten kilometers.
You have a big party the day before in a hangar, and the super big event with airplanes, helicopters, music, and a big kit with a lot of stuff on it. Including T-shirts, sponsorship material, and for sure, the finisher medal.
My first race of the year was organized for a couple of friends in just a week.
It was January 1st. And
Do you know what was included in this race?
A finisher medal.
Tesis: The different between RD and USA
2024 was the year when I started to call myself a runner.
I did more than 10 races.
And in all these races, it was included a kit with a lot of sponsorship material, T-shirts, and the always-expected finisher medal.
One of those races is organized by a big Supermarket
One of the main reasons people signups for it, is the kit for the runners.
The cost of the race is less than $40 dollars, which is the standard price for races in DR
But the whole kit is value in approximately $200 dollars.
Reflecting in the organization of all this races, two different emerge when comparing the races in DR and the USA:
- The generosity in the kit for runners
- The always expected finisher medals
It was common in the early days of the running culture of DR that, only winners of races received the medals. Like, the three first places of two categories.
While the community was growing, the race organizer started to secure more medals for more runners. It was a time when race organizer secure 50 medals for the first 50 people that finished the race. If you were a slow runner, you had to setter just with the satisfaction of having completed the race.
The times have changed in DR, and most of the cost of the races is covered by sponsorships. Many of these activities are organized by companies to support a healthy lifestyle. It’s recognized for the IRS equivalent as a social expending or donation, so it is tax deductible.
It’s a good thing for runners such as myself, and a way to grow the community. Other things are that it is very expensive to close streets, and public open spaces don’t always have the distance that is required for the race. At least in Santo Domingo, we have a big park that is 5K long, and the governor is willing to allow the running activities for a low cost. That allows the organizer to focus on adding value to the runners’ finisher medals, activities, and sponsorship materials.
I’m not so sure what is happening in USA with the races, but what I found was that it isn’t usual to have big kits or even finisher medals in regular races. That things are mentioned in the information of the race as an additional element to the spot for running.
Conclusion: The real value of running
Let’s be honest.
It’s nice to have all those medals hanging in the wall.
Those races are full of history, sacrifice, dedication, and discipline. Some stats over the internet said that just 7% of the world population has ever engaged in running, but just 0.01% of the population has ever completed a marathon.
The real motivation of a real runner is the accomplishment. Many of us got into running for physical health, mental health, and/or community.
Talking from my experience, running is an act of selfcare, an active meditation that allows me to connect with my body, release stress, help me to take hard decisions, clear my mind, and challenge myself.
It helps to develop consistency and discipline. These are soft skills that are present in most successful people.
At the end of my speech, I got feedback and a great satisfaction.