When Colorado runners want to learn about a local race, including whether it's worth shelling out the cash for an entry fee, they usually check RunColo first.
RunColo is a website that isn't afraid to bash a race for its lack of organization, poorly measured course or antiquated timing system.
And while most people may not know his name, the site is owned and managed by Simon Escorcia, a runner and entrepreneur who has found a way to turn his love of the sport into not just one business, but two.
I recently caught up with Simon to discuss RunColo and what sets his site apart from most: Escorcia isn't afraid to tell the truth.
When did you first get the idea for the RunColo website?
Simon Escorcia: Towards the later part of 2007, I started kicking around some entrepreneurial ideas.
Colorado is fortunate to have a large number of running races throughout the year, but it’s hard to know if the race is a well put-on event or some fun run that is not being timed and the course distance was measured by the race director’s 1984 Chevy Citation.
I’m a firm believer that if you’re going to call yourself a race and charge $25, you owe it to your customers to have a properly measured course that is well marked. It should also start on time and have accurate results that are posted in a timely manner. If you’re not timing the race, just call it a fun run.
In January 2008, RunColo was born. It started off with Colorado race reviews and has grown to include a forum, running news, products reviews, video footage, and a weekend recap of the racing action in Colorado.
You also have some really knowledgeable runners who write columns for your site. How did you go about recruiting them?
Simon Escorcia: I’m not going to even qualify my statement with “arguably” because Justin Mock knows more about Colorado running than anyone out there. Justin and I have been friends for a few years and he was doing some excellent write-ups on upcoming races and a Colorado results recap on his personal blog. We worked out a deal to team up on RunColo and it’s been instrumental in the growth of RunColo.
Sonja Wieck and Nick Clark are also friends of mine and they contribute about one article per month to RunColo.
One huge advantage that we have at RunColo is that the four of us run a ton of races in Colorado; we’re out there doing what we love, thus writing about it is the easy part.
RunColo is the number one Colorado running website. Where do you hope to go with it in the future?
Simon Escorcia: We have a ton of ideas, Justin alone sends me about five ideas each week on new things that we could be doing! Right now it’s just finding the time to incorporate those ideas.
The long-term goal though is to increase readership and our influence over the Colorado running community. One thing that separates RunColo from other sites is that we’re not afraid to voice an opinion on a product or a race.
If I run a race and I think it was subpar, I’m going to call it out. It is difficult to be critical of a race when it’s for a charity and all the people were nice, but the race needs to know of the shortcomings if it wants to be a success in future years.
We’ve definitely ruffled a few feathers, but the antithesis is Runner’s World who posts a shoe review and loves every shoe on the market. If you’re for everything, you’re for nothing. There have been several instances, though, where race directors have emailed me letting me know that they have taken one of my suggestions and that’s a great feeling, knowing that we’ve helped make a race better for next year.
Could you talk a little bit about Colorado Race Timing?
Simon Escorcia: Colorado Race Timing was started in January 2009, utilizing chip timing from IPICO. Two of my passions are running and entrepreneurship, and for a few years I was thinking of a way to combine the two. I love running races, so I figured the best job in the world has to be timing races, and I was right.
The best part about owning a running company along with RunColo is that we are able to leverage the success of RunColo to offer our timing customers tremendous advertising. Also being a competitive runner, I recognize names, know what times are plausible at given distances, and that helps a lot when you’re timing a race.
You recently set a 2:46:18 PR at Rock 'n' Roll San Diego. What was that experience like, how long have you been a runner and what does running mean to you?
Simon Escorcia: Going into the race, I was hoping to run a <2:45. On race morning it was around 64 degrees and 80% humidity, not ideal running conditions at all. The last hour of the race the sun came out, high 60s and it was a struggle. I still managed to run a negative split somehow.
After the race, I was sullen, which is odd when you run a two-plus minute PR in the marathon. I had initially planned on taking a cab back to my hotel, but as sort of a punishment to myself I walked the 2-plus miles back to my hotel afterward, not really sure why.
Now looking back on it, I think I ran a really smart race given the less than ideal conditions. I finished 30th overall out of 10,650 finishers and out of the 29 runners that beat me, all but two of them were in the elite division.
I’ve been running competitively since I was 14 years old, thanks to my dad who is also a runner. He had me going to local running races in rural Illinois and Iowa at an early age, so the sport just grew on me. I ran in high school and then at Luther College as well.
My next big race will be the Des Moines Marathon this October.
You're a successful businessperson and a fantastic runner, and yet you never seem to let the spotlight shine just on you. You even post under RunColo instead of using your name. Are you the most humble person in Colorado?
Simon Escorcia: Humble probably isn’t the right word. It’s more so that I’m an introvert and a private person, and that probably carries over in how the businesses are run. Quite a few people think that RunColo is Justin Mock’s website; it’s gotten to the point where it’s almost comical.
It doesn’t bother me at all, though; I gauge my success on how well RunColo and Colorado Race Timing perform. My measuring stick is those two and if I can lead a company without being in the spotlight, that’s preferred.
Comments
I have run into this: Someone wants to put on a race to raise money, but they aren't runners so they don't really know what to look for. A site like RunColo, would be a great source.
Sounds like you might want to write some stories for RunColo....
This was a great story for RunColo, well put.
Runners are lucky to have a source like this.
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