“Adventures in Wine Country”- Sport Oregon Voices
Sport Oregon Voices:
Alex Rudd, Senior Program Manager of Events, speaks on the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon
While it has long supported thousands of sporting events that boost our local economies and raise the level of community involvement and partnerships in the state, Sport Oregon recently has focused on a new, more dynamic approach to driving this impact directly by taking on a larger portfolio of owned, produced-in-house events.
So when the opportunity to assume oversight and management of the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon came up in 2018, the Sport Oregon staff enthusiastically embraced the chance to take a much more direct and meaningful role in the event’s operation. For the better part of a decade since the event’s inception, Sport Oregon had provided significant support for the iconic and popular running event held in the scenic wine country of Yamhill County in Oregon. But this was a chance to directly impact the event even further, and it was a terrific fit to add to the organization’s growing portfolio of owned events.
“It was the perfect timing, the perfect connection with people already involved in the process to make that transition and acquire an event,” Alex Rudd, Sport Oregon’s senior program manager for events, said of the decision to assume the production of the event.
In short, it hit all the right notes of what Sport Oregon is about and what the organization aims to achieve by driving economic impact in Oregon through sports, all while having a profound effect on the community work it does year-round. It fit with the organization’s mission of promoting the positive impacts of sports through tourism and celebrating the one-of-a-kind playground that Oregon’s diverse regions around the state create.
Continuing the Traditions with Growth in Mind
With the event being so unique and having so many user-friendly traditions, the staff at Sport Oregon kept a lot of the logistical elements the same as they assumed production of their first event in 2019. Appreciated features like free shuttle buses, point-to-point race configuration, the many finish line celebratory elements and festival feel were well-established and well-loved by the event participants. Instead, Rudd says, Sport Oregon’s added influence on the event in the early going has been about efforts to grow the audience and introduce new people to the natural beauty and community spirit that Carlton, Ore. and Yamhill County have to offer through their longstanding event.
“The bones of the event and what the experience offered were similar to what they have been the past 10 years,” Rudd said. “A lot of our changes and the fresh elements that Sport Oregon brought to the event had to do with the audience, with perks for runners of all ages and backgrounds.”
Sport Oregon incorporated a new walker-friendly 5k distance, a post-race brunch and registration options for youth to encourage locals to bring the whole family out on event day.
Through its marketing and branding efforts, Sport Oregon aims to keep expanding on this audience, and expanding on post-race festival elements to include even stronger and more widespread partnerships with the local community. After all, an event like this is a big undertaking for a small community, and you can hear the enthusiasm and appreciation in Rudd’s voice as she speaks about the quality of the existing partnerships, and the excitement of future collaborations.
In particular, Sport Oregon works with local nonprofit Yamhill Carlton Together Cares, a group that provides opportunities to local youth, from sports to supporting at-risk families in the area. Event organizers have traditionally partnered with Together Cares for volunteers, and it’s these types of partnerships that really make the Oregon Wine Country event sing.
“We really appreciate being in a smaller community like that where we can partner so closely with an organization that touches so many corners of the community,” Rudd said. “At all of the different layers [of putting on the event], we have to work together to make an event like this possible, because the entire town is impacted when we’re bringing 1,500 runners and their friends and family into the community for event weekend. The need to have really strong partnerships is there, and getting to develop those is definitely a highlight of this event, and getting to know people in the community in the process.”
With a uniquely Oregon canvas as the backdrop for the race, it’s easy to see why runners get so excited. As part of the point-to-point configuration, race-goers are treated to picturesque sunrise views of Mt. Hood at the Stoller Family Estate starting line, and finish with a lively wine and music festival hosted by Ken Wright Cellars and featuring over 20 local wineries sharing tastings.
“For us, it was a particularly appealing running event [to produce] because of its location in Oregon wine country and its draw to participants throughout Oregon and throughout the U.S.,” Rudd said. “We really liked the potential impact of the event, and that it showcases a unique part of Oregon beyond urban Portland.”
Indeed, the appeal of the Oregon Wine Country event is no surprise. More than a race, with something for just about everyone to enjoy, it’s a two-day celebration that showcases the natural beauty and unique spirit of the Yamhill Valley – a spirit of community, craft, exploration and some of the world’s best pinot noir. As such, Rudd says the typical annual participant roster is a good mix of area residents and a substantial segment of out-of-state visitors, with an approximate 50-50 split between the two.
Turning Challenges into Positives
As has been the case for so many familiar annual events, as we all adapt our lives to best navigate the global pandemic, Sport Oregon had to make the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 race.
With so many partners and constituents involved, the 2020 event that was to be held this past weekend (Sept. 6) was cancelled relatively early, in May. Certainly people were understanding of the decision, and appreciative that they had time to adapt their schedules. Rudd credits the incredible spirit and teamwork surrounding the event for taking the disappointment of the one-year pause and making the best of the time, as she and her team work to even further refine features for the 2021 race, and most importantly, even further strengthen and expand the relationships with the local community.
“We definitely had some big plans we were really excited about rolling out in 2020, to continue to build the festival and celebration feel of the weekend,” Rudd said. “This event has always been about much more than just the point-to-point race, and we want to keep expanding on that and bring in more local partners into that celebration pre, during, and post race morning.”
The current work also includes the reality that it is still unclear what the race industry will look like a year from now, even two years from now. But this reality has provided opportunity for further education and consultation with fellow race industry experts, coupled with an energizing sense of creativity to help reshape, to an extent, what these types of participant events will look like down the line.
“It’s kind of a balance of continuing to have big dreams, but also having realistic conversations and envisioning how we can continue to provide a safe experience for people,” said Rudd. “It’s an interesting time to get creative, and push ourselves to think of ways that still create that community camaraderie that people are excited about – that they love and that is worth their time invested – but keep people safe.”
A Rewarding First Year and Beyond
By all accounts, Sport Oregon’s first year producing the event in 2019 was a resounding success. Even the smoothest-run events of this scale inevitably have a hiccup or two, but the Sport Oregon events team was thrilled with its first year putting on the event, a sentiment reflected by many of the participants, partners, sponsors and volunteers.
“On the ground producing an event like this, you’re very focused on every little thing that might not be going exactly as planned,” Rudd said. “So the most rewarding thing is at the end of the day, checking your email, social, phone messages, and hearing so much overwhelming positivity about the event. We received great feedback from our participants, that it was super memorable and a well-organized event. And that just really makes us even more motivated to continue to grow it in the future.”
One year pause aside, the folks at Sport Oregon and the many, many race partners and participants are no doubt looking forward to many more memorable experiences through the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon.
“We had an awesome 2019 event and we’re all just excited to continue to grow it.”