Thanks for joining us for the inaugural edition of Croton Cross! We're incredibly grateful to have been able to share with you the event that we've worked so hard to create.
While we've gotten a lot of positive feedback, we still want to make sure we work to produce an even better version of CCX in 2023. We have a few things already in mind, but we're always open to new ideas:
- Updated course design: while everyone has their favorite moments on the course; many have suggested finding a way to make Nature Hike (the long trail section) continue to be a downhill rather than a run-up. It's a challenging ask but we'll continue to tweak the course to make it even better.
- Improved signage: we actually ordered some, but it never made it to us in time. Beyond that, adding some flags for key course locations (finish, staging, registration, etc) is already on the list.
- On-site food options: this one involves some political navigation due to permitting issues, and we look forward to getting through that labyrinth before next year.
- Updated schedules: this is always tough as we weigh our audiences and field attendance — these things are constantly in flux as we work to find our event's best fit line.
- Better prize options: with the truly inspiring performances of the juniors who raced at our event this year, it made us realize that we need more inclusive prize pools.
- Event photography: lots of amazing photographers came out to shoot the race, but unfortunately we didn't have the budget to hire a dedicated one of our own. Definitely something we'd like to do next year!
To manage expectations and head off some other common suggestions, here's a few things we have limited control over:
- Event dates: this is largely subject to the Westchester Parks calendar (this year it was either Halloween weekend or Thanksgiving weekend... I think we can all agree we picked the right date). As the event grows and builds clout(???), we'll have more leverage to choose our options.
- Field pricing: we think we priced CCX pretty fairly, but in general we charge based on our event budgets and the overall market pricing from similar events. We're hoping that with the success of CCX this year, we can pull in some greater financial support next year and field a more diverse array of pricing options.
We'd like to hear your thoughts on a few more aspects of our event for next year, but if you've got anything beyond the above, let us know your thoughts and we hope to see you next year!
— Alex & John
(photo: Tom Sblendorio)
