We really believe there is huge potential for growth. – Steve Bingham-Hawk, Salt Lake Marathon race director
SALT LAKE CITY — In late 2011, it looked like the Salt Lake Marathon would whither and die like so many running events, a victim of owner neglect and mismanagement.
Then a last-minute sale of the race to U.S. Road Sports introduced the beleaguered event to Steve Bingham-Hawk in early 2012. The company hired him to be the race director, and he stayed on when it was sold two years later to another company — Lifetime Fitness. Last fall, Lifetime sold the race to Bingham-Hawk’s company — High Altitude Events — making the race he’s managed for five years completely his.
“You could have asked me that first year, ‘Do you want this?’” he said about the marathon and accompanying events that occur this Saturday morning. “And I would have jumped then, and I jumped even further and higher for it this time. I believe whole-heartedy in the success of this event.”
Bingham-Hawk, who lives in Colorado, said he feels a special affinity for the Salt Lake Marathon for several reasons. His mom was raised in Salt Lake City, and his parents were married at Fort Douglas. But it’s really the energy of the event that earned it a special place in his heart. He said making it an even more local-centric race will be what helps it continue to grow.
“We really believe there is huge potential for growth,” he said. “I think we can double and triple the numbers. And I think the big solution or path to that goal is digging in deep with the local running community and not looking at it as a national running event, but making it more of a local feel.” Bingham-Hawk, who designed the course, said they began making some of those changes last year with entertainment groups on the course and prizes for volunteer groups.
“We’re really just taking the DNA of Salt Lake and pumping it into the event so that it is a uniquely Salt Lake event,” he said.
When he had the opportunity to acquire the race from Lifetime, which stayed on as a major sponsor, he said it was a chance to act on some of the ideas he’s had for the race’s direction and community involvement.
“One of them is strengthening our relationship with Huntsman Cancer Institute and Huntsman Hometown Heroes. But we’re also looking to partner with other nonprofit groups. We want to look beyond what we’ve done and involve all of Utah.”
Bingham-Hawk has been invested in the revitalization of the race, and he said that made it possible for them to do something unique with the race course, which is now three years old.
“It was important for us to let people know what was unique about our race as compared to others,” he said. “With it being more of a challenge, and it’s an urban race rather than all the canyon downhill races, and rather than shying away from that and diminishing the fact that we’re not a fast marathon, we embraced it. We called it ‘A Beautiful Challenge.’ If you’re coming to get your PR (personal record), that may not happen with us, but you’re going to have the most amazing marathon or half marathon or 5K … the best experience possible, whatever you do with us.”
All of the events have grown on Bingham-Hawk’s watch, with about a 15 percent growth across the board from last year. There will be 3,521 people participating in the half marathon, which is the most popular race of this weekend’s events. The marathon and bike tour are nearly sold out with 859 people riding in the bike tour (which begins at 6 a.m.) and 1,017 participating in the marathon (which begins at 7 a.m.) There is a 5K, 10K inline skate and Kids 1K, as well.
Bingham-Hawk, who is a runner, said he is invested in the Salt Lake race for the long haul.
“We look at Salt Lake as, we’re nurturing this thing,” he said. “We’re not expecting to blow out 2,000 more people next year, make a ton of money and run out of town. We operate on very slim margins because 90 percent of our clients are nonprofits. So we operate much like a nonprofit. We’ll always have the charity aspect, and that’s something we want to see make more of an impact, not just athletically but also in the community.”
Email: adonaldson@deseretnews.com
Twitter: adonsports