Did you sit on the lap of the big guy in the red suit at the mall and ask for more participants on the start line of your Santa Shuffle? Or, an elf or two to help with logistics on race day? Or, Mrs. Clause to provide post-race snacks? While I appreciate the effort, lets talk about 9 concrete reasons why people should attend your Santa Shuffle versus nursing a hang-over from another Ugly Sweater Party where people debate the which is greater, Love Actually or Elf.


1. Send out invitations to your friends and mailing list (physical invite, follow up with electronic version with link to registration)

2. Exchange pace bunnies for pace elves

3. Provide egg-nog…POST-race…NOT pre-race 😉

4. Run at night through your city lights display or the street that is known for the best lights

5. Construct your finish chute with Christmas trees…which double as age-group awards

6. Exchange your photo backdrop with an Instagram box and a mistletoe

7. Provide a DJ that knows how to utilize the Christmas classics while keeping the runners energized

8. Raise money for a worthy cause

9. Santa will make a special appearance at the elf trot aka kiddie trot

It doesn’t matter the current month, toss on Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, turn on the fireplace, sprinkle a little cinnamon on your latte, and keep brainstorming on how you can differentiate your event.

Kudos to you for hosting an event at this time of year. The world needs more opportunities to come together while in the holiday spirit!

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Brandon Laan

Brandon is a dad, runner, race director and endurance industry specialist. He spends the majority of his time coaching the sales team at Race Roster while co-directing The Rock The Road 10K. He spent his undergraduate days at Western University before fleeing to Hawaii Pacific University for graduate school. He recently pushed his twin girls, Emma and Sydney to a 1:14 half marathon and is a former winner of The GoodLife Toronto Marathon and Silver Medalist at The Canadian Marathon Championships.