Race you to the bar! What runners want to drink post-race

This is the third article in our series revisiting key findings from Eventbrite’s race participant survey and webinar with lululemon athletica on turning your race into an unforgettable race experience.

Runners don’t just drink water post-race. In fact, celebration is just as big a factor as hydration in causing participants to tilt their glasses bottoms-up. Nearly half of the 1,900 race participants Eventbrite surveyed report using alcohol as a reward for completing a race.

In this article, we’ll explore what makes 46% of participants say they’re more likely to sign up for a race with complimentary food and drinks. We’ll toast to that!  

How can I target my drinks to my audience?

No one is expecting a race to have a full menu of drink options, but with only a couple options, it’s important they’re crowd-pleasers. Across the board, our survey participants preferred beer post-race: 81% of men and 64% of women.

While wine and cocktails were less popular across the board, you may consider them if your race is geared towards women. Nearly a third of women preferred these drinks to beer: 16% wanted to put their feet up with a cocktail in hand, and another 16% preferred to unwind with a glass of wine.  

How can I be sure to engage participants who don’t want to drink, especially at an all-ages event?

Even those who don’t want alcohol will still enjoy being able to socialize with a drink in hand. The key is to choose non-alcoholic drinks that are on-brand and targeted to your racers. Lululemon, for example, partners both with Whistler Water, Canada’s only premium glacier water, as well as Rise Kombucha, which is entirely organic.

Know your audience. If there are a lot of young children at the event, provide juice boxes. If your race is home to hardcore athletes, have a protein shake bar. You could also consider giving a discount or free gift to designated drivers, or organize shuttles so that everyone can get home safely. After all, even those who don’t drink will probably be too tired after the race to want to walk!

How do I make sure the after-party still aligns with my brand?

With anything you plan post-race, you want to make sure the event still feels like a unified whole. If you like the idea of serving drinks but are worried it will feel disjointed, try to tie it back to your brand and your mission.

Lululemon is the perfect example of this, as they actually partnered with Stanley Park Brewer to create their own lager sold at their events and now available in 400 stores. The brew is named “Curiosity Lager” after the theme for this year’s SeaWheeze Half Marathon: a story about mad scientists who stumble upon the perfect formula for an amazing event.

Of course, not everyone can create their own brew for their race, but there are simpler ways to tie the drinks back to your race. If your race has a theme, integrate it with the decor or a specialty cocktail. And remember, just because there are drinks doesn’t mean it has to be a wild party: you can set up lawn chairs and have a one- or two-drink maximum, and still extend the event and leave participants in good cheer.