Bigger Isn't Always Better........

"The best things come in small packages"....
"The best perfume comes in small bottles"....
"Bigger isn't always better"......

Perhaps it is the fact that I am an imposing 5'1", and went to a High School with a graduating class of 18 people, and left the inner city teaching hospital for the small community hospital that feels like home.....I'm all about small (if only my hips and butt got the memo). (I did follow up the 80-person High School with 30,000 of my closest friends at the University of Maryland).

Where am I going with this? This past weekend was the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K at the National Harbor in DC. I DID NOT register. The appeal of loads of chocolate at the finish line were outweighed by the idea of dealing with traffic on the DC Beltway, parking permits, etc. Apparently this was a good choice. I wasn't there, so it is all secondhand, but I did read the letter sent to participants from the race director. It sounds like there were lots of logistical issues (parking nightmares, the race started over an hour late...you can read more about it here). The first year of holding the race in DC, and they went big with 20,000 participants. If it goes badly, it happens on a HUGE scale.

In contrast, a couple of weeks ago we held the first annual Don't Panic Foundation 5K. 196 people registered. It was a small race, but well-run, awesome sponsors (lots of firefighters, police officers, and Georgetown Cupcake, anyone?), and we look forward to growing it a bit every year.

This whole idea of "bigger isn't always better" is why I love Rev3 Triathlon and their races. Rev 3 does things on a big scale, but manages to make you feel like family. The race series continues to grow, but they keep that "small town" atmosphere. Awesome expo area (at the race site), huge finish chute, great volunteer support, and staff that work their tails off but do it with a smile and love what they do. Those are just a few of the things that make Rev3 fantastic. Finishing my first 70.3 holding my daughter's hand, one of the best memories a Mom/Triathlete could ask for.

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog." Dwight D. Eisenhower