By Claudia Piepenburg
When Donald J. Trump entered the White House again on January 20, 2025 voters, no matter their political affiliation, expected that his second term policies could result in changes that would affect their lives in one way or another. We at Road Race Management wondered, 164 executive orders reciprocal tariffs on ninety countries later (no doubt that number will have gone up by the time this article is published) and, if and how the business of road racing has been impacted. So in early March I reached out to thirteen race directors, race management companies and running/racing organizations around the country, asking the questions below. Eight responded.
- Has the executive order eliminating DEI programs, practices and personnel affected your event in any way? If so, how and what steps, if any, are you taking to adhere to the order?
- How are the tariffs affecting your event? What steps are you taking to mitigate the increases in costs of items such as medals and T-shirts?
- Does your event attract foreign runners and if so, are you noticing fewer registrations from non-US athletes?
- Do you currently offer a non-binary category/division? If so, how long have you offered it and do you have plans to eliminate it?
Boilermaker Road Race
According to race director Jim Stasaitis, the Boilermaker receives no federal funding, so the race is not affected by the president’s order eliminating DEI programs. Stasaitis said: “It is our understanding that an executive order is a written directive that orders the government to take specific actions. It cannot order a citizen nor an organization to do anything. In the case of the DEI directive, the government can only take action on a third party if that party is beholden in some way, shape or form to the government.” He went on to say that the road racing industry is, by definition, inclusive. That everyone, participants, volunteers and spectators, are treated equitably. “The strength in road racing is in its diversity. At the Boilermaker, everyone is welcome.”
Regarding tariffs, Stasaitis explained that although they place their primary swag orders in early March, prior to the tariffs being imposed, that the lack of transparency and accompanying “chaos” means that race organizers can’t be sure that the order isn’t going to be affected in some way.
Throughout its long history the Boilermaker has welcomed athletes from anywhere between ten to eighteen foreign countries. But Stasaitis said: “We expect to see less participants from Canada this year because of the tariff situation and the way the president is challenging that country’s independence. Our Canadian participation is down as of now by over 30%.” (Note: Stasaitis responded on April 29)
To date the Boilermaker has not offered a non-binary category.
Gasparilla Distance Classic Association, Inc.
Executive Director, Susan Harmeling, responded to the first and fourth question by saying that they do not offer a non-binary division and have never been approached about offering one.
Regarding tariffs she said that they’re in a “wait and see mode.” She went on to explain: “With a February event, our T-shirt orders must be placed in late July/early August. Currently we’re gathering ‘what if?’ pricing from Leslie Jordan and Maxwell Medals & Awards, and have made budget changes accordingly but there’s no way of knowing where we’ll be when our shirts hit the port.” (Note: Harmeling responded in mid-May.) Harmeling said that in addition to the traditional race amenities they also provide running hats and reusable bags to all registered participants as well as towels to all finishers, but if necessary, they’ll consider cutting back on those offerings.
Like most major US road races, Gasparilla attracts a large contingent of foreign runners; the greatest number come from Canada. “In 2025 we saw a decrease in Canadian participation” Harmeling said. “Several runners took the time to call and share that they wouldn’t spend any of their tourism dollars in the US. We understood their position and refunded their entry fees.”
Twin Cities in Motion
Dean Orton, President of Twin Cities in Motion told me that the DEI orders have not affected their events and never will. He said: “We believe in the importance of running and physical activity for everybody.” He explained that TCM has programs that specifically address barriers to participation, such as experience-level, access, ability and financial status. “Those things shouldn’t be barriers. Our programs include our Athletes with Disabilities and Equity in Motion that discounts event costs to runners from undeserved communities in need of additional support to get to the start line.”
Orton said that TCM is used to adapting to changing business realities, so the tariffs haven’t had much of an impact. “After all, we and the rest of the racing industry just weathered a pandemic.” Taking an upbeat and positive view of potential rising costs because of the tariffs Orton explained: “Managing costs and keeping registration fees reasonable for our participants is always important to us, so we’ll work hard to navigate this latest challenge and perhaps find new opportunities in it.”
Unlike some of the other race directors I spoke with, Orton said that so far they haven’t noticed a significant reduction in registrations from international runners, reason being that all of the TCM events, including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon weekend, aren’t as dependent on foreign athletes as many of their peers. He added: “We continue to welcome participants from around the world.”
TCM has offered non-binary divisions at all events since 2019, as well as prize money in that division in the marathon since 2022. “We have no plans to eliminate the division,” said Orton. “We hope non-binary runners continue to feel welcome at our events as we encourage everyone to get out and move.”
Atlanta Track Club
ATC CEO Rich Kenah told me that the DEI executive order has no direct impact on the club and its approach to “…delivering a culture that is welcoming to runners and walkers of all ages, abilities, genders and ethnicities.” He said that their objective remains the same as always: that their participant and member base reflect the demographics of the Atlanta metro area.
Kenah said that so far they’ve seen no material impact on their T-shirt and medal expenses, but like all race/event organizers their lead times are such that their orders and pricing for 2025 are already locked in. He also said: “From a governance perspective, our finance committee has identified and is tracking a number of key variables that we see as leading indicators for potential tariff impacts on our business.” Like others I spoke with he said that the uncertainty around the tariffs is expected to be as more of a driver of expense growth than the tariffs themselves.
The largest number of foreign runners compete in the club’s biggest event: the Peachtree Road Race and Kenah said that it’s too early to tell if the race will be impacted by visa restrictions (Editor’s note: Kenah responded on June 8.) He did say that as of that date there were no Eritreans on the start list.
The ATC recognizes and offers awards for overall non-binary winners and age group non-binary winners, but they don’t support non-binary divisions with prize money.
Lilac Bloomsday Association
According to Bethany Lueck, Director of Sponsorship and Communications, the order eliminating DEI programs has not affected the association. “We are not affected directly because we are a non-profit and don’t operate with any federal funding.” Like the other race officials who responded, she explained that the Lilac Bloomsday Association is committed to fostering an event that brings people together through movement. “We’re bound to the rules of our sanctioning bodies when it comes to elite competition and prize eligibility, but we’re a community event that welcomes everyone on our course in pursuit of health and wellness.”
Again, like everyone else, Lueck said that because there’s such a long lead time on ordering swag (orders for the 2025 race were placed in the third and fourth quarters of 2024) they aren’t sure how the tariffs will affect them. She stated that they do expect an increase in costs but have no idea of what those increases will look like in reality.
In 2024 runners from fifteen countries competed in the race, and in 2025 that number jumped up to twenty. But the number of Canadians decreased. Lueck said that in 2024 two-hundred sixty-two runners were from Canada, but that number dropped to 178 at this year’s event. “We also received multiple emails from Canadians specifically saying that they loved our race but could not support the US and the Trump administration.”
Bloomsday does not currently have a non-binary division but late this year they will introduce a new registration platform where they will offer a N/A or “prefer to not disclose” option.
Boston Athletic Association, New York Road Runners, Grandma’s Marathon
Chris Lotsbom, Director of Race Communications & Media for the BAA responded to my questions with the following: The B.A.A.’s vision is a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle, and our mission is centered around promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. Through our year-round programs and events, we aim to welcome all athletes and ensure they feel encouraged no matter where they are on their running journey.
I contacted the NYRR on February 24 and received a response from Liv Ren, Head of Public Relations on the 28th. She told me that they were “working on” my request and would aim to get back to me by the following week. That was the last communication I received.
Shane Bauer, Executive Director of Grandma’s Marathon told me that race officials would be looking at making some changes after this year’s race, although he didn’t specify what those changes were and how they might relate to the administration’s orders and policies. He said that he would be willing to respond to my queries sometime in the future, but he didn’t feel that it was the right time to do so now.
Conclusions
Based on this admittedly small sampling, it appears that the attitudes and perceptions of foreign runners, notably Canadians, toward the current U.S. administration has had the most negative affect on road racing, causing a decline in their registering for US events. Whether reciprocal tariffs will also have a deleterious effect remains to be seen.