by David Prokop (Best Road Races Editor)

Fresh off the resounding success of the first Double Road Race™ ever held in America – the Pleasanton Double, Sunday, Dec. 23rd, which attracted almost 1400 runners – the Double Road Race Federation (DRRF), governing body of the new sport of Double Road Racing, has announced it has scheduled three more Doubles, with more to come.

Double Road Races™ have been scheduled for Overland Park, Kan., on Sunday, June 30, Denver, Colo., on Sunday, July 21, and Pleasanton, Calif., again at the end of the year (date to be confirmed by the end of this month).

The DRRF also announced that it plans to stage at least 10 Doubles in 2013 (other locations will be announced soon), increase that number to 60 in 2014, and then 150 in 2015.

The Double Road Race™ is a unique distance race consisting of two legs – an opening 10-kilometer leg, followed by a concluding 5-kilometer leg, with a short rest in between colloquially called a “Halftime” (Bob Anderson, creator of the Double, calls it “the only distance race with a halftime.”). Order of finish in the race is based on combined time, and runners have to complete both legs of the race to receive an official time.

Bob Anderson, the creator of Double Road Running spent a busy weekend in San Francisco.  On Saturday he finalized his 2013 plans for the Double, on Sunday morning he ran the Kaiser SF half marathon, and then he watched one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. 

A running visionary and innovator, Bob Anderson founded Runner’s World magazine at age 17 with $100 to invest and a dream to base it on. Already an addicted runner, he wanted to see a running publication that would not only appeal to him, but would carry articles which he could read to help his own running. He published the magazine for 18 years before selling it in 1984 after it reached a paid circulation of more than 435,000.

His creation of the Double Road Race™, at a time when road races are more popular than ever before, marks his renaissance in the running world. First there was Runner’s World, now there is the Double Road Race™ and the new sport of Double Road Racing. Time will tell how big this idea ultimately becomes, but all signs are promising to say the least.

“The reaction to the Double Road Race™ and this new sport we’ve created,” says Bob Anderson, “is beyond our wildest dreams.  Only one Double has been held in the United States so far and the positive reaction from runners who ran the Pleasanton Double on December 23rd has been truly amazing.

“Nearly 1400 runners participated and almost everyone asked us the same question afterwards: ‘When is the next one?’  Runners told us they liked the uniqueness of this new sport, and it goes beyond just running a 10K and 5K in one day. It’s the strategy involved, the camaraderie during the recovery period, the sense of not only doing something different but how to put the right combination together, like solving a puzzle, to produce your best combined time. There’s never been a challenge quite like this – and we all know how runners like challenges.”

For more information go to: Double Road Race

Double Road Race Overland Park, Kansas (just outside of Kansas City:  Overland Park Double June 30, 2013

Double Road Race Denver: Denver Double July 21, 2013

Speaking about challenges, Bob Anderson undertook a very challenging one last year, at age 64 (he turned 65 on Dec. 29) when he ran 50 races in 50 months to celebrate his 50^th year as a runner, totalling 350.8 miles and meeting his goal of averaging under seven minutes per mile for the entire series (he ultimately averaged 6:59 per mile). His 49^th race of the series was his own Double Road Race™ in Pleasanton!

Great news Bob!!!
Shari Mernett 2/4/13 6:33 am

Congrats to the "Double Federation" team!
Eldon Regua 2/4/13 5:50 pm

Thanks Eldon and Shari for your support. I know you both do enjoy running the Double!!!
Bob Anderson 2/5/13 8:28 am

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Bob Anderson presented the Double Victory Cup to 57-year-old Christine Kennedy in Pleasanton.  She was the overall Grand Champion also winning $500 cash award.

“What a day that was in Pleasanton,” he says. “Runners came from 26 states and three countries to be part of the first ever Double held in America.  And many of them came to cheer me on as I needed to get under seven-minute pace for the two legs of the race. It was two days before Christmas, we were in a small California town of just over 71,000 population, 45 minutes from San Francisco, and we had nearly 1400 registered runners.

“I ran 6:59 pace for the Double in Pleasanton, and when I stood up on stage to accept a special award afterwards, my voice cracked as I was consumed by the moment.  I was excited to be almost at the end of my 50-Race Challenge, as it had come to be known, but I was even more happy to see and hear that other runners also enjoyed participating in this new event and sport we had created.”

The Double Road Race Federation (DRRF), which Bob Anderson organized and chairs, has set up rules, regulations and standards for the Double. The federation will produce and direct Double Road Races™ around the world following the same guidelines used in Pleasanton. Each will be directed by a runner in that particular location working with the federation as an independent contractor. This will ensure that all Doubles will be run following the same guidelines.  A special Double Race Director program has been established and the federation has begun looking for race directors who meet the criteria of being runners first, not race directors first, and will put runners first, not profits first, in how each Double is staged.

The first three race directors who have signed with the DRRF are the fine young marathoner Tyler McCandless of Boulder, Colo., who will be the race director of the Double Road Race™ in Denver (Tyler was third overall in the Pleasanton Double), Bruce Gilbert who run his first Boston Marathon in 1969, in Overland Park, Kan., who will direct the Double in that city, and his brother Steve Gilbert in Indianapolis, Ind., who is looking for a race site and subsequently a race date in that city.

Bob Anderson, who was raised in Overland Park, Kan., where the first of these Doubles will be staged, says, “All three of these men (Tyler, Bruce and Steve) are runners on different levels, but one thing they each have in common is that they are committed to directing a quality Double in their area.”

Bob Anderson’s ultimate vision with all of this? “That Double Road Racing will become a bonafide sport around the world, and based on what we’re doing now in our promotional efforts, that it will be part of the Olympics within 20 years.”

A hallmark of this new sport is that competitors will not only pay an entry fee to participate, they will receive cash prizes if they do well. In other words, Double Road Racing is a professional sport. More than $40,000 in prize money will be awarded runners in the 10 Doubles planned for 2013. Of that total prize money, $14,000 will be awarded to men and women age-group winners 40 or older. This includes $1750 for women 70 plus. This percentage of prize money going to master runners is unheard of in road racing competition.

In keeping with Bob Anderson’s sensibilities – he’s for the runner first and last — the Double Road Race Federation wants to give back to runners in many ways.  Each Double will be directed by a runner who will be paid a fee and commissions.  The DRRF will provide the backing, knowhow and support to pull off a quality event.

Bob Anderson says, “We will be expanding to 60 Doubles in 2014 and will be awarding $300,000 in prize money,  $132,000 of it to men and women age-group winners.  We are planning on paying out more than $285,000 to our runner/race directors as well.

“By 2015, we are planning on having 150 Doubles around the world and awarding $900,000 in prize money,  $450,000 of it to our age-group winners.  That’s $56,250 to our men 70 plus winners.  One million dollars will be paid to our runner/race directors.

“Unique to our Doubles is that our grand champion (man or woman) at each event will be the runner with the best age-graded score.  This person will be awarded the same amount as the overall men and women winners.

“The federation will also pay out bonuses for world and age-group records.  A leader board will be kept and additional bonuses will be paid to those runners at the top.

“It is important that we do everything possible to encourage people to keep running their whole lives.  This is why we are going to be awarding 50 percent of our prize money to runners 40 plus.”

What does this all benefit?  Runners of all ages. Part of the program at each Double will be the Bob Anderson’s Kids’ Cup Mile. This race will be for youngsters 10 and under.  Bob Anderson believes it is important that we encourage our children to take up running, too.

On this same note, a Road Mile run/walk for runners of all ages will be part of the program at each Double, and a portion of each entry fee will be donated  non-profit youth running programs.  Additional runners can donate additionally to help support Youth Running.  “We are running for the kids,” says Bob.  Half to a national program like Just Run and 50 percent to local non-profit youth running groups.

“It is so exciting to know that these races are supporting our youth towards a healthier lifestyle,” says Catherine Cross, Double Road Race Federation board member.

Michael Dove, creator of Just Run, says, “We are glad to be working with Bob Anderson and the new sport of Double Road Racing.  Our Just Run program is making a difference, and with this added support we will be able to do a lot more.”