The Business of
Running Events

Jeff will use his inspiring style and compelling story to teach your audience how to communicate with more purpose, power and impact. Learn how to inspire the science behind trust to tap into ways to be an influential communicator in any setting, be it personal or professional. Jeff is one of today’s leading experts in the art and science of effective communication.

https://jeffbloomfield.com/

Nikkia Reveillac is an innovator, speaker, and visionary with an incredible portfolio that includes Director of Insights for Colgate Palmolive, Head of Research for Twitter, and Director for Consumer Insights for Netflix.

She is the founder and host of the podcast “Culturally Unfit” which explores cultural expectations of how you should look, feel or behave when navigating your career journey and in March 2021, she helped to launch an initiative (IG: @WhoSheFeelSheIs) that is focused on helping women across the Caribbean diaspora traverse their unique leadership paths.

Nikkia attributes her success as a leader to her love for building collaborative relationships with her business partners and her hunger to deeply understand what drives the diverse individuals on her team. She shows up authentically as a challenger of the status quo with a global POV, thanks to her early career in dance, her Caribbean upbringing, her experience working in four countries and leading teams across four Continents.

She is an incredible powerhouse who can still be found dancing, with her husband and two daughters.

Jono Bacon is a leading community and collaboration strategy consultant, author, and speaker. He previously led community at Canonical, GitHub, and XPRIZE, and works with a broad range of clients from large enterprises to early-stage startups to help them build engaging, productive communities. He is the author of six books, including the award-winning ‘People Powered: How communities can supercharge your business, brand, and teams‘, is a columnist at Forbes, and published in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and elsewhere. He is an active speaker, having keynoted 80+ conferences around the world, and an active investor and advisor in companies including Coda, AlienVault, Mautic, and others.

https://www.jonobacon.com/about/bio/

After spending six years working with Race Directors at an agency level, David joined Race Roster in April of 2022. He oversees the company’s marketing efforts and also focuses his time on the development of new strategies and initiatives that assist in driving growth for events.

Xi Yan is a digital marketing specialist, brand expert and business strategist with more than a decade of experience working alongside clients across various industries, including ASICS, Running USA, and Stanley Black & Decker.

As CEO at RedRhino, an integrated marketing and branding agency located in London, Ontario, Canada, Xi utilizes his strong business, research, and analytical expertise to drive impactful and measurable outcomes for every client.

By combining in-depth digital marketing knowledge and innovative business acumen, Xi harnesses a results-driven marketing approach that allows him to craft strategies that directly affect corporate goals and performance

Kimberley Sherwood is a seasoned nonprofit coach, consultant, and facilitator with a passion for good governance. She thrives in the "messy gray" of nonprofit board work, guiding organizations through complex challenges to achieve clarity and success. A trusted advisor in the community, she empowers boards and executives to lead with vision and accountability. Kimberley and her husband, who's also her business partner, have called the Pikes Peak Region home for more than three decades, raised their beloved family here, and she serves on several local and regional advisory boards. She's excited to share her knowledge and experience with us!

Bryan Derbyshire is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of Protecht, a leading technology company specializing in reinventing refunds for today’s economy. With a keen understanding of the intersection between technology and risk mitigation, Bryan has spearheaded Protecht’s growth from inception to becoming a trusted partner for organizations worldwide. Under his leadership, Protecht has developed cutting-edge platforms that empower businesses to proactively identify and manage risks, driving operational efficiency and ensuring resilience in today’s dynamic business environment. Bryan’s innovative approach and strategic leadership have positioned Protecht as a frontrunner in the industry, revolutionizing how businesses navigate and mitigate risks in an ever-evolving landscape.

J.T. Service, an accomplished entrepreneur and visionary in the sports industry, currently leads as CEO of Soul Focus Sports and serves as the Managing Partner of Run Local Ventures. With a keen eye for innovation and a deep understanding of the sports marketing landscape, J.T. has spearheaded numerous successful partnerships and campaigns, collaborating with leading brands including Hoka, Under Armour, ASICS, GoPro, and Red Bull. 

Under J.T.’s leadership, Soul Focus Sports has recently expanded its portfolio to include collaborations with prominent professional sports franchises such as Bay FC and the San Francisco Giants, significantly enhancing their fan experiences and implementing groundbreaking grassroots marketing strategies. 

In addition to his achievements with Soul Focus Sports, J.T. has also been instrumental in driving growth and securing strategic investments for Run Local Ventures. The recent investment from Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and the San Francisco Giants mark a significant milestone to level up the running industry.

Sara Grauf oversees experience development for the San Francisco Giants organization, leading a team to deliver an industry leading end-to-end guest experience. Sara thrives at the intersection of business development and strategic implementation, navigating complex operational challenges while pursuing innovative, experience-driven revenue opportunities. She led operations for the organization’s three World Series celebrations and was responsible for the commercial strategy and delivery of the first-ever ticketed spectator program for the America’s Cup, Rugby Sevens World Cup, and the Giant Race, the flagship health and wellness initiative for the club. In addition to events-related business development, Grauf oversees the club’s food & beverage program, transportation, spring training operations and public realm programming for the Mission Rock development, San Francisco’s newest waterfront neighborhood. 

Driven by a passion for people management and organizational development, Sara has a distinct understanding of the impact of leadership dynamics on business results. Her leadership style is rooted in transparency and dedicated to creating dynamic leadership opportunities for developing staff. 

As a Bay Area native and lifelong athlete herself, Sara is deeply embedded in the Bay Area sports  community. She is a founding investor in Bay FC (the Bay Area’s NWSL franchise) and is actively consulting with the Bay Area Host Committee on experience strategy for the 2025 NBA All Star Game, the 2026 Super Bowl, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Laurent Leloup discovered a passion for trail running early in life, and has since worked to become an expert in the discipline. In 2019, he started Trail Running Consulting (TRUC), while continuing his work as a Business Insights Manager, until five years later when he was finally able to turn his complete focus on running and developing the sport As a runner, race director, Project Manager of Trail at the Swedish Athletics Federation and member of the KUL ultra running committee, he continues to develop trail running at both national and international levels to increase accessibility, elevate the quality of the events, and drive innovation within the space.

Laurent will be sharing outcomes from his research, and highlighting the most relevant insights from a business perspective of the trail running sport, and its evolution.

Chris Heuisler is the Senior Brand Manager and Global Run Concierge for Westin Hotels and Resorts. Chris recently lead Westin’s new partnership with Strava, but spends the majority of his time working on the brand’s internal strategy for wellbeing. Prior to joining Westin, Chris was a Tier 4 Trainer for Equinox with a focus on running and cardiovascular strength. Chris lives in Belmont, MA with his wife, Rachel, and two children, Shane (14) and Kiki (11.)

In the business of mass participation sports since 2008, Alessio is Head of Running at World Athletics, the World Governing Body for the #1 Olympic sport. He supervises all programmes and processes that relate to out-of-stadium running – from competition management and calendars to course measurement and certification, from campaigns to running e-sports, from masters to trail running – and in general for all relationships with the running industry. Also, he’s responsible for the mass participation piece of various World Athletics Championships. Alessio has previously held positions in marketing, competitions and development at European Athletics, UCI, the Rome Marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Liverpool Marathon and the European Cyclists’ Federation. Bachelor in Media Studies, MSc in Sport Management & Communication, Postgrad in Sports Administration and Technology at Lausanne's IOC-founded AISTS Academy.

Sara has over 20 years experience in sports sponsorship sales and marketing. She has forged partnerships between many world class brands and some of the most iconic properties in both the US and Globally including the New England Patriots and Spartan Race.

Based in Boston, Sara is currently responsible for prospecting, partnership design, and sales of F1 sponsorships for various teams across the grid.

Michelle started her career in sports communications working across magazines and web, before shifting her focus to social media and strategic communications. She has been working with World Athletics in different capacities for 10 years and boasts over 15 years of experience in international sports coverage and media. With a keen eye for engaging stakeholders, she builds bridges and creates dialogue with elite athletes, their representatives, Member Federations, and events, and supports them with communication training and media skills.

Through her extensive knowledge and expertise, Michelle shares her enthusiasm for the sport as a race announcer and commentator in global events ranging from major marathons to European Championships. A keen supporter of gender equity, she has paved the way for more women to gain experience and opportunities behind the mic.

Kirsten-Ellen Fleming is an adventure-loving mountain gal who splits her time between Calgary, Canada and the Alberta Rocky Mountains. In 2012 she left a career in broadcast journalism and became the first ever employee of the longest running marathon in Canada, The Calgary Marathon.   

As Executive Director of Run Calgary, she has grown the team to a staff of 8 and taken the organization from one marquee event to 9 signature events servicing 25,000 (mostly!) happy finishers each year.

A 2018 'Top 40 under 40' winner for her work building community through running, Kirsten co-founded the Canadian Endurance Sports Alliance (CESA), sits on the Global Mass Participation World Board and is a longtime contributor to Fast and Female, an international charity that helps keep girls in sport.

   
Her main interests beyond race operations and running are: any kind of adventure in the mountains, yoga, drinking rosé while talking about running and race operations, and spending time with her husband Matt, dog Josie and 18 month old son Jones. 

She'd love to hear from you on LinkedIn!

Brett Clothier is the Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the independent body that manages all integrity related issues for the sport of athletics globally. The AIU became operational in 2017 following changes to the World Athletics Constitution. These changes enshrined the operational independence of the AIU from the rest of World Athletics and put in place an independent Board to oversee its functions. Mr Clothier has worked in sport integrity for 20 years. Prior to becoming the inaugural Head of the AIU, Mr Clothier worked in Australia as Head of Competition Integrity for the Australian Football League (AFL) and Legal Counsel to the Integrity Services Department of Racing Victoria.

Cade is the Founder and CEO of Neurun, an innovative AI platform in stealth mode that is partnering with brands to personalize outdoor route experiences for activities such as running, cycling, skiing, and off-roading. An avid runner with a background in Neuroscience from Duke University and a passion for endurance sports, Cade is deeply committed to merging AI innovations with the evolving world of outdoor experiences, enhancing the joy and accessibility of outdoor activities for everyone.

Mark Neville grew up in Ventura, California, and moved to San Diego to attend UC San Diego. After graduating in 1991, he began an internship with the Holiday Bowl and has committed his entire career to the nonprofit organization, now serving as its CEO.  Mark's love for sports has been the driving force behind his dedication to evolving the local nonprofit into Sports San Diego. Under Mark’s leadership, Sports San Diego has expanded its reach by creating new sports tourism opportunities, enriching the organization’s mission to generate tourism, visibility, and economic impact for the San Diego region. At the same time, he has taken steps to ensure the Holiday Bowl continues to benefit the San Diego community for years to come.

Upon assuming the role of Executive Director of the Holiday Bowl in 2015, Mark wasted no time in securing the future of the college football post-season matchup. He worked alongside civic partners to establish Petco Park as the new home of the SDCCU Holiday Bowl, negotiated the association’s largest media rights contract to date, and solidified conference contracts with the Pac-12 and ACC extending through the 2025 college football season. He also currently serves on the executive committee of Bowl Season – the collective coalition of 44 bowl games that promotes the great traditions of college football’s postseason. 

In addition to his successes with the bowl game, Mark led the effort to secure the sold-out Navy v. Notre Dame football game at SDCCU Stadium in 2018, yielding $26.5 million in regional economic benefit. This inspired Mark into a years-long endeavor to establish the Holiday Bowl organization as the sports commission for the San Diego region to recruit, support and host tourism-driving sports events. With the support of a tremendous community-first team, Sports San Diego was launched in February 2022. Today, Sports San Diego serves as the region’s sports commission and produces three major sports events. In the summer of 2023, Sports San Diego assumed management of the California State Games, followed by the launch of the Rady Children’s Invitational, a two-day men’s basketball tournament, in November 2023.

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to get to work with Mark Neville.” Said Jackie Reed, 2024 Sports San Diego President. “Not only is he an extremely dedicated and capable CEO, but he is also a magnificent person. He has that special combination of business savvy and emotional intelligence that is often a mark of the most successful leaders. Mark truly leans into being a servant leader and cares deeply for his community and the whole Sports San Diego family.” 

As in his career, Mark prioritizes relationships, service, and sports in his personal life. He served as the public address voice of the University of San Diego men’s basketball for 30 years and has announced hundreds of other events through the years, including three NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments and the spectacular Michigan State vs. North Carolina basketball game that was held aboard USS Carl Vinson in 2011.  

He is a proud bone marrow (2006) and kidney donor (2019). Since 1998, he's shared his life with his wife Gayle and together they've raised two daughters, Sadie (23 yrs.) and Stella (20 yrs.), and a son, Milo (18 yrs.); they live in La Mesa. A quintessential San Diegan, Mark enjoys to surf, hike, and play golf.  Above all else, he treasures his family and close friends.  

Tracy is best known as one of the founders of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series in
1998, which grew to involve 29 events in 15 states, Washington DC, and 6 other
countries, in which over 500,000 people ran each year before he left the
organization in 2016. He has over 5 decades of involvement in virtually every
facet of the sports of track and field, long distance running, and race walking. His
experience includes college coaching at Georgetown, Colorado and USC and he
was the founder of the National High School Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field
Championships in addition to Rock ‘n’ Roll.

In 1973, Tracy organized one of the first suits to establish women’s college athletic
scholarships. In 1974, he was the original leader of the effort to introduce and
involve chiropractic in track & field and with the USOPC and the various U.S.
national sports governing bodies. And then later in 1980, he initiated the first test
case which lead to open running as we know it today with prize money and above-
the-table appearance money.

He was (and still is) the youngest track coach in Olympic history (at age 20 in
1972) and was the Head Manager of the United States Men’s Track & Field Team
for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
And now he is the CEO of the World Athletics Road Running Championships –
San Diego 25 … and everyone is invited to come run either the Road Mile, 5K or
Half Marathon!

Jen has worked in sport and events for over a decade, producing athletic and consumer events from local markets to international road races and triathlons. Through her role with Canada Running Series, she has worked to implement sustainable sport initiatives into the national road race company’s event operations. Her extensive work with sport organizations and events like the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Ironman, the lululemon 10Ks and SeaWheeze Half Marathon, Lewiston Ultra Events, and The Council for Responsible Sport have led to a vast network from which to draw learnings and knowledge from. Jen finds inspiration through new initiatives and further developing her industry skills through sustainability and accessible sport programs. 

Jen holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics as well as a post-graduate Certificate in Environmental Conservation, and has completed sustainability course work through BCIT in Vancouver and Yale University. She is currently completing the final stages of a Masters program in environmental practice with a focus on sustainable sport.