Jon Lugbill, a world-class canoe racer and currently executive director of the Richmond Sports Backers, spoke to our club on Sept. 20 about the transformation of the Sports Backers as a group and what the organization does to promote sports in the area. Lugbill said the turning point for the Sports Backers was when they took over the SunTrust Richmond Marathon in 1998 because they became a group that organized and planned events as opposed to bidding on events, which they had done since 1991. That turning point came because it was becoming harder to get events and with the success of planning the marathon, he said.
They then began to create popular metro area events such as the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K and now have had a goal to create an additional event each year to take advantage of Richmond's unique features, citing the James River and that Richmond was a city ranked in the top-10 for volleyball and triathlon, top-5 for running and top-3 for tennis. New events have included the Dominion RiverRock, the Henricus Dauber Dash and dragon boat races. Participation in Sports Backers events grows on an annual basis (15-25% per year since 2003) and they currently own 13 events, he said.
Lugbill also noted the Kiwanis club's contributions to the SunTrust Richmond Marathon, as the club has volunteered at every marathon since it started in 1978.
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