Ian Campbell

Uniting communities with 5K races.

[Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 @pmarca]

As one thing (digital content) becomes cheap and plentiful, another thing (in-person experiences) becomes expensive and rare.

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

@diplo This is funny 😂

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

@Codie_Sanchez Cash is king -> Attention is king

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

Most days I’m behind a screen — Zoom calls, spreadsheets, emails, PowerPoints. It can start to feel like I’m just clicking buttons.

Then I go to a race.

I see a kid finishing her first 5K. A family in matching shirts honoring a loved one. Friends posing under the finish line arch.

Organizing a 5K can feel thankless. Most runners have no idea what happens behind the scenes to make race day a reality.

But races bring communities together. They get people off the couch. They keep the memory of loved ones alive.

The admin work isn’t always fun — but the purpose behind it makes it worth doing.

[Ray Dalio @RayDalio]

https://t.co/tjmbT5ytUN

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

Good speech

[Department of State @StateDept]

WATCH: Secretary Rubio Delivers Remarks to the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany. https://t.co/MSnxmlRf2w

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

@brian_armstrong Sounds like a less risky model to me

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

“The more people that take chances to do great things, the better the world becomes for all of us.” Beautifully said.

[a16z @a16z]

https://t.co/1Hdgrkd7WL

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

https://t.co/xJ0gY9r0Jn

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

AI is changing our world. I recently broke down what it means for @Runtheday and the races we work with.

The 4 key points:
1) Economic inequality is accelerating. It's uncomfortable to say, but it’s reality.
2) We need events that unite us.
3) The way that races are planned will change. AI won’t replace race directors, but it will remove tedious tasks.
4) Registration will get easier. Imagine registering by talking to AI instead of filling forms.

[Run The Day @Runtheday]

Thank you Aimee! We are proud to support you and the race to reimagine cancer care.

#runtheday

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

@Runtheday https://t.co/Jy6TecHUIC

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

When I joined @Runtheday I was bad at marketing.

Now, I've gotten a bit better at promotion. But it's mostly our customers that do the talking — which is fine by me.

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

More than 20 years since Tim volunteered at his daughter’s school and @Runtheday was born

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

https://t.co/qcHgUEyxnx

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

When I worked in investment banking, I once did 87 iterations of a single pitch deck.

It was painful — but it taught me that:

Iteration is what things good.

Steve Martin learned it by telling jokes. I learned it through PowerPoint.

[a16z @a16z]

Ben Horowitz says a famous Hollywood friend told him half the movie they’re making is AI.

It’s collapsing the cost of filmmaking, and when creation gets cheap enough, entirely new mediums could emerge.

Source: @bhorowitz at Columbia Business School

[Run The Day @Runtheday]

Complicated check-in systems don’t belong at 5K races.

Type name → hand bib → say “have a great race!”

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

A brief history of races
https://t.co/6bi6s3wIsD

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

Races have come a long way over the last 100+ years. Here is a summarized timeline:

1896–1897: The first modern Olympics, first Turkey Trot, first Boston Marathon

1972: Frank Shorter wins Olympic gold + Title IX = U.S. running boom

1998–2001: Internet + 9/11 + new fun runs like Rock ‘n’ Roll fuel growth—especially among women!

2004–2012: Social media, smartphones, and software make racing more accessible

2020: COVID nearly wipes race out

2025: Race participation reaches record levels. Shoutout London Marathon for setting new world records!

[Ian Campbell @therunnerian]

@migueljmonares Thank you for sharing