To keep things exciting for participants, and to give many different races an opportunity to take part, the Rhode Island Grand Prix schedule will vary from year to year. It will have a main cast of races which are included if not every year, then every 2-3 years, but will also occasionally offer new races. Yearly schedules will be thoughtfully curated to include 6 – 8 races which have variety in terms of both race distance and geographic location, but which are also appropriately spaced out (ideally every 3 – 6 weeks from March through November). If there is a race you would like to see included in an upcoming installment of the series, please let us know at info@rigrandprix.com!
There are currently not enough teams competing in the Rhode Island Grand Prix to justify having multiple team categories. If the number of teams increases significantly, or if the average size of teams increases significantly (such that many could split into two or more separate teams, which is allowed), we will consider adding in sex and/or age-based team categories.
A portion of your registration fee helps pay operational costs (website hosting fees, Google workspace, etc.), but the majority goes directly towards prize money for individual and team award winners. For those who might be thinking, ‘why should I help fund an award that I am unlikely to win?’, that is a very fair question. It is our hope that taking part in the series provides enough enjoyment and entertainment value that it justifies the registration fee for all participants, regardless of their ultimate finishing place. If you take part in the series, but genuinely do not feel you were provided such value, please reach out to us at info@rigrandprix.com so we can learn what improvements to make to enhance your future experience.
Also, please know that the Rhode Island Grand Prix is truly not a for-profit venture, and that we are currently working to establish it as an official, IRS-recognized non-profit organization.
Some people run races just for the medal (and the medal Monday Instagram pics), but others don’t care much about them (and often throw them away). Therefore, to ensure everyone gets exactly what they want, we’ve made medals an optional add-on item.