Meet the Race Director: Brian Stenzel

Think producing one race is challenging? Try putting on ten Turkey Trots that take place all at the same time. That’s an annual challenge for the Festival Foods Turkey Trot team in Wisconsin, which hosts races in multiple communities. Let’s meet Brian Stenzel, Executive Race Director for the events, which had over 28,000 participants statewide in 2021.

Years in the industry: 14

What got you into the running industry? Being a runner and being involved with event planning for most of my career, it only made sense to get involved in the planning and execution of running events.

Why do you love your job? When you put together run/walk events, it is rewarding to see all the hard work come together and to see people cross that finish line with a sense of accomplishment, whether it be a long-term goal of theirs or just a goal of enjoying the day.

Any insight into what makes Turkey Trots one of America's favorite types of running event? We have three goals for our events and I think these resonate with the general public as a whole. Our goals are to create healthy lifestyles, become a family tradition and to raise money for our charities (Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs in each community).

What’s your favorite part of event production? The teamwork. It takes a multitude of people with various skillsets to execute events. When everyone comes to the table and fully leans in for a common goal, that is a great feeling.

And conversely, what you dread the most about “day of” the event? Early mornings.

Your go-to fuel up snack or meal on race day? Pretty much whatever is available. Pizza is kind of a race event staple and that seems to do the trick.

The 3 most essential items in your event kit? Zip ties, safety vest, snips

If you weren’t doing this work, what would you be doing instead? Concert promoter.

What was your top takeaway from the Festival Foods Turkey Trot in 2021? With 10 Turkey Trots happening simultaneously, having a year off was logistically challenging but we relied heavily on our organizational tools rather than our memories to put on a very successful event.

What’s the next race you hope to run yourself? The Chicago Triathlon. //