Help Me Hold My Feet to the Fire

05.25.2018 | 4:19 pm

UPDATE (Tuesday, 5/29): Over the long weekend, I thought more about this giveaway. I still like the idea, but it has problems. Specifically, I have a long history (and fair amount of success) with giveaways and contests that happen via a blog, which allow you to quickly and instantly take action (i.e., participate in the contest) if you want to. That’s not the case with a podcast-based contest. I think of my own podcast usage and I rarely (if ever!) am near a computer when I listen to a podcast. I’m driving, or exercising, or doing the dishes. I’m in no position to take action at that moment.

So.

I need to figure out how to make a podcast / blog integrated contest / game that doesn’t require my readers / listeners to behave in a way that I myself never behave. I’ll probably talk this over with my 22yo son, who has a great mind for gamification.

This isn’t over. I just need to figure out how to make it work for you, for me, and for my podcast sponsors. Stay tuned!

Those of you who’ve known me for a while know that I like contests. I like designing contests so they accomplish something good — sometimes raising money for a cause, sometimes to learn something, sometimes to help me keep some kind of commitment…like getting myself to race weight.

When I design a good contest, it’s easy to participate, fun, doesn’t hurt anyone (except possibly me), and is interesting. And of course, it brings attention to things I want attention drawn to.

I think I’ve got a good contest figured out. I hope you’ll participate. It won’t cost you anything to play, and there’s a pretty decent chance you’ll win something.

Wow, that was an unnecessarily large amount of preamble. You totally could have skipped it. I’m sorry you didn’t. You could have skipped everything in this paragraph also.

And this one, too. But not the next one.

The Idea

In each of the upcoming episodes of my new podcast (beginning with S1E2 coming out this  Tuesday), I’m going to announce both my current weight (as of the morning we record) and my target weight for the next time we record.

I will at that time also give a URL for where you can go to enter the contest (that link will also be in the show notes for that episode at leadville100podcast.com).

All you have to do to enter the contest will be go to that site — it will be a simple little Google Form-ish survey — and enter your first name, your email address, your t-shirt size and shipping address (in case you win!) and the weight I announce I have (because one of my objectives for this contest is to build an audience for this podcast, so if you don’t listen, you won’t know the number and won’t win).

I will choose two winners each week: the first person to enter the correct number in the form, and a random person to enter the correct number in the form.

Both the first person and the random person will get a podcast t-shirt. The shirt design I’m showing here isn’t final, but it ain’t far off.

The random person (not the first person) will also win a $50 gift certificate to The Feed, which has been gracious enough to be one of the sponsors for this show.

Easy, right? Damn right it’s easy.

The Catch
Well of course there’s a catch. But the catch isn’t for you, it’s for me. Because if I don’t hit the weight target I set the previous week, there are FIVE MORE prizes. Specifically, I will draw at random five more t-shirts and send them out. And I have to pay for those shirts. Including shipping.

How Will You Know You Won?
I’ll send you an email telling you you’ve won. And also, you’ll get free stuff.

Let me know what you think of this contest idea. I especially am interested in ideas on how I could make it better and easier for you and more complicated and more work for me.

Help Me Hold On To My Moment of Glory
Here’s an interesting fact: thanks to you and your subscribetasticness to the Leadville Podcast (on Apple Podcasts and everywhere else), my new show is currently in the Outdoor Podcasts Top 10 list (#9 as I write this on Friday afternoon) and has been for more than 24 hours, meaning it’s not a momentary fluke.

Why don’t you help me hold on to this moment of glory — and get yourself set for entering this weekly giveaway — by subscribing to my Leadville Podcast on Apple Podcasts right now — and then listening to all of the “Season 0″ stories I’ve posted during the weekend.

What are these “Season 0″ stories? Well, I’m so very glad you asked. They’re me, reading my best Leadville race reports, aloud. Including:

• S0E1: My First Leadville 100
• S0E2: My Second Leadville 100, with race reports from Dug and Bob, too.
• S0E3: The First Time I Raced Singlespeed
• S0E4: The First Time I Finished Under 9 Hours
• S0E5: My Fastest Leadville AKA My Rebecca Rusch Grudge Match

The Hammer told me last night that she just listened to my story of the first time I finished under 9 hours and it made her cry, which maybe is the nicest thing she’s ever said to me. So here it is for you to play / download / subscribe in whatever way suits you.

PS: Have a great weekend. I’ll be back Tuesday, with the next weekly show…and I wouldn’t be surprised if I have the beginning of a long training ride report.

PS: My current weight is 169.5, for crying out loud.