Log In

About Us

Sportstats USA Acquires I Run Utah

On March 27, 2019   /   About Us, Timing Company  

Sportstats acquires I Run Utah to become dominant timing company in American West

Sportstats, North America’s largest timing company, has expanded once again with the new acquisition of I Run Utah. This will bring Sportstats’ event portfolio to more than 1,100 events in 28 countries around the world.

The acquisition was completed on June 1st, 2018, by Marc Roy, CEO of Sportstats and Greg Murphy, president of https://irunutah.com/.

Sportstats USA already has a large presence in Utah, owing to the acquisition of Milliseconds Timing in 2013.  With the new acquisition, Sportstats USA will now have over 200 events in Utah in 2018.

“Adding I Run Utah to our portfolio will enable us to continue our growth in Utah and bring two  experienced teams together,” says Roy, reached on the phone from the Big Island of Hawaii at the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii weekend, which Sportstats times. “We are welcoming Greg and his team to the Sportstats world.”

Greg Murphy, an avid runner who qualified for the Boston Marathon, started I Run Utah, Inc. in 2013 after serving in the US Army for 27 years.  “I developed a passion for running while serving in the Army that I wanted to continue after retiring from active duty,” Murphy says. “I knew that instead of working behind a desk, I wanted to be outside with other fitness-oriented people organizing and creating events that, for many people, can be life changing.”

Murphy and Roy share a likeminded approach to their businesses: putting the customer first to create a memorable, reliable, unique experience. “I knew that we had created something special listening to the announcer praise our live, complete, and accurate results while timing the first mountain bike race we had ever timed,” Murphy says. “Like everyone at Sportstats, we are determined at every race, no matter how big or small, to get things right so that the participants have the best possible experience.”

While growing their respective businesses to be among the best in sport, I Run Utah and Sportstats shared a mutual respect for their race timing proficiency. Combined, these two proud companies offer the best possible service to events across the Western United States.

About Sportstats

The largest sports timing company in the world, the Ottawa-based global sports brand is run by Marc Roy and Isabelle Fradette and times more than 1,100 races each year across 28 countries. The exclusive timer of most Ironman events and the Rock ’n’ Roll race series, plus the CanadaRunningSeries, to name a few, Sportstats is a privately-held enterprise started in 1991, and recently announced a global partnership with coffee conglomerate Tim Hortons.

About I Run Utah

I Run Utah specializes in timing and managing events that range from traditional running, mountain biking, and triathlons to Motocross, SUP racing and overnight relays. They are among the most prestigious race timing companies in the Western United States.

Back to Top

How often do you run each week?

On March 10, 2015   /   About Us, Running, Weekly Runs   /   Leave a comment

What is a healthy number of runs to do per week? Where do I start when I want to become more consistent with running? The beginning to gaining a consistent weekly run schedule is creating a plan. A plan allows you to build running into your daily schedule. Many people use the excuse of a lack of time in the day for a 30 minute run, but is that a good enough excuse?  Here at I Run Utah we say NO! There is a way to fit weekly running into your life. Add your comment below to share with us and other runners how you are able to accomplish a weekly run schedule.

Here is howrexlee I accomplish my goal of weekly running. I am currently a student finishing up college and have set a schedule which allows me to accomplish a goal of running at least 3 times per week for up to 1 hour. I may only run for 30 minutes but if I feel really good, I will run for the entire hour. Tuesdays and Thursdays are long days for me, so I need time to release at the end of the day. I return home at approximately 4 p.m. after a day full of nonstop classes and change into my running gear. While running, it allows me to organize my thoughts and also take any worries away from school after a long day. I am able to free my mind and enjoy myself by doing something I love. In addition to these two days, I start my Saturdays with a run to have an energized mind for the busy day of chores and errands. If I have time on the other days of the week then I will go for a run because it doesn’t hurt to get in another work out.

Whatever your excuse has been for not running regularly, throw it out the window! Make a plan for running weekly and stick to it, even if you are only running a mile or two each time you run. We invite you to take a picture when you go out for a run whether it be of yourself, the scenery, or something you find unique. Post your picture on Instagram and tag us @irunutah to share with us your journey and gain motivation from your friends. We will be posting pictures of a few of our runs on instagram as well so make sure to follow us. Don’t forget to comment below with your Reason 2 Run and what helps you stick to a weekly running schedule because we want to know.

Devin@irunutah.com

Back to Top

Is your Race Timing Company an Asset or a Liability?

On February 5, 2015   /   About Us, Event Management, Running, Timing Company   /   Leave a comment

Do you want a “timing” company that is an asset or a liability for your event?  While the answer should be obvious the question is relevant.  I often hear the horror stories about timing companies from Race Directors.  Here are a few examples:

  • A timing company dropped an event at the last minute leaving the race director scrambling. (The race director then contact I Run Utah four days before this race and we successfully timed it)
  • A timing company canceled their booking with a small event to take a more lucrative contract. (We can time several events in a single day and have never canceled a contracted event)
  • A timing company showed up and then failed to provide a single time to a race director at an event with nearly 2,000 participants. (This race director will now happily provide a reference for our services)
  • A timing company provided terrible customer service resulting in seriously negative social media comments about the race.

At I Run Utah, we love the running community and we want to prevent bad experiences for participants and event organizers.  I want to provide you with a few things to look for so that you can tell the difference before you get locked in with a vendor that is only a liability.

  1. Your timing company demands a check for full payment before your event happens.
  2. Your timing company offers to provide timing services for the lowest cost possible.
  3. They fail to return your phone calls or answer your emails.
  4. They show up late or unprepared for your event.
  5. They blame others when any mistakes happen and try to hide themselves away from participants.
  6. They are willing to take shortcuts in safety-this often goes along with providing the lowest cost possible service.

When I decided to create an event management and race timing company, I vowed that we would be different.  I want race directors to view I Run Utah as an asset to their race and here’s what we do to make sure that happens:

  1. We communicate regularly with race directors and use our experience as a participant, organizer, and vendor at hundreds of events to provide timely advice regarding race operations.
  2. We promote your event to our network of potential participants. (Last year we brought 185 paid participants to one “small” event)
  3. We participate in your packet pickups and will even help you sell your merchandise (I personally sold over $1,500 worth of merchandise for one client last year and provided training for members of their staff that dramatically increased their merchandise sales)
  4. We arrive early, provide a professional setup, and will help your team get prepared so that the race can start on time. (We take safety very seriously)
  5. We offer a full range of services (online registration, marketing, logistics, T-Shirts, medals, sponsorship, or even complete event management) that can save tremendous amounts of your time and money.
  6. We provide outstanding customer service to your participants and we will take responsibility for our mistakes when they happen.

When looking for partners for your events, don’t settle for a liability.  Send an email to greg@irunutah.com or give me a call at 801-656-5897 to find out how we can help you make your next event more successful!

Back to Top

How did I Run Utah become an Event Management Company?

On January 8, 2015   /   About Us, Running   /   Leave a comment

Once upon a time a not so long time ago an Army Soldier thought about retiring and doing something different. This Soldier just happened to be a logistics officer whose primary function had usually been to sit at a desk hidden behind a computer. Now don’t let this destroy your image of the Army but some people especially in the military get the illustrious task of pushing paper. Well, pushing keyboard buttons, performing the all-important functions of cut, paste, and print all while still sitting behind a desk. Some of you may have experienced the unending and incredible joy of being permanently seated behind a desk, but this one particular Army officer didn’t want to retire just to sit behind another desk in another office.

For more than a few brief moments, this Soldier fantasized about becoming a homeless veteran. No, no, no not the one holding a cardboard sign on a street corner. The one that decides to take a cue from Crocodile Dundee and go on a walkabout. No mortgage, no lawn to mow, no bills to pay, or any of that stress. After years of repeatedly facing the enormous importance and pressure of meeting the next suspense (that means deadline for you civilians) the thought of being carefree on a little walkabout across the entire Appalachian Trail sounded pretty enticing. Then, at some point reality had to set in-oh, I mean children. Sometimes being a Dad means you have to forego crazy ideas like becoming a homeless veteran.

Since the sitting in another office and becoming a homeless veteran ideas didn’t seem to work, I (yes-I’m that Soldier) had to come up with something different. Although I didn’t have any real experience at becoming an entrepreneur, I had always wanted to own my own business. Did I mention that I love running? Don’t forget that I have children. I also enjoy helping make my community a better place. Mesh all those things together and I started to envision what my life would really be like after leaving the Army. I decided to start my own running (Event Management) business, make my children work for me, and provide a valuable service to great organizations in my community.

After brainstorming with my wonderful wife, we settled upon the brilliant name I Run Utah. I spent a year planning, running, sitting behind my Army desk, and trying to figure out how to start a business. I decided to do it the Army way. Jump right in and figure it out while moving forward as fast as humanly possible. Never retreat and never surrender. I started attending conferences with other race timers, volunteering my services for some non-profit charities, and networking until I landed my first major client in Idaho who wanted me to time five of his largest races including three triathlons. With the name I Run Utah, we worked with events in five states our first year. Let me also mention that Personal Best Performance in Idaho Falls, Idaho was my largest client! By our third year we expect to work events in 12-15 states.

So if you have the crazy notion that you want to put on a race, send us an email or give us a call. We will probably tell you that you are crazy and then we will help you figure out how to put on an awesome event that raises boatloads of money for your cause-even if your cause is to make a profit. Cause we’re like that. We think this is America and businesses ought to make money, create jobs, and all that good stuff. If you are more of the non-profit type who wants to change the world, adopt a child, or change the world by adopting a child then we will help you make that happen, too. Just plan to bring lots of friends, stop by an event, say hello, get to know us, and tell my kids to get back to work!

Greg Murphy
(801) 656-5897
greg@irunutah.com

Back to Top