Case Study: New York Road Runners
The Challenge
New York Road Runners (NYRR) is the organization behind world-renowned running events, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Their digital presence needs to serve a broad audience: runners, volunteers, sponsors, and spectators. Balancing large-scale event registration, real-time race updates, and community resources required a strategic, user-centric approach that would scale smoothly during peak event seasons.
My role as Product Manager
While handling budgets, timelines, and resource planning as a producer, I also embraced product manager responsibilities by:
• Gathering insights from multiple stakeholders (marketing, events, sponsorship teams) and prioritizing feature requirements
• Defining and refining a product roadmap that aligned with NYRR’s mission, ensuring seamless registration workflows and easy access to race information
• Leveraging user data and feedback loops to iterate on site architecture, content, and design to support both local and global running communities
Planning and execution
I structured the initiative into focused sprints that tackled core site components—like registration, event calendars, training resources, and sponsor integrations. Through user testing and analytics, we identified pinch points in registration flows and refined navigation for clearer calls to action. Regular stakeholder check-ins helped ensure the site stayed agile enough to handle surges in traffic during major race announcements and events.
Results
• Streamlined registration experience: Improved workflows and queue systems enabled efficient handling of heavy sign-up volumes, minimizing user frustration
• Enhanced event engagement: Optimized content organization and interactive features (e.g., training plans, race updates, fundraising info) increased page views and helped build runner communities
• Unified brand presence: A cohesive design that showcased NYRR’s spirit—encouraging not just successful events, but also year-round engagement with running enthusiasts
Why this project stands out
Coordinating an internationally recognized series of events required both solid production oversight and a forward-looking product strategy. By blending my producer skill set (budgeting, scheduling, team orchestration) with product manager insight (user feedback, iterative design, feature prioritization), I helped create a robust online platform that could handle the unique demands of New York Road Runners—delivering a smooth, engaging experience for participants worldwide.