Post Modern Pentathlon: Mulligan!

So I've been promoting this event with spoke cards at Critical Mass at least five months running, a Facebook event with 300+ invites, flyers and posters at three bike shops.

The Post Modern Pentathlon: during the Olympics so it mirrors the Modern Pentathlon, a silly but incredibly expensive event mocked by a silly but free event. I got B-Cycle to sponsor with free use of their bikes, so you get to ride a 'horse unknown to you' (and admittedly poorly suited to racing). I got Dustin and Christina from Midwest Cyclery to pony up paintball guns (paintball duel instead of the run & shoot), I had my wife's Disc Golf discs for a disc golf round. I bought some steel tipped darts for a darts round. I also bought a toaster from a thrift store and a measuring wheel for the fifth event, Toaster Thrown for Distance.

I was prepared for a low turnout. I scouted the B-Cycle stand nearest the bar we were to meet at, and it had six bikes. If I had ten or twenty riders, we'd have to split it up and use a stopwatch.

But there's low turnout, then there's not really any turnout. Chris showed up, he owns the toaster that inspired the Toaster Throw event, though he was up front that he didn't even know what he'd showed up for. But he was On Time. My co-organizer was over an hour late, so on time is a bonus, right?

I had dragged twelve prizes, the discs, the measuring wheel, the toaster, the darts, etc., by trailer up to Kelly's (I know it's not the Cool Kids' favorite bar but it's open early on Sunday and it's in Westport). And I had one competitor.

A few others showed up later, to watch. Watch one guy compete against himself in five events? But Dustin convinced me (I had a few by the time this conversation happened) to reschedule for October and promote the event at Pub N Pedal next month.

So I guess I'll try again. I have around $500 in prizes donated by three bike shops, we have the gear. I just need to figure out if I didn't do enough promotion or if people heard about it and thought the event was stupid. In which case, maybe I need to adjust my event. Maybe people are afraid to get hit by paintballs, maybe they think disc golf is gay, I don't know. I thought having it on a Sunday when bike mechanics would be off work and having decent prizes would get me ten people or so by default.