Co-creating Tomorrow
When I was in college (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), I became interested in a concept of community change centered around the phrase “an idea whose time has come.” The idea comes from French writer Victor Hugo who said, “Nothing else in all the world…not all the armies…is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” An idea whose time has come is an idea that a community is ready for. In 2026, the Platte River Fitness Series will reach a landmark year, celebrating its 25th year as an idea our community was ready for. Getting people to be more active was not a new idea all those years ago but the old approach of people “going it alone” didn’t seem to work. People were ready to embrace a new idea, the idea that being healthy is a team sport. We get well together, and every person deserves to self-identify as an athlete. After all, athletes take pretty good care of themselves.
As we approach this landmark birthday, I told the Platte River Fitness Series Board of Directors that I saw this as a perfect time to evaluate my future as the founder and director and the future of the PRFS and its value to the community. I am not going to live forever, and I have been doing this work for a very long time. While the “idea whose time had come” came from one person, it has been the work of the community that brought it forward. It aligned with a need in our community that people may not have even realized they had, the need to be met right where they are and for a place where belonging matters as much to wellness as the number of miles we run or how fast we can go.
In order to “co-create” the future of the PRFS, I am asking everyone who subscribes to our newsletter to open and complete the survey in this month’s newsletter. You must subscribe to the newsletter, which you can do on our website, in order to complete the survey. We have a great start on our work together thanks to the attendees at the Night of Champions, but more voices would add to the fullness of the wisdom you have to offer. If you would like to go “old school,” please email me at the PRFS email and I will get a paper copy to you. We will only leave it open for a couple of weeks, so please contribute your vision as soon as possible.
The survey was written by the brilliant Shreya Agrawal. Her brilliance and expertise have been a gift for which I will always be grateful. You will note the survey is split into two sections; the first has questions about your current experiences with the races, with the PRFS, and with our community. This will allow me to provide solid feedback to the race directors to help them refine the production of their race. Please remember that our events are mission driven and that we host a sizable number of events in a small town with only so many resources. Every race needs sponsors who give money and volunteers who make it all happen. The PRFS itself needs sponsors and volunteers to continue to serve you. None of our races will provide every amenity on your wish list, but it is important for us to know what is important to you. One of the earliest commitments I made was to do my best to keep the cost of racing from becoming a barrier, and I believe we have honored that, and fancy amenities come with a cost. I encourage our race directors to keep their races simple, welcoming and to do their best to create something that serves as a vehicle for improving our quality of life as individuals and as a community. We have had nearly every type of race there is, offering what people are willing to host and athletes are willing to enter. Sometimes race directors just get tired. Races come and go, and that helps create variety. Some races are the bedrock we stand on. Feedback here is going to be very helpful in helping us to continue to provide you with a place to do new things, and more importantly, hard and challenging things.
The second section of the survey is about how you, as a member of this community, see our future together. A maxim for good leadership (thank you, Stephen Covey) is “begin with the end in mind.” As the founder of this work, I am determined that it serves you only as long as it remains robust, vital, relevant, and useful. Sometimes organizations try to hang on too long and would be best served to claim, “mission accomplished” and fade off into the sunset so something new can come forth. Sometimes, it’s good to keep a good thing going. One thing we have always been is flexible. This section of the survey will help us know what to change and what not to change. It will help me make decisions about whether this work remains important, and it will help us as a community decide what a healthy future looks like for ourselves, each other and the PRFS.
Once again, thank you to Shreya and thank you for lending your voice to the work of our community. The deadline to complete the survey is February 14th!