Good point. For years, I tried putting on “ no frills” free races. The HS let me use the XC course and track.
My friend was a timer and out of my own pocket I hired him to time the races. No frills, strictly running theme.
Hardly anybody showed up. The same 10 or 15 if I was lucky. A couple of my most humiliating memories were advertising the races and reporters showing up to report on it and seeing maybe 10 runners out there and looking at each other , shaking their heads or the time NOBODY showed up for a 10,000 I put on, on the track, really nice homemade trophies.
Gun time, nobody there, I had my buddy time me. Midway around the track, this car screeches to a halt on the road just outside the gate. This guy jumps out with a “ Stop Pre” shirt on. I stopped. He looked out on the empty track, looked at me and said “ Is this the 10k?”
I said “ yeah”
I heard his buddy laugh, he derisively laughed hopped back in the car and off they sped. I looked at their license plate, they drove two hours.
No frills to be successful has got to have…. something behind it.