The Premise

• Sendō is a website documenting my journey to run every major category of long-distance race in three years: the 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Marathon, 50 Miler and the finale - a 100 Mile Trail Race.
• This story is told through monthly blog posts which include my latest training data, insights, photos and highlights from Austin, Texas. I call it The Quest.
• Sendo also has free training resources: running plans, gear reviews, recipes for healthy meals, cross-training guides and more.
• As a lifelong fan of comic books and videogames, I wanted to create my own weird story in that creative spirit. It’s everything I absorbed from my digital life put into something that always felt natural: running.
• This isn’t a pro athlete’s epic tale of conquest: after years of self-imposed isolation I realized that running, yoga and writing were the best ways that I could push myself to evolve and connect with others.​
• Sendo is 100% free to read and subscribe. I can pay for the website and training costs through selling merch and patronage.

And who am I?

• Well, anonymous for now. It’s like superheroes: representing an idea and a purpose instead of a person.
• Besides, this is embarrassing so I'm just going to train hard, write my heart out and export data from Strava.

Links

• My all-time stats and race results are on the Data page.
• My current gear is on the Equipment page.
• The Map page has my training routes and more in Austin, Texas.
• The website has training resources for all runners in SenDex.

Success​

• I complete The Quest. This story connects with millions of readers to chase their dreams and become subscribers, Patrons, share the website with friends, buy merch and train for their own Quest. ​
• 25+ Patrons means Sendō is mostly funded by supporters.
• 100+ Patrons means delusions of grandeur can become reality so anything's possible.

Timeline​

• The goal is to complete The Quest in three years (July 2023 – July 2026).
• Does the site end after July 2026? Nope! This is the prologue of an epic adventure.

Revenue streams ​

• Merchandise (Online Shop)​
• Subscriptions (Patrons) ​
• Advertising/Sponsorships (The Quest)

Pricing strategy​

• Website: All content and resources are free
• Patrons: Monthly support ($10) or annually charged at a discount​ ($100)
• Merch: $35 t-shirts and more

Marketing channels ​

• Website​
• Strava
• Newsletter​
• Instagram​
• Reddit
• IRL ​

Sales channels​

• Online Shop: direct-to-consumer (DTC) merch

Subscriber acquisition strategies​

• Guerilla marketing/word of mouth​
• Hitting the trails in Sendō merch ​
• Give away free merch at running events, run club meetups​
• Posting parody ads around town​
• IM'ing professional athletes, tech nerds

Site Admin Costs (~$100/month)​

• Publishing Platform (Ghost)
• Email (Google Suite Subscription)
• Stripe (Patron Payment Processor, Online Shop)​

Training Costs (~$100/month)​

• Strava (Premium Subscription)
• Nutrition
• Running Gear

Race Tickets​

• $100+ per ticket, 3+ races a year, will volunteer to reduce costs

Potential risks and challenges​

• Product market fit: it’s not compelling/interesting enough to target demographic ​
• Personnel Injury: if I can’t keep running, nothing happens for Sendō​
• Financial Backing: If I must focus on surviving, can’t develop business​
• Not Enough Traction: Growth might come slowly if at all​
• Time Commitment: takes several hours a week to train, write content, manage website and plan future events and projects ​

Strategies to mitigate these risks​

• Product market fit: review content performance and adjust as needed, launch new features and offerings to drum up new subscribers​
• Personnel Injury: taking my training slowly but frequently, meeting doctors to manage health ​
• Financial backing: develop a tight budget for the project and share that with readers, help streamline costs and ensure focus ​
• Marketing: Entertaining and cheaply made ads in all forms: IRL posters, digital banner ads, short videos and more. Give out merch to locals, improve SEO​
• Time Management: narrow down focus, develop a training and content pipeline​

• Email​: info@sendoatx.com​
• Strava: @sendoatx​
• Instagram: @sendoatx
• X/Twitter: @sendoatx