The Behobia/San Sebastián Race: Running Past the Boundaries of Sport

The “Club Deportivo Fortuna Kirol Elkartea” (“Club Deportivo” and “Kirol Elkartea” means Sports Club in Spanish and Basque, the two co-official languages in the region where is geographically located.) Sports Club is an organisation that works to promote a wide range of different sports, to encourage competitive and recreational sport at the grassroots level and to organise events open to the public. The best-known popular event is the Behobia/San Sebastián 20 km race that each year brings together more than 30,000 runners on the second Sunday in November. As the organisation clearly has a social mission, its ability to make an impact is mainly conditioned by the results of the commercial activity generated by the race. This is a clear case in which we can see just how fluid the boundary is that separates the traditional non-profit sector and the private one, and as a result, it is necessary to talk about a fourth sector, which is also known as the “For-benefit organisation” sphere. This case is also particularly interesting as in the fourth sector explicit references to sports associations, sports clubs or sports organisations in general are practically non-existent, when the economic and social impact that sport and the practice of physical exercise has is undeniable. The methodology used is the single case study approach, and reports, internal studies, web pages, archives of presentations, audiovisual archives, visits to the organisation, attendance at presentations of events and press conferences and interviews with the management team have been made use of as sources of evidence. The analysis of this case makes it possible to conclude that the sports association studied here can be classified as a “For-benefit organisation”. “Best practices” in the use of relevant business management tools for organisations in the fourth sector devoted to sport and in other fields can also be obtained from its development as an organisation. Its strategic thinking, market orientation and public-private collaboration form a triangle that has raised an organisation that started out as being local and amateur to the level of a competitive “For-benefit organisation” that can stand out as an international source of inspiration.