So just because I cannot run a lot right now doesn’t mean I don’t love running. One of the ways I stay close to the sport is to coordinate a charity 5K and 10K for an event here in St. Louis called Celebrate Fitness. This was the 5th year for the run and I’ve learned a lot about coordinating these types of things so I thought I’d put together a little “How To” just in case you’ve ever thought about getting into the world of coordinating a race. The project manager in me loves lists so hopefully you’ll benefit from it. 🙂
Before I get into the mechanics of organizing something like this, let me just say that it can be time consuming, and challenging at times but if you’re doing it for the right reasons, just like any challenge, you’ll find yourself pushing through.
I know this post might not have a huge readership but I’ve been asked about it a lot and anything I can do to help others that want to help great causes, is all good. So bookmark it, pin it for later use or send to others who might be interested. I just wanted to get it documented.
Step 1: What is the goal?
The first step in coordinating a race is being able to answer these five questions:
- Why do I want to organize a race? Is it to support a charity? If so, which one? Do you have their buy in and support?
- When do I want the race to happen? Are there other races going on then?
- Where do I want the race to happen? Do I need to do anything special to have the race there? Do I have to get someone’s permission to hold the race?
- Who is the race for? Is it a competitive run? Is it a walk? Is it a walk/run?
- How far, what distance do I want the race to be? 5K? 10K? 1Mile?
Answering these five questions help you form the basis to rest of your planning activities.
For my race, we answered these questions the first year, and each year afterwards, we the organizing committee, the charity beneficiary and I revisit the answers are still the same. Luckily, they have been the same
Step 2: Get Planning
Once those are answered, it is time for the real planning to begin. What I’ve done is build out a checklist of activities and the approximate time frame the need to be done in. Races can take a lot of time to plan so make sure you give yourself plenty of lead-time. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, you’ll want to add to it but it’s a good start.
We start planning for our event in March in late September/early October but that is because we have many of the answers to the questions above. If you are brand new, assume you will need more time (6 months at least).
The list linked below is the basic list I use to get my details.
Here are some of my notes:
To Hire or not to Hire a Race Mgmt Company: Hiring a professional race timing company: This isn’t a must but I HIGHLY recommend hiring a company that specializes in timing. Especially if you’re planning for the race to have any competitive component. Race timing can be very complicated and confusion.
Establishing a Race Route: I would not do this until after you have determined if you are hiring a race mgmt company. Often times they can help you lay out the route. It can be difficult depending on where you’re trying to do your race, especially if the route crosses into multiple municipalities. Each one of them could require different permits, lead-time, etc.
What is Race Insurance: Having adequate liability insurance on a race is an ABSOLUTE! You can get it through the USATF if you apply to have the race be sanctioned or through other groups like Road Runners of America. Runner’s World has a good article on this topic. See Post here. http://www.runnersworld.com/race-directors/insurance
Day of Events: The day of the event can be stressful, pre-planning can really help make you feel more at ease. Be prepared for the morning before the event to feel a little crazed but it gets better.
Ok, I know there is a TON more but that is a good place to start. IF you are in a situation to organize a race and have additional questions, do not be afraid to reach out. I’ll answer what I can.
One final note, for me doing a race like this is strictly a volunteer thing. I don’t make any money on this nor would I want to. This race is important to me and so is fighting cancer.
Do you do any event coordination? What advice would you give?
These are great tips! I’ve worked on both virtual and local races and all of this information is spot on. Nice work!
Thanks Lisa! Organizing these things are lots of work but worth it!
This is an AMAZING post! Bookmarking this for sure for a few ideas I’ve had!
Thanks Maria! Hope it helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
This post is definitely a good starting place…
I was recently brought on as a race director for an established race. One thing that can’t be stressed enough is to make sure you have sponsors willing to cover your start up costs. Otherwise, you should be prepared to run the race at a loss for the first year unless your charity is well known. The first two years of our race didn’t draw more than 100 people. This year I was told by the timing company that they talk more people out of starting a race than they sign contracts with.
Keep in mind that paying for police to close the roads is expensive. A 5k/10k in St. Louis might cost $1800 just for police. A 5k I helped start in Northern VA had a little over $4000 in police costs.
The race in Northern VA which was designed for a company with 10,000 employees and was also open to the public. That race hasn’t broke even in it’s first 2 years (the first year there was a $3000 loss but it was covered by a sponsor) and couldn’t even get 3% of the company to show up for it.
I’m not trying to deter people from starting a race but, since there are so many races in cities already, it’s very tough to get people to show up. Especially since most runners won’t sign up for a 5k until a few weeks before the race. The best way to start a new race is to hold it at the same time as a festival or something which already draws a lot of people.
You are soo right about sponsors. I should’ve spent more time discussing it. It’s a crucial part of having a successful race. Thanks for the good feedback!
Coordinating a race which proceeds go to a chosen charity is a great cause. I’m sure health buffs and those interested to help that certain charity.
Job well done!
Adding this to a saved posts list. My dad is thinking about organizing a race for somewhere he is on the board (and wants my help)
Definitely saving this post. I plan on helping organize a few races in the next year or so and this would be a huge help! I have run a ton of races, but it’s so much different being on the other side and organizing it.
Great post!! We are thinking of doing a simple 5K for our class reunion this summer, so this is timely!
If you are considering organizing a race of your own, you might want to consider offering event tshirts. Some people really enjoy getting a shirt with the race name and year or years that they participate.
If you are thinking about tshirts for your event, I would recommend contacting Andrew at CreateMyTee. They are great to work with and even offer you free professional graphic design for the layout of the shirts.
It was a simple process to order from their website http://www.createmytee.com
They have instant quotes right on the site to give you a ball pricing as well
They will work with you to get the most for your budget so don’t give up on tshirts if you think it might be too pricey for your event
Good Luck