Organizing a Road Race for Charity: How to Become a Race Director

Organizing road races to raise money for charity is growing in popularity. For $20 on nearly any given weekend, one can find a local 5K race in which to participate. Organizing these races is more logistically difficult than it may seem. Here are some helpful tips on organizing a road race for charity.

Assuming you have a charity in mind, the first thing I recommend doing is to develop a logo and come up with a catchy name. Graphic artists can be found in all walks of life. If you cannot find one, contact a local shop that will print race t-shirts (you will need to find one of these soon anyway), and they will likely be able to generate one. This logo will be used on registration material as well as t-shirts. When developing the logo, do not use many colors. The more colors involved, the more costly t-shirt printing will be.

Decide what to offer runners. Some things to consider are:

- What kind of t-shirt? Long sleeved options are nice for fall and winter races, short-sleeves are nice for summer races. Providing t-shirts made from technical, wicking material is a plus for runners but these are more costly.

- What kind of awards? Usually awards are given for males and females for first, second, and third place for each age group. Age groups can span five or ten years, five being the most common.

- Will you need portable lavatories? If your race starts in a park or somewhere with restrooms, portable lavatories may not be necessary. Be aware of places that have restrooms but that may not be open early on a Saturday morning, or unwilling to let dozens of runners use them.

- Will you provide pre- or post-race food? Bagels and fruit are popular and are often donated by local grocery stores. Make sure to have plenty of water on hand.

Set a date. Saturday mornings are popular, but you can also consider an evening race. Search the calendar of a local running club to find a date that does not conflict with other events.

Set a course. 5k (3.1 mile) races are most common. The longer the distance, the more support will be needed and the more difficult the planning logistics become. Contact a local running club to see if there are measured courses already in place. If you are developing your own race course, be sure to measure it accurately a number of times. As much as runners love having an accurately measured course, they hate having to run longer than they need to. Avoid busy roads and intersections if possible, and keep in mind the safety of the runners.

Draw up a registration form, and include the following:

Name

Contact information

Age on race day

Gender

T-shirt size

A waiver they must sign releasing you and your charity from liability

On this registration form give runners the information about the course, start time, and what they will expect (t-shirts, pre-race bagels, prizes). I recommend having the registration fee be one price (say $20) until a week or two before the race, then increasing the price of registration by $5. This should help get numbers up early so you will have an idea of how many runners to expect (i.e., how many t-shirts and bagels to have on hand). Also mention if you will take race-day registrations, as runners can be terrible procrastinators.

Find sponsors. Race directors will encounter a lot of costs while race-planning. It is best to find sponsors to pay for the cost of the race, so the registration fees collected from runners can go to the charity. When approaching a sponsor, make sure to be specific in what you ask for and have in mind what you will offer them in exchange. Printing their logo on the back of the race t-shirt, having banners with their logo at the finish line or along the race course, or mentioning their name before and after the race will be attractive to potential sponsors.

Find volunteers. You will need people scattered throughout the race course to direct runners and make sure they remain safe. Safety is your number one concern as a race director, for runners and volunteers. Having volunteers that are runners and familiar with road racing is a plus. There will be instances where volunteers will have to direct traffic and knowing how this is done in a road race is beneficial. Having volunteers to help set things and tear them down as well as provide refreshments and awards to runners is also important.

Find someone to time the race. Again, a local running club should be able to help. Many will donate personnel and equipment, some will charge a nominal fee such as $2 per runner. Ordering number racing bibs for the runners may or may not be necessary, depending on how your race is timed. Often times, local running clubs or stores have extra race numbers on hand. If race bibs are available, have plenty of safety pins on hand.

Spread the word! Print up fliers and post them on routes and stores that runners frequent. Get your race added to local calendars and have registration forms around town in places such as running stores and gyms.

Keep in mind that you want to maximize the money you give to your charity, but give runners a nice race. Nothing will kill a race faster than a bad experience for the runners involved. The first year you may have to invest more than in subsequent years, but if you put on a race that runners enjoy they will be back in greater numbers year after year.

Good luck!