HOW TO

ORGANIZE A
5K RACE
TIPS & ADVICE FOR RACE DIRECTORS

HOW TO ORGANIZE A 5K

ENDURANCE

There are two ways to run a race: one with your running shoes and the other with your
race director cap and clipboard. If youre reading this article, youve probably already
participated in some races and are thinking about putting on your own event someday.
Treat this as your guide on how to organize a 5K, from the first thought all the way to
your 10th annual event.

1. Start with the details, budget and goals

2. Receive your permits
3. Get the word out
4. Add sponsors
5. Nail the registration process
6. Initiate race day management
7. Zero in on what worked & what didnt
8. Engage for next years race

HOW TO ORGANIZE A 5K

ENDURANCE

1. Start with the details, budget and goals

Try to pick a date about six months from now to give yourself and your team enough
time to get everything in order. Make sure to check event directories like
ACTIVE.com for other local events on the weekend you are planning to hold your
event.The less competition for your first 5K, the better.You should also consider the
season unless you have an intense group of athletes who thrive on running in a
snowstorm or downpour, pick a time of year with mild weather conditions.
Secondly, youll want to choose a location. Lets say youre planning on hosting
the race in your hometown having people run through the warehouse district as
opposed to the beachfront could really impact your numbers. A beautiful course is
easy to promote and attractive to participants. Another option is to find a route that
has already been used by a similar race so you wont have to reinvent the wheel by
marking off distances. Also, make sure there are parking lots and public transportation
options so participants can easily access your event.
As for you budget, there are many different reasons to put on a 5K and one of your
goals could be to raise money for a charity. The bottom line is that you cant afford to
lose money, so you need to budget everything from the porto-potties and T-shirts
to police and permits. Once you outline all of your costs, youll be able to back into
a price for attending your 5K. If you really want to do your homework, take a look
at other successful 5Ks to get an idea of what you should be budgeting for and the
average price for an entry.
And that is where your goals come in! Its important to be realistic. Itll be very
disappointing if you set a goal of 1,000 attendees and you get 100, so be careful with
your goals and make sure that they tie into how much youve budgeted. Dave Camire,
senior editor at CoolRunning.com, puts it in perspective by saying, All you really need
is two people to compete. Two people and its a race. Youre up and running.

2. Receive your permits

Getting permits is a time consuming process and one of the reasons we recommend
giving yourself six months to organize your 5K race. Once you have the details sorted
out, contact city officials to ask about what approvals you need. Most likely, youll
need approval from the city for everything from road closures to noise permits. Youll
need support and approvals from law enforcement as well. Its crucial to start applying
for permits as early in the process as possible because a delay in approval could
affect the intended date of your race.

HOW TO ORGANIZE A 5K

ENDURANCE

3. Get the word out

Once you have sorted out the details and have permission to put on the race, it is time
to spread the word. For some, this next statement may sound scary so brace for impact:
the internet will be your number one promotional tool. Here is a list of outlets that you
can use to promote your event:
Create a race website having a race website makes it easy for people to find you
online and provides one easily accessed place for information
Set up online race registration offering online registration is convenient for your
participants and drastically reduces admin work for you
Use social media creating a Facebook page and event as well as tweeting about
your event will exponentially increase reach and exposure
Post the event on ACTIVE.com getting a free listing on ACTIVE.com exposes your
event to the millions of monthly visitors who search the site for races and events
Send out emails sending out custom emails to your network of friends and coworkers will help spread the word
Go grassroots telling people about your race or simply distributing flyers at local
gyms and events are off-line marketing tools that always give registration numbers a
little boost
Advertise in local newspapers and running magazines buying advertisements or
negotiating trade deals (e.g. a free race entry for a free ad) in these two types of
periodicals will help increase your reach in your area and in your market

4. Add sponsors
There are two ways to approach potential sponsors you can ask for money or for
giveaways. If you are learning how to organize your first 5K, it might be unrealistic to
go after huge sponsors and ask for big wads of cash. Start by asking sponsors to chip
in for race supplies. For example, a local business could fund the race t-shirts and get
logo placement on the shirts. Or, a grocery store could donate finish line refreshments
like sports drinks and power bars and get their banners hung along the fencing. If you
do ask for cash, make sure its small to begin with unless you are confident you have a
generous benefactor. Here are some tips for finding sponsors:
If you see teams signing up, ask if they have a company that would like to sponsor
the event
Post a sponsorship page on your website with details for companies
Attend networking events to make connections
Send out emails to your contact list
Visit local businesses

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ENDURANCE

5. Nail the registration process

The registration process can make or break a 5K. Think about all of the emails and
messages you get for endurance events already if something catches your eye but
is too hard to register for, youll put it on the back burner and eventually forget about
it. From the first email you send out about your 5K to race day, registration should
be easy for your participants. Here are two types of registration that you will have to
tackle before promoting your event:
ONLINE RACE REGISTRATION - In todays world, you definitely need to offer a
user-friendly way to sign up online. Whatever software provider you choose, make
sure they can deliver on three things. First, your users should be able to access the
registration directly from your events website with the click of a button. Secondly,
you should be able to customize the form to collect exactly the information you need.
Finally, the information and payments should be automatically processed and guaranteed to make it safely to you and your bank account.
RACE DAY REGISTRATION - No matter how much marketing and enticing you do,
some people will still show up the morning of your race looking to register. You need a
good system in place for this, be it a simple one-pager or a laptop connected to online
registration. The more self-service you can make this, the better; you dont want to
waste manpower helping people register when you should be worried about start line
logistics.

HOW TO ORGANIZE A 5K

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6. Initiate race day management

Dave McGillivray is the race director for the Boston Marathon. When asked about race
day he says, Be the first one to show up. I dont want people to park or set up things
where theyre not supposed to.
Before you leave the house bright and early the day of the race, make sure you
have everything you need. Here is a good race day checklist for your 5K. With your
checklist in hand, you need to think about race day in three simple sections:
PRE-RACE - This is the part where you welcome everyone, get the latecomers registered, sort out any issues with bibs or timing chips, set up signage, and ensure the
course is safely coned off (or closed).
MAIN EVENT - For the race itself, make sure that water stations are ready, volunteers
are in the right place, and your course is plotted and marked well. Preparation is key
because as McGillvray says, Once the gun fires, it has a life of its own.
POST-EVENT - Make the finish line a party.You should have music and refreshments
for your participants, volunteers, and fans. People want to enjoy the event and celebrate their accomplishment if you entertain them, they will be more likely to return
next year! Also, make sure you staff enough volunteers to help you break down and
clean up. Heres what McGillvray recommends: If you havent planned for breakdown,
it can be a nightmare, said McGillivray. Everybody wants to leave, but youve got a lot
of work to do.You may want to consider bringing in a separate team. Instead of having
everyone come in at 4am, bring in a fresh team to show up at the finish line.

7. Zero in on what worked & what didnt

After the race, youll probably be exhausted. Still, though, your duties as a 5K race
director are not over. If you have any plans to pursue the second annual version of
your event, you need to know what worked well and what didnt for your race. Make
notes the day after the event on what was successful and what needed improvement
while its fresh in your mind. Email surveys or feedback forms to your participants and
volunteers as soon as possible to collect their input. (Some online registration systems
have this functionality built in. Otherwise, you can find free survey tools online.) If your
registration system is able, run registration reports: what age group/gender was most
represented at your event? What was the distribution of early bird, regular or late
comer entries? With all this information, youll be able to better plan and promote next
years event.

HOW TO ORGANIZE A 5K

ENDURANCE

8. Engage for next years race

Bart Yasso, known as the Chief Running Officer for Runners World, discussed
engagement in an ACTIVE webinar by saying, Reward participants when they come
back to your event with incentives, and keep them coming back again and again.
The first part of engaging with your newly-built running community is to say thank you.
Send thank you emails and after that, make sure to post results and photos as quickly
as you promised. This will create some buzz around your race, encouraging people to
interact with your event and remember how much fun it was. Then, make sure to keep
your Facebook page and website active. Youre shooting for the second annual at this
point so keep in touch with your attendees!

GET STARTED
organizing your race

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