Guide for putting on a road race

Original planning 9+months out Get location for run, measure course Figure out date for venue (check other races and their dates so your not competing against other races) Get logo for event and work on sponsorship packet Work on permits for the course -Police, closing roads, getting cones and road blocks Get timers for the event

7-8 Month till race Collect money from sponsors Set up online entry, preferredwww.active.com Have all this done before month 5-6 so you can have your information finalized to have plenty of time for advertising. Figure out awards, what your age groups are you going to have, how many places back in each age group and how many overall awards your going to have. Example. 1-15,16-19,20-24,25-29,30-34,35-39,40-44,45-49,50- 54,55-59,60 & Up. Timers need to know the age groups you decide so they can put the information in their system.

5-6 Month till race Make advertising flyers to distribute/ entry form Entry form should have the following in this order -Last name -First name -Gender (Example on Page 9) -Date of Birth -Age on race day -A box somewhere on the form for you to put their bib number - Address Places to distribute -Local Gyms -Running Clubs -Running Stores -Post office -Running magazines -Other races (ask other directors if you can put your flyer in their race packets) Look for donations -Cups -Gatorade -Bagels Find a t-shirt company to see how much event shirts will cost

Good Example Bad Example 1 Month till race day Get current numbers and guess how many participants you will have off that number order -Event shirts -Bib numbers ( Make sure numbers are big and squared. Rounded numbers make 3,6,8,9 look the same) -Make sure timers know what your numbers start at so they can make the timing chips match -Safety pins (4 per runner!) -bags to make packets for packet pick-up Collect sponsorship items to put in packets (sponsor information cards, gift cards etc.) Call and get volunteers -High schools -Middle schools -Charity organizations

Week of event Make up packets -Pin number to outside of bag or write runners last names on bag -Stuff sponsor info -Other races flyers Touch base with volunteers and let them know what they will be doing and where to report Pull active.com excel download and send to timer (needs to be 2 or 3 days before race day so timers can get the list of runners and competitor number back to the race director. If early you have earl packet pick up the online registration needs to end the night before so the timers have time to get the runners numbers assigned and back to you.) Get timing chips & zip ties from HMT Day before Set up course Put out mile markers/kilometer markers Get list of runners and competitor numbers from timers and add t-shirts to the packets, if you haven’t already for early packet pick up.

Night before Put everything in your car the night before so you will not forget it for the early morning wake up the next morning. Morning of Get to the location 2 hours before published packet pick-up starts to set up(runners always show up early, you say 7am. They are show up at 6:30am) Have a day of registration line with 2 or 3 people working that table, have a table for pre registration with 2 people working it. After the gun goes off move to setting up awards. Reassign volunteers to finish area to keep spectators out of the finish chute area. 2 volunteers to clip chips off shoes. Race is over, present awards after timers are through printing out all results Clean up venue

Items often looked over Starters pistol ( If you do not have ask timers and if they do remind them to bring it as they do not always provide this). Finish line flags or barriers to keep spectators out of the finish line area Mile markers Directional Markers on the course. Either Signs, Flower on the road, Ribbon or volunteers sending the runners in the right direction Paper cups easier for the runners to grab instead of plastic Pa system or dj/announcer 1 water stop per 5k Make a course map and blow it up for everyone to see at registration Awards are determined by gender and age, so accuracy of this information is critical. If any information is missing contact the person and try to fill it. If this data is incorrect or incomplete results will not be accurate.

You need a DAY OF Registration table with 3-6 volunteers. 2-3 tables for this is best. Have two tables out in front with the registration forms and pencils for the runners to fill out information with a volunteer walking around telling people to sign up here and answering any questions. Then have your other 2-3 volunteers at the actual Day Of Registration table collecting money and taking the information. Then your final volunteer taking the Day Of Registration to the timers so they can enter it into their database. It is best to have a sign high enough so that people can see where to go. Your other Registration table is for your pre-registered. Here you will need 2-4 volunteers looking at the list the timers provided with bib numbers and names and finding the packets for the already registered runner. This process should be done either alphabetically or numerically.