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.