Location, Course, Measurement

Location and Course   Almost any place is a good place to run. That said, you should choose a place close to home or where you have the most volunteers. Keep the race close to your organization. Next consider what facilities would be open for your use. Schools, parks, places that would be able to let you use an inside registration area with bathrooms available so you don't have to rent port a potties. Next consider your route. Look for roads with little traffic. The route should be a loop course with mostly right turns. Runners would stay on the right side of the road running with traffic. Try to avoid crossing busy streets and railroad tracks. Arrows pained on the road and arrow signs at turns and straightaways are a must. Course marshals should be placed at all turns or at least tricky ones. More is always better. If it can go wrong it will go wrong. Runners are very preoccupied in a race and can be easily misdirected. Wrong turns can be blocked off by baricades or cones. Baricades and cones also will slow down or divert traffic. Beaton Supply can provide you with signs and cones. Measurement Accurate measurement is important for a successful race. Runners expect consistency. Most runners like to compare performances run on different courses, and such comparisons are difficult if course distances are not reliable. No one can truly establish a personal best if the course distance is not accurate. A special measuring wheel is used and takes some time and experience to do properly. If you want your race to attract top competitive runners that may be eligible for official records, the you should have your course certified by USAT&F standards. For any road running performance to be accepted as a record or be nationally ranked, it must be run on a USATF-certified course. There is a very complex formula that guarantees a course is not short and must be submitted to USAT&F for approval. A certification number is issued and is good for a number of years. Contact bob@eerunner.com for measurement and/or certification and accurate timing of your event. www.island-timing.com   Choosing a Distance   5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon are the most popular distances to run. I always recommend new directors to start out small. A 5K uses less streets, less waterstops, less volunteers. Most people, even non runners, can run or walk a 5K, so it's a good distance for a community race that encourages anyone to enter and have a good time. Longer races then 10K are more for the experienced runner and more experienced directors with a strong volunteer staff. Awards   This is the company we use for our events. Great quality, the prices are good and the service is fast. We usually give trophies for the overall male and female finishers with a gift certificate from a sponsor. Then medals to the top 3 in each age catagory. For smaller races a ten year age catagory works, but for larger I recomend five year age catagories. And Trophies to Top 3 Male and Female. Some races like plaques instead of trophies. Beaton Supply will soon be offering awards. Race Website   www.islandrunning.net now offers online registration to races at no charge to you. Online registration is a great promotional feature and makes your work a lot easier. It will increase your pre registration numbers considerably. Island Timing offers a webpage for every race we time complete with links to race applications, photo's, results, and anything a race director wants to put on a page. Or you can design a site yourself. We use several servers, including the Yahoo for www.eerunner.com   And this is what we use for this site:   Sponsors   How are you at fund raising? Runners registration fees will just about break even with your expenses. If your looking to raise money for your cause, then you will need sponsors. Sponsors will jump to a good cause. The more things you can get sponsored the better. ;Island Timing Beaton Supply can help provide T shirts, banners, awards, and promotional items for you and your sponsors. beatonsupply@yahoo.com