This post is a continuation of the previous article on How to Organize a Successful Road Race.

Sponsors

Once you have all the primary decisions made, it is time to find some sponsors.  These are not an absolute must, but can significantly boost fundraising efforts.  You need to draft an official sponsorship letter explaining the event, what it is raising money for, and what promotional consideration sponsors will receive for their donation.  Here is an example of a top notch sponsor letter.

The sponsorship levels will vary based on the size of your race.  If this is the inaugural event, then be sure to keep your ask as reasonable as possible.  Once you have proof of success, then you can request more.

I highly recommend formulating an attack plan for approaching potential sponsors.  Mass mailings, email, and impersonal distribution have a very low rate of return.  Go through your contacts and see who you know that could get face to face meetings with the check-writers at their respective companies.  Do not forget, you have a partner in all of this.  The non-profit you are benefiting should have some good suggestions on who to ask.

Your best bet is to target smaller, local businesses that have a vested interest in the community.  Larger corporations receive thousands of requests per year, and require a lot of paperwork if you actually hear back.

In terms of the overall time line, you can except sponsorship money up until (or after) the race, but in order to get their logo on race materials, the deal needs to be firmed up at least a few weeks out from the event.

Registration

Before beginning recruiting and promotional efforts, it is a good idea to already have a way for participants to sign up.  From my experience, there are two good ways to do this.  First of all, there is a delightful website known as Active.com.  For the technologically savvy, this is the easiest way to sign up.  To set it up, simply create an account, and Active will walk you through the steps to creating a page for your race.  You can check up to the minute registration stats, produce forms with participant info, and send updates to those that are signed up.  If your projected turnout is one hundred or less, online registration really is not a must, but can still be helpful.  Regardless of the size of your race, you must have a paper registration form.

Try to keep this to one page for simplicity and include all the day-of event details.  It is worth the effort to make it attractive and informative.  Sitting amongst dozens of other race flyers, you want yours to stand out.

One of the most head-scratching decisions to be made is what to charge for registration.  This figure should be directly correlated to three things: 1. How much you are trying to raise 2.  What it will cost to put on the event, and 3. What inherent value runners will receive by participating (race shirt, free food/beverage, cool course, big after party, etc).  That being said, I have paid anything from five to thirty dollars for the shorter races and upwards of a hundred bucks to run a marathon.  Unless your costs are prohibitively high, try to keep the fee at $25 for a 5K and $30 for a 10K ($80 for a Full Marathon and $50 for a Half).  If you are going to offer your runners some high quality freebies (and you advertise such things to them) then feel free to charge a little more.  In order to encourage people to sign up early you may want to raise the fee for race day sign up.  This will allow for a better estimate on turnout, which will help in forecasting the amount of everything you will need on the day of the event (food, beverage, shirts, race packets, etc).

On a legal note, the disclaimer at on the registration form needs to be tailored to include your event information (including all vested parties) and MUST be signed by the runner or their legal guardian (if they are under 18).  Anyone participating without signing a waiver is a HUGE liability.

Promotion

What good is all this work if nobody actually shows up on race day?  If you want to raise a lot of money and have a successful event, spreading the word is key.  Start off by contacting local track/running clubs and getting your race on their calendars.  Runners will travel for larger races, so consider contacting regional clubs as well if you are planning a half or full marathon.

Chances are your advertising budget is either slim or non-existent, so try to find creative ways to get in front of the general public.  I highly recommend visiting all specialty running stores in the area with flyers and registration forms.  Not only do they typically have a section devoted to race info, they also may have an email list or website that informs runners of upcoming events.  Your event will help get runners in their store, so they should be more than happy to help promote.

Not surprisingly, your best audience is those who are already running races in the area.  Offer up yourself as a volunteer for other events and chances are they will be happy to include your flyer in the race packet.  Side Note: Helping with other races will give you some valuable experience with day-of coordination, and an understanding of what it takes to pull it off.

If you want to explore mass-media options, it is worth noting that some TV stations allot ad space for non-profit use.  They can also help you film the PSA (public service announcement) in their studios and have you on as a guest to talk about the race.

Disseminating posters and yard signs around town is always a cheap and easy way to spread the word.

Lastly, be sure to utilize your non-profit partner.  They are in the business of raising money and awareness for a cause, so they should have some connections.  Chances are they will gladly post something on their website as well as giving a mention in emails and mass mailings.

Race Packet

So you have all the high-level stuff taken care of.  Now it is time to work on the little things that will set you apart.  First and foremost, let’s talk about the obligatory race shirt (or suitable alternative).  Runners will go to great lengths for a shirt or race artifact, because it is proof that they accomplished something, so put some thought into it.  There are a lot of cool races out there that give runners something unique and memorable.  Feel free to be creative.  If you go the t-shirt route, look into purchasing a non-cotton breathable “tech” variety – the cost may be a little higher, but it will be appreciated.  Most printing companies will have a catalog of shirt options and plenty of ways to incorporate your graphics.  Just remember that the back is valuable ad space for your sponsors!

For the remainder of the packet the goal is not to inundate participants with crappy little trinkets that find the trash immediately.  Go for energy bars, gels, and useful items that runners need.  If the race is during a cold time of year, throw in some cheap running gloves or hand warmers.  As mentioned in the Promotion section, throwing in other race flyers could get some volunteer help, and a few sponsor mentions are acceptable.  One final thing – don’t forget race numbers and safety pins!  Rainbow Racing System has cheap generic numbers as well as customizable options.

Taking it to The Next Level

There are overachievers in every group, so I figured I would include a few things that will garner some extra bonus points for your event.  These certainly are not things that you have to do, but if you want credibility, this is how to do it.

Course Mapping

If you have access to a handheld GPS unit, then Mapmyrun.com is a great way to post your course online.  All you need to do is run/bike (or drive if you are a cheater) the route and upload the information to the site.  With this, you can distribute course maps via your race website or via printout in the race packets.

Timing Chips

In its most basic form, timing your runners involves a stopwatch and a clipboard.  This is perfectly acceptable for fifty people, but what if you have hundreds or thousands of participants?  Answer: the timing chip.  This little guy is attached to the shoe of all the runners and is activated and deactivated at the start and finish lines.  Many races also place additional mats along the course to gather split times.  Using timing chips will cost a decent amount of money and require a contract company to set up as well as manage the system.  However, this has come to be expected at any big race.

Packet Pickup

For smaller races, distributing race packets at the event will suffice (just make sure you have the volunteers to hand them out), but for larger crowds, you will need a location where participants can get their stuff days before.  This works best at a local running shop, mall, or at the nonprofit that you may be benefitting.  Having a “headquarters” also gives runners a place to sign up in person.

Day Of Operations

So you have everything ready to go, and race day has finally come.  What now?  Well, first of all, make sure you have plenty of volunteers.  You will need them at registration, aid stations, turns in the course, and helping out at the finish line.  To get a good idea of how things should go, either run or help out at another road race.  This will help fill in all the gaps remaining in your planning.

Above all else, be sure that you have sufficient water, medical staff, and signs with clear direction.  As bad as this may sound, assume that runners are incompetent while out on the course and will need as much information and direction as possible.  The last thing you want is to have lost or injured participants without assistance.

Give runners plenty of information regarding the locations of food as well as restrooms.  Begin calling everyone to the line fifteen minutes before start time, so that they are present for last minute instructions.  Once the gun goes off, make sure that you have plenty of contacts on the route to provide periodic updates.

At the finish line, have someone assigned to marking down times for each finishing position.  Additionally, have another person tear off the information from the bottom of each number and put them in order.  To speed the process, start compiling results as people come in.  Have the awards presentation as close to the last finisher as possible.  The longer you wait, the more likely you are to lose people.

Lastly, be sure to thank all attendees and sponsors sufficiently.  This will bode well for the next go round…

So there you have it, your users guide to putting on a successful road race.  Please feel free to email me with any questions, thoughts or comments: matt@DoGoodedness.com.

Happy Trails!

Matt