Road Race Disasters: What Are the Basic Requirements For a Good Road Race

1. Most importantly, the races need to be organized by people who actually run races and participate actively in the community of distance running! This allows them to plan almost every detail (however insignificant it may appear) perfectly.

I saw a Sketchers Go Run thingy in the background of some crap on Sports Center last night.

haha YO wrote:

get ugly wrote:

2. I need enough porta potties so that I don't have to stand in line for more than 5 minutes to use one before the race.

This is a HUGE one. Good job.

+1

In no particular order:

1. accurate course.

2. well marked course, turns and mile markers

3. safe course plenty of monitors and traffic control

4. water stations on the course.

5. well laid out course, no crisscrossing of other runners, train tracks, turns every 10 ft, etc..

6. staging area that allows for room for spectators, warm up, parking

7. option of indoor facility in case of bad weather

8. LOTS of port-o johns

9. a decent T-shirt or god please! something different.. a hat, gloves,

10. good awards

The t-shirt requirement reminds me--I'm a guy, but how about a women's cut t-shirt for the women? Seems unfair that the unisex t-shirt is really a men's t-shirt. What if they only gave out women's cut shirts for men and women? That would be hilarious.

get ugly wrote:

The t-shirt requirement reminds me--I'm a guy, but how about a women's cut t-shirt for the women? Seems unfair that the unisex t-shirt is really a men's t-shirt. What if they only gave out women's cut shirts for men and women? That would be hilarious.

No T-shirts would be good or just give out shirts to the top x male and female runners.

This is one of my favorite stupid courses ever. Some group decided to run a half-marathon in a part of downtown DC where it's pretty hard to get streets shut down. So, they went with this (certified) THREE loop course.

By my count, that's 14 hairpin turns. With two of those turns being at the start/finish. And runners lapping runners lapping runners

bangalangadanga wrote:

1. Most importantly, the races need to be organized by people who actually run races and participate actively in the community of distance running! This allows them to plan almost every detail (however insignificant it may appear) perfectly.

I went back to grad school when I was about 34. The school that I was at had a student running club that I ran with, almost all undergrads. They decided to put on a 10K race. At some point, I pulled the president of the club aside and told her that I had a lot of experience with race logistics (I didn't mention that it was over 50 races including two Olympic trial marathons) and it might be a good idea to involve me in the race logistics. She seemed excited and thanked me for my offer, and I never heard from her or anyone else on the race committee again.

A few days before the race, the club is going to run the race course. A couple of miles into the course, there is a short loop that merges back up with the slightly slower runners. The two groups run a couple of blocks together, then the faster runners keep going straight while the slightly slower runners are supposed to take a left to make the short loop. I think that everyone can figure out what happened. A few days after the race, I asked someone who had run how it went. A big mess, pretty much as I had expected.

A simple question with a complex answer - apologies for the lengthy response.

RAM Racing had an identical problem with last year's Hot Chocolate in Chicago. 40K people running along the lakefront. Nowhere to park - late start, improper finishing times, no awards, etc.

This year, race moved downtown. Was better - but still no one raves about it. People still flocked for the Chocolate though.

Vegas Marathon has had problems for years, thought they would be improved with the Competitor taking over from Devine, no such luck as it appears.

Look, more and more races are coming into the sport to satisfy the majority of runners who do NOT come to this site, who are interested in the experience, not the fast time, who want their T-Shirt and their food - because you need to replenish after a 42 minute 5K. That's not a bad thing from a macro sense, it will help tremendously on future long term healthcare by helping people do something other than eating potato chips while watching the Food Network.

But really, the difference between large races now and those in the past is the simple mentality of competition for competition's sake. It was a race, not an event, back then. (and yes, there were races back 20+ years ago with more than 20,000 runners where you had to run under 55:00 for a 10K to get your shirt)

Off the soapbox - as a veteran of over 1,000 races in the last 34 years and a director of multiple races, here's what runners need and want.

Accuracy - accurate course, accurate splits at the mile marks, accurate finish results.

Convenience - convenient to get to (you'd be amazed how few people will travel more than 10 miles to get to a race), ease of the little things - registration, packet pickup, portajohns, parking - which make it a good experience.

Something unique - something different gets people in. A unique award, a tremendous shirt, a fast course with competition, a great amount of chocolate at the finish - that's what people want to come to a race. There needs to be some reason to select this race over any other that weekend - at least in the major metropolitan areas. On Mother's Day weekend this year my area had 23 separate races - some with 5K & 10K options. How does one choose?

Those of you thinking prize money - hah. No one cares. Sorry. There was a local 10K here offering prize money years ago. Loaded field - 31:05 got you 25th in a field of no more than 400. 3 years later the race was gone - gone broke. Even the free beer didn't help. The perception was - oh, that's the race for the fast people.

I've struggled with this for some time. I recognize that the sport I came into has been, to some degree, taken over by the Penguins and Gallo-walkers of the world. I still maintain shock when I find someone is running a marathon in more than 5 hours - as the first race they've ever run in their entire life - and usually the last as it's off the bucket list. I admit, I cannot come to grips with this at times.

But quality should never fade. Standards should always be set high. The simple basics (1 portajohn for every 75 runners, a correctly measured course, a place to stretch beforehand and commune with a piece of fruit afterward) should not be compromised in the interest of profit. Sadly, for the subject races, it seems like it may have been.

The real problem is that the directors have figured out there are more people likely to attend an EVENT than there are serious runners to run a race. Case in point - Hot Chocolate Chicago this year had over 35,000 runners. A high quality 4 mile the next day (shirt, gloves, accurate course, free photos on the website for you, indoor stretching/award area, under $20 - and course is FAST with 18:32 course record) had less than 400 finishers. And sadly, the EVENTS are winning.

One last point - if you come on here to complain about your local race - what have you done to improve it? How many times this year have you volunteered at a race? Have you offered your services to a race director? Have you ever gone up to a volunteer, who usually has something to do besides help you on a Saturday am, and just said thank you? Have you ever thanked the race director after the race? Have you ever gone up to a sponsor's store the week after the race to buy something and told the manager "thanks for sponsoring the 5K this weekend"? If you haven't, you're really no better than the Gallo-walkers you complain about.

Until you've really worked a race - getting there 3-8 hours in advance, busting your hump moving barricades, meeting with the cops, the vendors, the sponsors, the volunteers, the elites, the volunteers - and then being there for another 2-3 hours afterwards to make sure everything is cleared up - well, you really haven't seen how things can go badly, and how many things have to go right for you to have your good race.

So, for that, I thank LRC for at least starting a thread on this - and I hope that this discussion continues to improve our fine sport.

Mackwamba

It is incredibly annoying waiting for walkers to finish a race before results are complete, which delays awards ceremonies, which in turn delays leaving the race so you can finally get on with your day.

Races should have a "minimum ability" standard. If you are not able to run XX:XX time for Y.Y distance, your entry will not be accepted, or will most certainly be discouraged.

Make the "minimum ability" standard slow, but fast enough to keep out the people who walk just to get a participation t-shirt. For example, for a 10K make it an hour. CLEARLY state on the entry form that timing will stop at 60 minutes, and anyone over that time WILL NOT be included in the results.

The minimum "ability standard" could not be done if the race is more of a fund-raiser than a race. But then they should clearly advertise it a fund-raiser, not really a race. Also, any event like that should never be more than a 5K anyway.

Another issue I see at races is not the race itself, but the awards ceremony. They should clearly state a specific time for the awards ceremony, not just a vague "when results are available". To say that the faster runners get the awards is obvious and redundant. They are also the only ones who want to do a reasonable cool down after a race. Why not cater to them? Let them know exactly when they need to be available to accept their award. We've all been at races where the award winners are not present because they are out doing their cool down. The time for the awards ceremony should be based on and around the people getting the awards, and no one else. If they are delayed because of slow walkers, then set a "minimum ability" standard as mentioned earlier.

Walkers, little kids, costume runners, Biggest Loser contenstants,fraternity dudes, geriatrics (except fast oldies like me self)ect. out of the front! Let's have some standards so the faster runners don't have to stress it to run a fast time, can get a decent warmup, and start unimpeded. Parents, it's not cute to put your kid at the front for picture time, only to get in the way and possiblly run over. Even little races can at least section off a small area at the front for those who should be there, and monitor it.

Accurate distance, and remeasured if changes occured due to construction or any other modification. Also, make a big deal out of an accurate distance and put it in the race info brochure/website.

Extra awards for meeting certain time standards per age/gender. No more medals for everybody.

I think all races especially the big ones should have a post race evaluation that you can fill out online--good or bad comments to make improvements and whatnot.

I believe NYC and Phoenix RnR did...

Prize money. Everything else really doesn't matter. I especially don't need another dumb t-shirt.

As mentioned....Porta Potties! At the PAUSATF race in SF...there were TWO! Also, give us the option of buying a shirt..some are just dumb.

At the races wrote:

Walkers, little kids, costume runners, Biggest Loser contenstants,fraternity dudes, geriatrics (except fast oldies like me self)ect. out of the front! Let's have some standards so the faster runners don't have to stress it to run a fast time, can get a decent warmup, and start unimpeded. Parents, it's not cute to put your kid at the front for picture time, only to get in the way and possiblly run over. Even little races can at least section off a small area at the front for those who should be there, and monitor it.

How about the "little kids" who finish in the top 3-4% of all finishers? How can you tell them apart from the ones who shouldn't be there? If they can run the time, they have as much right to be there as you do. Have had this battle with a few locally over this, although the ones who race frequently here know my kids, and that they belong there.

As a long time runner and a race director of a small 5K fundraiser, I can say I've got most of these excellent suggestions covered. I'm always anxious to get the awards ceremony going and even though I hire professional timers, there is always some glitch holding up the results. 'Free Advice' gave some good advice suggesting a posted time for the awards ceremony. If I figure the slowest joggers will take an hour and add 15 minutes for glitches, I can say the award ceremony will start 1:15 after the start. This will let the 16:00 5K crowd do their cooldown and come back. I'll try this at my next event. Thanks.

There should be one port-a-potty for every expected 50 entrants. Mininum.

A lead vehicle, whether it is a bike, preferable an automobile.

That's all you need to prevent any disasters.

Race registration cutoff time (minimum 30 minutes prior to start, no exceptions). When people are standing in line to late register five minutes before the race is scheduled to start, the other 95% of the participants will get pissed for unexpected delays. Short-term gain, long-term loss.

+100