How to put on your first 5K

A plain checklist for a school, charity, church or club doing this for the first time. Nothing here needs experience, only starting early enough.

1. Decide why, when and how big

• Why: name the cause in one sentence. It goes on everything.
• When: pick a Saturday or Sunday morning. Check the local race calendar so you are not on top of a bigger race nearby.
• How big: a first race usually draws 50 to 200 people. Plan for 100 and be pleased with more.
• Who: you need a small team: one person for the course, one for volunteers, one for money and sponsors, and you.

2. Choose a course

• A park loop or a trail is far easier than roads, because nobody has to close a street.
• 5 kilometers is 3.1 miles. Measure it with a GPS watch or a mapping tool, twice.
• Look for parking, toilets and a flat open space for the start and finish.

3. Get permission and insurance

• Call the park office or town hall and ask what permit an organized run needs. Do this first; some take weeks.
• If the course crosses or uses a road, ask the police department what they require.
• Ask about event insurance. Your school, church or charity may already be covered; if not, the permit office can tell you what they expect. Running club associations also offer event cover to members.

4. Set the price and open registration

• Most local 5Ks charge 20 to 35 dollars, less for children. Decide what the fee includes: usually a bib, and often a shirt.
• Open sign-ups at least three months ahead. People register late, but the early ones tell their friends.
• Watch the fees. Many registration sites keep a percentage and a per-runner charge, paid by you or added to the runner's total. On a small charity race that money is the point of the day.

5. Find sponsors and supplies

• Ask local businesses for a set amount in return for their name on the shirt and a sign at the finish. Ask in writing, with the date and the cause.
• Order bibs and safety pins. Order shirts only once you have a count; ask for sizes at registration.
• Water, cups and a few folding tables. Fruit or bagels at the finish are a nice touch, not a requirement.

6. Decide how you will time it

• Fun run: a big clock at the finish and no official results. Perfectly fine for a first year.
• Hand timing: two volunteers with a stopwatch app and a clipboard, taking bib numbers in order.
• Chip timing: a local timing company does it for a fee. Worth it once you pass about 150 runners.

7. Line up volunteers

• Plan on one volunteer for every ten runners: registration table, each turn on the course, the water stop, the finish line.
• Give each one a single job and a single place to stand, in writing.
• Tell them the arrival time is an hour before the start.

8. Think about safety

• Have a first aid kit and someone who knows how to use it. Know the address to give if you have to call for help.
• Mark every turn with a sign or a person. Lost runners are the most common complaint at small races.
• Decide now what you do in a thunderstorm or extreme heat, and say so on the race page.

9. Send one clear email

• Start time, address, where to park, where to pick up a bib, and what happens in bad weather.
• Print the list of registered runners for the check-in table.

10. Run the morning

• Arrive two hours early. Mark the course first, then set up the tables.
• Open bib pick-up an hour before the start and close it ten minutes before.
• Say thank you at the start line: to the runners, the volunteers and each sponsor by name.

11. Close it out

• Tell everyone how much was raised. It is the reason they came, and the reason they will come back.
• Thank the sponsors in writing and ask them now about next year.
• Write down what you would change while you still remember.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Permit and insurance rules differ by town and by park, so confirm them locally. © Vesslay.