Take a look at our post on trail Web sites for more information about trail running.

Happy Trails!

Summary and Lessons Learned

We covered many aspects of planning a trail race in the first four parts of this series. It is almost certain that some things were missed. The lesson there is that something will most certainly get missed along the way while you are planning your race. The perfect race day you have imagined does not exist. An aid station may run out of candy before the last runners pass. You may have a late start to the race. You may even have a communications problem that plagues your best-planned intentions. In my race, the food preparers cut up 40 potatoes and left them in bowls in my refrigerator, which is exactly where they still were on race day.

The most important lesson I learned as a first time race director is to put forth your best effort and show up on race day with enthusiasm and excitement. The runners will remember that and they will remember the people who helped them at aid stations throughout the race.

If you follow the steps in this series of articles that is great. But remember to show up on race day with a smile and instruct your volunteers to do the same. Any minor race snafu will likely be overlooked and the runners will get the only things most of them want anyway—a memorable and fun race.

Happy planning!

Race Logistics

Lots of different things make up the logistics on race day.

1. Course markings.
   Make sure people won’t get lost on your course becuase if they do you may be responsible. Mark your course clearly the day before the race. Typical trail markings might be ribbons, flours, stakes, etc. I would suggest two methods as flour can wear away and other users of the trail can take ribbons or stakes.
2. Communications.
   You need to talk to the different aide stations, track runners, etc. In mountainous trail races you may have to use amateur radio to accomplish this. You can contact your local amateur radio club to have them help you round up volunteers. Otherwise, cell phone or two-way radios are essential.
3. Volunteers. I found it beneficial to put someone in charge of volunteers. This is a large job. You need to know how many people will be working each aid station, who will do the trail marking, on-site registration, and other tasks. You should actually have started working on volunteers very early on in this process. Contact local running groups, place ads online and to mailing lists, etc. Make sure you have enough so you don’t end up with an unstaffed aid station on race day. Medical personal are very important as well, so if you can swing it have at least one person at each aid station who is medically or first-aid trained.
4. Transportation and parking.
   Adequate parking is essential. You should have planned your race around a location with a large enough parking area to cover all the runners and spectators. If you have not, you will need to look into chartering a bus or passanger van. There are several companies that offer this service and school bus rental is a relatively cheap way to shuttle people between your parking area and your race.
5. On-site registration. If your race doesn’t sell out before race day you will probably want to offer registration the day of the race. Usually the fee is a bit more for this service. Make sure you have a plan for what to do with the cash/checks and have enough people to handle the registration based on how large your race is.
6. Bib pickup. Runners really like it when they can pick up their bibs and/or goodie bags before race day. If possible, find a location (maybe your pre-race dinner) where runners can stop by and pick up their goodies early.
7. Time tracking. There are several timing companies that can offer this service for you. If you are putting together a smaller and longer race you may want to track time yourself down to the nearest minute and save yourself the cost of hiring a timing company. Make sure you have an accurate and consistent time keeping device if you plan to track this yourself.
8. Food and beverages.The bane of many race directors is not having enough food and/or water at the aid stations. This is something your runners will remember. A good rule of thumb for water might be 32 oz. per runner per aid station. If nothing else, and you can afford it, have TOO MUCH food and water at your stations. You don’t want to run out.
9. Dropped and injured runners. Almost any trail race will have at least one injured or dropped runner. If you have limited first aid personnel, make sure you have someone at your start/finish line to tend to returning and injured runners. You also need to make sure you have a method for dropped runners to be returned to the finish line. In some cases you may only have certain spots where a runner can drop. In other cases you may want to have a roaming shuttle driver to pick up those too injuried to move or too beat up to continue. You would still want to limit these pickups to aid station locations.

   Drop bags (for ultras). Drop bags are typical for any race longer than 50 miles. You may even see this option in race distances from 50K – 50 Miles. If your race is an ultra, you should offer a drop bag option to your runners. How you get their bags to the drop location is up to you. Perhaps you could have them drop off their bags the day before (with their name and bib# clearly marked). Or you could have them bring their bags to race-day check-in and shuttled the bags to the drop location with your aid station workers.

In our final part of this series, we will look at lessons learned from a first time race director and help you avoid making some of the same mistakes!

Advertising & Sponsors

Before I begin part 3 I do need to remind you of the time committment in planning a race. As you can tell by the sporadic updates to this 5 part series, I have been busy. Planning a trail races takes A LOT of time. If you don’t think you have the time, don’t do it. Or make sure you have a team of people helping you in which to delegate tasks. Taking on this kind of planning solo is a big mistake unless it is the only job you have.

By now you have a lot of your basics covered and hopefully have insurance and a permit. Some of your sponsors may require proof of these, and some of them may require their name to be on the insurance depending on what they are providing for you.

Advertising Steps

1. Do you have a Web site yet? If not stop what you are doing (after you finish reading this article) and get that done first. This is going to be the main source of information for your race and the more details your site has the more runners will appreciate it —even if the site is put together in five minutes using a Web-page generator program. A flashy site can help, but most of all it needs to be practical.
2. Set up the registration process. You can offer mail in registration, internet registration or both. It’s probably a good convenience idea to offer both to your entrants. The most common internet registration site is active.com. They charge a fee per transaction. You can cover this fee, build it all into your price of registration, charge the entrant, or do a combination of covering a portion of the fee and passing half on to the entrants. If you are not a fan of active.com, I’m sure it would be easy to search around and find alternatives for online registration.
3. Start placing ads. You can do this for free on many Web sites including Runners World, Trail Runner, etc. You can also put your listing in magazines such as Trail Runner and Ultra Runner. You really should place you ad in as many places as possible. In most cases you don’t need to pay for advertising and can probably get enough people to your race with all the free advertising options available.
4. Spread the word. Talk to everyone you meet about your race. Tell your friends to talk about your race. This will be easy if it’s a good race. People will be excited and they will start talking. The word will spread.
5. Strike up a partnership. Maybe there is another race or organization around you who does similar type of events? If so, talk to them about a flier exchange or maybe even a booth exchange. You can each advertise at each others events assuming your events don’t conflict too much.

Sponsor Steps

1. Determine your needs. Do you need water? That’s an obvious one. But think about what else you need. If it’s a longer race you may want electrolyte capsules. For any size race you will want water, an electrolyte drink, something to eat at aide stations, gels, etc.
2. Go after the right sponsors. Make a list and then start looking for sponsors who could fill your needs. Try to stay away from any sponsorships that could be considered a conflict. Don’t talk to two different gel companies just so you can get lots of product at your race. Remember they are giving you product to advertise, not to just be another company giving you stuff.
3. Do you need sponsorship levels? Somtimes a race has gold, silver, broze sponsorship levels, etc. This may be a good way to differentiate sponsors who have given you a lot of goodies. Sponsorship levels are not required and many smaller races don’t use them.
4. Plug your sponsors. If you have race shirts put them on the back of your shirt. We have all seen these before. Make sure you put their logos on your web site. If you send out race updates to your registered runners you can plug specific sponsors in these emails. Another opportunity for plugs might be at a pre-race dinner or pre-race announcements.

In our next installation we will start looking at some of the logisitcs of the actual race. Stay tuned!

1. Extreme Ultrarunning is David’s Horton’s site. He is legendary in the world of ultrarunning and known for being the only American to ever complete the nearly impossible Barkley Ultra and setting the Pacific Crest Trail speed record (66 days – 2,659 miles).
2. Charlie Engle has a blog and website and is currently in the middle of running 4,000 miles across the Sahara Desest.
3. Krissy Moehl chronicals her running adventures in her personal blog. She is on fire and has set 4 course records this year, including the new women’s record at the grueling Santa Barbara 9 Trails last week.
4. Ever controversial Dean Karnazes has a blog, a website, and you can currently track him as he runs across the United States on the way back home from running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.
5. Known for a 7 year winning streak at Western States and a current 2 years streak at Badwater, Scott Jurek is a force to be reckoned with.
6. Stehpanie Ehret may only be 100 pounds (according to her site), but she was first overall (men & women) at the 2003 Javelina Jundred.
7. Photographer, runner and now race director – Luis Escobar’s site is called All We Do Is Run
8. Peter Bakwin is Stephanie Ehret’s husband and recent finisher of the impressive double Hard Rock.

That is the list I have come up with. Who am I missing? It’s hard to determine who is considered “elite” in ultra running circles. I tried to stick to well known names and runners who finish in the top 5 or 10 of their races. I’m sure I’ve missed some. A listing of some ultra runners web pages can be found here.

Related Articles

1. 25 Celebrity Marathon Runners
2. Blogs by Elite/Famous Runners Courtesy of Runner’s World
3. Runners on MySpace
4. Elite/Famous Runner Web Sites

Scott Dunlap’s blog is all about trail running, ultrarunning, and triathlon racing in the Western United States. His blog often contains great interviews with other trail runners. For example, this week he featured an interview with Jasper Halekas, the 2006 Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile winner. The slogan for the race: “A glimse of heaven, a taste of hell.” Scott ran the 50-mile distance and finished 16th.

One of my favorite interviews he did was with Sharlene Wills, a blind trail runner. She’s 5’1”, in her mid-50’s, and the only blind woman on the trail. Sharlene has completed over 40 marathons and a dozen trail runs. Wow!

To help you find more of Scott’s interviews, he includes an index. Besides write-ups on trail running or races Scott adds humor to his blog. Ever wonder about a runner’s high? You might want to read his write-up on that one. Scott recently became a dad. congrats Scott!

If you’re thinking about trying a trail race check out Scott’s blog. He may have a write-up on the race you are thinking about.

Got a Web site to recommend? Leave me a comment with the details.

You’ve been bit by the “race director bug” but the problem is you don’t know where to begin. We’ll take a look at the process from the eyes of this first time race director (me), and we’re going to start, of course, from the beginning.

Putting together a race takes a lot of planning. If you aren’t much of a planner, you might want to think about partnering with someone who is. Passion is also another key element which you probably already have if you have gotten to this point. Your passion will drive you forward as you put things together, and inevitably run into an obstacle or two or 10.

Start with the basics such as a tentative name of your race, location, distance and how big or small you want it to be.

Contact other race directors—especially local ones if possible. Veteran race directors can be a great source of information, and if they are local, may be able to give you invaluable inside tips to getting your race off the ground.

Talk to runners, local and out of state. Gauge initial interest in the race and see if people may be willing to travel to your event or if you will only end up with local entrants.

You also need to think about if you want to make money or not. Truth be told, many race directors, especially first-timers, can end up in the hole. Remember the passion that drives you? If you are driven solely by the money, you might want to go get a paper route because that may just pay better. Either way, figure out if you are looking for a profit or if you plan to go non-profit. If you go non-profit, you need to think about partnering with another non-profit organization to use their non-profit tax status, or you may have to set up your own company for a nominal fee, but this can take some time.

Another key element is when? You at least need a tentative date for your race. Look at other race schedules and make sure you are not conflicting with an event that may draw people away from yours. For instance, it’s really not a good idea to plan a trail marathon in the Los Angeles area on the same day as the Los Angeles Marathon.

Let’s summarize the basics you will need to get things started:

1. Passion for the race;
2. Some form of organizational skills;
3. Race Name, distance, location & size;
4. Talk to other race directors (local if possible);
5. Gage interest by talking to runners;
6. Decide if you want to make a profit;
7. Pick a date (at least a tentative one to start).

Next month we’ll go into some specifics of your first steps as a new race director!

While this list is written with the intent of solo trail running in mind, it’s also a good list to follow if you are running with a partner or trail running group.

1. Wear the proper shoes. Trail running shoes are a good idea since they provide more stability, traction, and often water resistance. Go get fitted for a pair at REI or another store that carries trail shoes.
2. Bring enough water and food. It is very easy to get lost on a trail or end up out there longer than you planned. Bring more than you think you’ll need.
3. Use the buddy system. Tell a friend where you are going and for about how long. Call them when you get back.
4. Don’t wear headsets. This is hard for most of us, so if you must, make sure you keep the volume low so you can still hear people, animals, bikers, etc.
5. Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. You should be constantly scanning your environment to keep an eye out for predators (feline and human). Sometimes your best defense is just to be aware.
6. Carry a cell phone. Good idea for emergencies.
7. Carry pepper spray. Can be invaluable against human—or animal—attacks. (Note that some states have laws governing use of pepper spray.)
8. Don’t run the same route every day. This gives a would-be attacker an added advantage—especially if you also do this at the same time every day.
9. Consider leaving your dog at home (in mountain lion country). Running with a dog is often a mountain lion attractor and can give a false sense of security.
10. Carry ID or Get a RoadID. In a worst case situation if you pass out or become otherwise injured and unable to talk, having proper I.D. can be extremely important.

But I also have this odd feeling of guilt, a weird sense that I’ve somehow turned my back on the roads and the track and have become—gasp—a trail runner. I belong to a track club that was started by Bill Rodgers, once counted Alberto Salazar and Greg Meyer among its members and is coached by Tom Derderian, a world-class marathoner in his own right. We have some of the fastest and most versatile road racers in the country on our roster and consistently win national club titles year after year. I consider it an honor to train with these folks.

But lately I’ve found myself missing practice in order to run seven or eight miles on the trails. Now, for those of you who started on the trails and only run on the roads in order to get to the next section of trail, this is probably a hard concept to grasp. But for me and most of my running friends, “real runners” put in their miles on the asphalt and the track.

Birkenstocks, Anyone?

To us, trail running was essentially just fast hiking and was favored by people who drove Subarus or Toyota Priuses, lived in Colorado or Vermont and took frequent breaks for granola and green tea. They were more interested in enjoying the scenery than running fast and improving their race times. We sneered at their goofy 16-ounce shoes, laughed at their 50-minute 10K times and dismissed them as non-athletes.

Even now, when I do go to track practice or talk to one of my other running pals and they ask how my running is going, I kind of look at the ground and mumble that I’ve been running on trails a lot. The typical response is something like, “What, you don’t like running anymore?” or “Really? Tell PETA I said what up.”

But the exhilaration and joy I get from trail running outweighs all of this. And isn’t that what this whole thing is all about? Sure, I love to run fast times and collect trophies, but none of that matters much if I’m not having fun. And I gotta tell you, I’m having a big pile of fun right now.