No matter how meticulous your planning, sooner or later something unexpected is going to occur that is going to require you to make on-the-spot decisions. Veteran race directors Dave McGillivray and Sean Ryan offer some tips on what to do (and not do) when disaster happens.
Read MoreLately, I’ve been running in a lot of road races in preparation for the World Marathon Challenge (in fact, when you read this, I'll be a week from landing in Antarctica for the first of seven marathons). I haven’t participated in this many races in such a short period of time in 20 years. Back then, however, I was running fairly well, like in the 6-minutes per mile range. Now I’m closer to 7-minutes or even 8-minutes a mile. It’s a different experience running with the masses versus running closer toward the front with the faster and more competitive folks.
Read More“It’s not over until it's over” is a cliché, so as a race director, I usually say, “It’s not over until all the post-race reports are in from all your key people.”
Read MoreThere was a time when I thought a road race could never be sold. Who would buy it and what exactly would the buyer be buying anyway? Today, however, races are now being bought and sold left and right. Boy, did I miss the bus on that one.
Read More“You actually get paid to direct a road race?” How many times have we all had someone say that to us?! Um, yes, we get paid… well, most of the time.
Read MoreWhen managing our races, we tend to focus a lot on the elite leaders in the race: we make sure they go in the right direction, they follow our lead vehicles, and they're cheered on by thousands of spectators. However, what about the last runner(s)?
Read MoreI am a race director, but I was a runner before I was a race director, so I’m not totally the enemy. Frankly, I think of myself as a runner first and then a race director.
Read MoreDave McGillivray writes about what it's like to run races he directs.
Read MoreI've wondered from time to time: How is a run of 10 people different from a race of 10 people, as far as tracking results go, or official results and rankings?
Read MoreRules and policies — the U.S. government has the Bill of Rights, the Catholic religion has the Ten Commandments, but what does the sport of road racing have? Not a whole lot, really.
Read MoreHow does a race director determine how many porta-potties to order for their race?
Read MoreI was at a race this weekend where the rules clearly prohibit strollers, jogging or otherwise, in the 10-K and 5-K. My friend didn't have anyone to watch her baby while she ran and felt she had to skip the race. But when I got there, I found plenty of people running with their jogging strollers anyway.
Read MoreI am trying to start a half-marathon, 10-K, and 5-K event. The proceeds will benefit a program for veterans with post-traumatic stress at a veterans hospital. I'm hoping that about 1,000 people will enter.
Read MoreI started working on this project at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. I met with the folks at Turner Sports at the CNN building. They asked me to direct the 1998 Goodwill Games Triathlon in NYC. Why not, I asked.
Read MoreI'm wondering why most races (and especially marathons) are held on Sundays.
Read MoreI used to think the more signs (operational and functional signs, not sponsor signs) at an event, the better. However, throughout the years, I’ve come to realize more is not necessarily better, and it's not simply the number of signs but many other factors that come into play.
Read MoreI've been a runner for most of my life, and I love running in races. I've volunteered at a handful, too, and recently realized I would love to make it a career—working for something like, say, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series. How should I go about meeting the right people and gaining the experience to do this?
Read MoreI hope you'll indulge me to mention a pet peeve of mine. It involves time limits. I've done a few marathons lately that announced a 6-hour time limit. I'm a walker and it takes me 5 1/2 to 6 hours to complete a marathon.
Read MoreI’d like to know why the fee is so high to register online for some races. It only makes life easier for the race organizers when I register online, yet for some races, they charge an extra $6 or more to register online.
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