As a race director with only one event under my belt, I'm curious: Have you ever had a race where you didn't have someone contact you afterward to complain about something? I'm not being sarcastic; I'm honestly curious.
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I just ran my second marathon and noticed many runners had friends on bikes to help them out with words of encouragement, etc. along the course. To what extent can spectators aid runners during a race?
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What are the accepted/required procedures for starting a marathon? Do you have to say, "Ready... set... go"? (Or "Ready... set... (bang!)"?
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I am a 21-year-old female runner, and I have completed two half-marathons and two full marathons. I am a PR-seeker and eventually would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon. One of my biggest problems with achieving a PR during a race has to do with discrepancies between my GPS watch and the race-course measurements.
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Races should allow the transfer of race registrations. Many of us know what's it like to have registered for a marathon only to get an injury and lose the $100 or more.
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I 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.
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More and more commonly, high-profile races are closing out at record pace. What an amazing phenomenon. But is this a good thing or a bad thing?
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Please, for the love of all that is running, let's get an alternative to the race T-shirt! Much as I love them, when you're running multiple events a year, after a few years it gets ridiculous.
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I finished the Louisville Derby Half-Marathon and noticed the thousands of finishers' medals waiting for their owners. How do race directors figure out how many medals to order for any given race without getting stuck with too many, or (worse) too few?
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I’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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I'm trying to get approval to hold a race. I am trying to design the run segment with safety being utmost. I have heard differing opinions on the way the course should be laid out.
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Welcome to RunnersWorld.com's newest blog, "Ask the Race Director." I am Dave McGillivray, Race Director of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and President of Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises, Inc.
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All great race directors could be compared to and actually considered "conductors" of their own special orchestras.
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General Characteristics Needed
- Visualization - being able to visualize every aspect of an event before it happens
- Calm and quick thinking under pressure; patience
- Don't be intimidated by the challenge
- You need to be exceptionally well organized; being prepared; labor intensive; don't leave to race day
- Charisma and leadership qualities and ability to surround yourself with hard working, dependable and experienced people; trust (to a point), always follow up
- Great to be involved in a sport where you make people feel good about themselves