[Carol]

We used a 5K run/walk for three years as a fundraiser, with mixed results. There are two ways to organize a race. One, you go through a group who does this professionally - if you talk to your local running group you can probably find one easily. (our local one is races2run.com if you want an example). For a fee they will mark the course, provide the numbers, timing systems, cones, tables, post the results, etc. If you want to attract a lot of the area's serious/frequent runners, this is the way to go.***

However, we found that we needed at least 100 runners in order to make a profit this way. Profit is made more from sponsors than from registration fees. The advantage is, you can get different sponsors for a race than you would for your team directly - sports stores, etc. You may be able to get someone to donate the tshirts, prizes, food, etc.

You can also arrange the race yourself, avoiding the fees from the organization. You won't draw from the running community as much, but you get most of the registration fees as profit. You do need to measure and mark the course, get bib numbers, and arrange for some type of timing system.

Time of year is a consideration too. May-Oct is the peak race season and you may find that many of the dates already have multiple races scheduled. Outside the peak season you may be the only race scheduled that weekend but you are more likely to get adverse runners (we had snow at one of ours in early April!) Weeknight races attract less people than weekend races. And the weather has a big impact.

So you need to decide - would you attract enough runners (and walkers) from people who want to support your cause, i.e. your school, family, friends, so that you don't need to tap into the local running community? Or do you want to make it a "real" 5k and get the running community to show up, but pay more? Either way, it can be a great way to raise thousands of dollars. Some of the 5Ks I have run have 800 runners (although, these are for big causes like leukemia - it is harder to get lots of people to come out to support a robot team!) Partnering with a school, restaurant, etc., helps a lot - especially for two important items, water and bathrooms.


*** by real runners I mean the local running community, who go to 5K/10K races almost every week and track their times. They are much more likely to go to a race where they know the mileage and timing is accurate. Every area has one. Even here in little Delaware, some of the races I run can have 500-1000 runners, if it's an "official" course in a nice area, with good food and giveaways.