The idea was given to us by a team member saying we should try to host a 5k run in order to raise money. Just wondering if anyone has done this before and if so what kind of planning went into it and how did turn out and any tips.
I’ve never come close to organizing a race, but as an amateur runner and triathlete, I can tell you what the your “customers” want:
- Make sure the course is measured well! I did a “10k” last year and got a PB by 3-4 minutes over my last 10k time - turns out the course was 800m short. There are particular procedures for how to measure a course, runners appreciate if a course is exactly as long as advertised.
- Make sure the course is marked extremely well! It sucks running along not being sure if you missed a corner since you haven’t seen a marker for a couple minutes. Also, lots of people that need glasses will run without them, so the course markers should be extremely clear
- Post results promptly
- At least among frequent competitors, nobody cares about getting a t-shirt. I have more 5k and triathlon shirts than I know what to do with.
- If you cross major roads, make sure you’ve got the cops to block traffic for you. It sucks coming up to a road and having to decide between stopping or risking a “I’m not entirely sure if no-one is coming” crossing. In general, don’t cross major roads.
It’d be neat if you did something robot-ey, like had your robot “run alongside” people for the last 100m of the finish. This would obviously depend on how off-carpet-capable your robot is. Or maybe had past robots or past banners (if you’ve got them) displayed along the route (Weather permitting).
Cool idea though, 5ks are very big nowadays. You can probably make some extra money by having a pre-race or post-race kids race, since a lot of the 5k runners will be parents and will probably have to bring their kids along.
Hi,
I am run many 5k’s, 10k’s, and 15k’s. The major problem I have found is that the drink/eating aspect is a huge problem. I went to a race, once, that at the end there was no water or anything to eat/munch on. Here’s a tip: maybe have a BBQ like thing and definitely supply water.
Something that might work would be to pair up with a local running club - they probably have people who know how to host a race. Or maybe you could say “we’ll provide all the manpower and help advertise your race if we get a cut of the proceeds”.
I have not hosted a 5K as a robotics fundraiser but have hosted some races as T&F or CC fundraisers. (Before I forget, feel free to PM me with questions.)
Bongle made some good points. These days I will also tell you that some sort of automatic timing system is going to be expected. I think the best thing you can do is see if there is a local running specialty store you might be able to involve. Many of them run road races and can be hired at reasonable rates. They also have a lot of experience with the details. Such stores are also the best place to go for help promoting your race. They will usually let you have signs at the store and will post about the race on their web pages and Facebook pages. Sometimes they will send out information on their email lists. This is the best way to get out the word.
Get your school’s cross country involved to help promote the race. If it is out of the HS track and cross country seasons you might try allowing people to run as individuals or as members of teams. You can score the team races by CC scoring or average time or some other method. A team aspect and a summer race can often net you a bunch of high school runners getting ready for their fall season. Those are the kinds of folks who might become regulars, running your race every year.
This is like the La Canada Robo Rally! 2429 hosts that event! 
We are doing a run and walk next November at an 89 acre park/forest, but we have the expertise of someone who ran and set up these things in town for years and years. From the things he rattled off, this is not something you go in lightly. Get an expert.
Timing system, awards, t-shirts, sign-up website, plenty of volunteers, good signage (when volunteers don’t show up to guide the way), water, good path, sponsors. And I don’t think Jim told us half the stuff to plan for. I was glad Jim knew exactly what was needed. Runners who do these things need plenty of advanced warning, and good weather, so schedule carefully. Get an expert.
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.
We are considering it and will be using http://www.amazon.com/Host-Earn-Thousands-Profit-ebook/dp/B0072TLE9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368814901&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+host+a+5k to help assist with our planning.