The PEI Roadrunners are often approached about helping to organize a new run. The information provided below outlines the support that we provide, and lists some things that you should consider for a new run. The list is not exhaustive, but should help you get started.

Support from the PEI Roadrunners:

The Roadrunners can help by:

Items For You to Consider:

The following items (in no particular order) are things you should consider:

One of the best things to do before becoming a race director is to contact an existing race director and ask them if you can shadow them on their race day to see what they do.

Further details...

Pre-race Considerations

Decide on a distance, race date, and start time. One of the first decisions to be made when hosting an event is the reason for the event. Various ideas may be: to raise money for charity, to celebrate an event happening in the community (parade), to simply provide people with an opportunity to get active at a time in the race calendar that is quiet, to raise money for a fellow runner to participate in National/International events, or to simply support the PEI Roadrunners.

Distance

After you decide why to have a race/event choosing the distance is your next step. Events range from short 1km walks/runs to marathons. It’s important to set a distance that will draw the crowd of people you desire. For most beginners a 5km fun run is popular, perhaps for more seasoned runners a half-marathon or marathon could be selected. Some distances to choose from are the following: 1km walk/run, 2.5 km walk/run, 5km, 8km (5 Mile), 10km, 16km (10 Mile), half marathon, 25km, marathon and ultra-marathon (anything over full marathon distance). Obviously any distance can be chosen, these are just the most common distances in the calendar.

Date

Choosing the date is very important and should be done so with careful consideration. Some race dates coincide with community events such as parades and festivals. Others find a date that is exclusive to runners and that is a quiet time in the community allowing more people to get active during a certain time of the year. It’s important to be aware of other events happening in the community so there are no conflicts, and runners do not have to choose between two or more races. Also, you may want to choose a time of year that many runners are active, to increase the number of participants at your event.

Start Time

Selecting a start time is very important as the elements of Island weather can play a factor in participation. In the summer it is recommended that all races are started by 9:00 am in the morning and before 6:00pm in the evening. Visibility, temperature, traffic and daylight are all considerations to make when selecting a start time for your event. 

Minimum Age Recommendations

Athletics Canada, in their document “Guidelines for the inclusion of Children and Youth in Road Races”, issued the following recommendation for minimum age for road races:

The PEI Roadrunners strongly suggest adhering to these guidelines.

Budget

Another important aspect of organizing an event is how to manage the expenses and potential revenues that your race may incur. Here is a list of probable expenses you will run into as you plan for your event:

It is advised to “over buy” everything that will be given to runners. That way, you will not disappoint any participants by running out of gear, nutrition, goodies etc. You can always use the extra supplies for a future event or donate them to another race director in need. After you have an idea of how much your expenses will be, you can decide on a fee for your event. It is always best to overestimate your expenses and under-estimate your revenue (as many variable can affect number of participants on race day).

Revenue

Revenue can be gained in various ways. You can ask a sponsor to support the race with a monetary donation or through a donation of goods or services. You can also gain revenue from your registration fees if there are a large number of participants in your event. Some other possible sources for revenue are:

Race Route Selection and Measurement

Choosing a route is important to the success of an event. Safety is the number one priority for runners, volunteers, traffic control and spectators. Here are a few suggestions when choosing a route for your run.

Measurement

When measuring the race route, consider the following guidelines:

Department of Transportation Permits and Municipal Permission

To hold an event on the highway a permit must be approved by the PEI Department of Transportation and local Municipality. These events include: 

To host an event that uses public roads and highways within the Province of Prince Edward Island outside any municipality, a Permit is required from the Department of Transportation and Public Works, as well as a post-race Summary. For events that use roads within a municipality, permission is usually obtained from the local Town Hall or Police Service. Events that use both provincial and municipal roads require permission from both the province and the municipality. This may require getting a permit from the Province as well as the Municipality if they request you to do so. 

Applications for Department of Transportation Event Permits are HERE and the post-race Summary form is HERE

Publicity and Posters

There are numerous ways to advertise your event for the running community. Some examples are:

It’s important to include all pertinent information regarding the race including the date, location, time and distance as well as registration information (online vs on site). Most advertising comes with a cost so remember to consider this in your race budget. If you are a PEI Roadrunner’s Sanctioned event we encourage you to use our logo on your promotional material.

Registration Forms 

The registration form should contain all of the information required by the race organizers to host the event. Registration Forms are available to download and print on the PEI RoadRunners website HERE or you may create your own. They should include as a minimum:

Waiver of Liability

It is up to the race director to have an official waiver available for all race participants to sign prior to the race. There is a waiver available to download HERE on PEI Roadrunners website. You should seek a lawyer to have a look at the waiver to confirm its validity before having participants sign. The waiver will protect you and the PEI Roadrunners in the event there is a legal suit or liability. All participants have to sign the waiver to participate. Runners under Run Canada’s minimum age for any given distance require a parents’ signature on the waiver as well. 

Sponsors

It is not necessary to have sponsors for your event, but it can be of great value as it helps with your overall budget, prizes and prestige of your event. The advantages to the sponsors are: having their name associated with a health-related event; a local community, regional or provincial event; having their company’s name displayed to the participants; and ultimately to provide their business with more visibility to a health-related target audience.

Bib Numbers and Safety Pins

Bib Numbers are important to have for runners to wear for identification and will help with confirming results, and also help identify any racers in large crowds, someone who may have cheated, short cut or committed a foul against another racer and help motorists realize there is an event happening as they are meeting runners). If your race is sanctioned, bibs are included in your sanctioning fee. If not, bibs can be purchased from the PEI RoadRunners for 40 cents each or purchased elsewhere.

Event Timing

Timing of your event can be done using several different methods and it depends on the number of participants, start and finish area of the race and how many volunteers you have to help with timing needs. 

If the race is small (<50 participants) a standard stopwatch will usually work well, but it’s important to have several people coordinate their watches to make sure the timing is accurate. It also means more volunteers will be needed to record bib numbers and times at the finish line. 

If a race is larger, the PEI Roadrunners manual race clock can be used along with a back up source of timing (stopwatch). That way, participants can see their times as they finish and it adds to the excitement of the finish. It’s also a clear landmark of where the finish line is. Volunteers will still need to be available at the finish to record bib numbers and times. 

If your race is larger than 100 participants it may be convenient to hire a chip-timing provider to take care of your timing needs. Using chip timing, every participant receives a chip to put on their shoe and timing mats are used at the start and finishing lines that will automatically track and records your race time. Using this method results are automatically recorded and categorized to your liking. The type of timing selected also depends on the amount of money you’re willing to invest into the event.

A back up source of timing should still be used when using chip timing. The timing company may also provide this service. Stopwatch timing is of course free and if coordinated properly can be effective. 

To use the PEI Roadrunners clock there is a fee if you are not a sanctioned event, and it must be reserved at least a month before your event to ensure it’s available. 

There are several chip timing companies in the Maritimes that can time your event, but it’s advised to contact them many weeks or even months in advance to ensure they’re available.

Race Registration, Course/Set Up, Start/ Finish Area

Registration

The first thing runners look for the day of an event is how to register. There are several things to have prepared on race day for all participants including:

Course Set-up

Before your event starts it’s important to have your course marked well and set up completely including:

Race Start

The race start should be well marked and large enough to stretch across the road for several people to start side by side. The line should be clearly visible and official starter should remind runners where start line is several minutes before race start. If it’s a chip timed race, all participants should be notified that they need to run across the timing mats for an accurate and legitimate time. Traffic should be stopped if your start is on a busy street (police presence is important for this). Race director should give loud and clear instructions to runners about the route including instructions, landmarks, traffic etc. Race director should clearly count down from 3 to start the race using their voice or megaphone/horn. All timers should be ready and coordinated before the race starts to ensure proper timing for the event.

Finish Area

Volunteers, Course Set Up and Course Marshaling

Volunteers

Traffic Control and Course Marshaling

Lead Vehicle

There should be a lead vehicle at the front of the event. The driver of the vehicle should know the event route, and be aware of any dangerous intersections and other danger areas. The purpose of the lead vehicle is to warn on-coming traffic of the event in progress, to show the lead runners the correct direction, and to give the on-route volunteers notice that the participants are on their way and to be ready for them. Usually, the lead vehicle is a well-marked police or emergency vehicle. In shorter races, or races that use a multiple loop or trail route, a bicycle can be used as the lead. The cyclist must be fast, have the ability to communicate directly with emergency responders (e.g., with a cell phone or walkie-talkie), and be easily identifiable as an official of the race.

Trail Vehicle

A trail vehicle is an added safety feature for your race. The trail vehicle should follow the very last runner through the finish line. It is wise to have this person trained in first aid and have a cell phone to reach emergency services if needed. In a trail event, a trail cyclist is an alternative.

Water Stops, Hydration, Nutrition and Cups

Water Stops

Water stops are extremely important, especially for longer distance races. They require time

and volunteers to set up and tear down and need to be fully stocked for all runners.

Here are a few things to remember when setting up a water stop:

Hydration

We do not recommend offering sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade before, during or after a race. 

Sports drinks provide fluids, energy from sugar (carbohydrates) for your muscles and brain, and electrolytes to replace what you lose during exercise; however they are often over-used and not always needed.

Nutrition

PEI Roadrunners races do not need to serve food. People walking or running a 5 km race likely do not require a “recovery snack”.

Participants at your events are demonstrating interest in their physical and mental health, so it’s recommended that if you offer foods and beverages that they support healthy behaviours.

In addition to water, here are some examples of good choices to serve:

For more information on various Sport Nutrition topics from Dietitians of Canada click on the link of your choice.

Refueling to recover after exercise

Fuelling up before exercise

Sports Hydration

Sports Supplements

Eating Well for Vegetarian Athletes

For further information about sports drinks and sugary drinks please refer to this handout by Dietitians of Canada.

For more specific information on nutrition and athletic performance please see this site by Dietitians of Canada.

First Aid

All races need to have a first aid responder present on the day of your event. This can be a Doctor, Nurse, Trained First Aid person or an ambulance, and would depend on the size of the event and how many people are participating.

Course Tear-Down

Volunteers should be asked to tear down water stops and course markers after the last participant and trail vehicle passes their station. Vehicles will be needed for transport of pylons, tables etc.

Results

All results should be gathered and displayed as soon as possible after the race. If your event is chip timed, the timing company should have results posted quickly. If not, it’s important that volunteers are aware of the timeliness of results as runners are very keen to see their positions, times, divisions etc. Results should be sent immediately to the PEI Roadrunners so they can be posted on their website and points can be tabulated for Point Races.