This question is often presented to the club but unfortunately does not have a simple answer. A few things to consider if you are thinking about putting on a road race:
- Most races DO NOT make money. If you are trying to raise money you will need to solicit sponsorship from outside businesses. Raising your entry fee to raise funds is usually not a good idea as people are only willing to pay so much to run a race. If you want to raise funds there are much easier ways then putting on a road race.
- Course layout – You will need to get any race course approved by the city of Huntsville (or whatever government agency has oversight of the area). This is usually done via the event permit that you will need to submit to the police department. You must consider how your race course will affect the local resident/businesses. You need to try and minimize any negative impact your course might have on people getting to and from their homes/businesses. Also, safety of the runners is paramount. Don’t start a race on a narrow greenway or with a turn immediately after the start. Consider the safety of the runners when laying out the course.
- Course date – DO NOT schedule your race on a date already used by an existing event. Not only is it very poor taste but most runners will run an existing event rather than a new, unproved one so you will ultimately be hurting your own event.
- Make sure you have plenty of volunteers. Failure to adequately staff your event will results in a sub par event that will quickly be branded by runners as an event not to do.
- Liability Insurance – This may be required by any facilities you use.
- T-shirts/Awards – There are numerous vendors who can supply these typical race amenities.
Remember, there is far more that goes into a race than just what occurs on race day. If you have specific questions you may contact the club president for more information.
