What do you look for at a 5k?

[klindstrom]

Hey ladies! 

I am now the race director for a local 15k/5k race. This race is now in it's 31st year and I am ready for some change. We are using the same course but I want to make the feel of the race more fun. The last few years its just kinda been blah. 

What do you love to see at a race? Is there something you love about the shirt? Something you want to see on the food table? Any suggestions at all I would love to have. The race is in February in Georgia so it's still a little cold but not too bad in my area. 

Thanks so much!

[CallingAllAngels]

Something warm to drink after
Tech tee or at least a long sleeve regular tee
A kids' fun run is good too.
Food - something more substantial than rock hard bagels and green banana. A local race did pancakes and sausage after. That was a big hit!

Also, some kind of entertainment/spectator support.

[Susie]

Hmm. I like:

1. Good shirts. Preferably tech shirts. Preferably men's/women's cuts (although not necessary). I love the races that have Brooks or other name brand shirts (like our local 15k), they tend to be nicer than the random joe-cheapie brands that get rips in seams, asymmetrical v-necklines, etc.

2. Pint glasses for age group awards, or other "useful" items (as opposed to trophies, medals, etc.)

3. Ideal: race start located at a place with warm, open bathrooms. If not: sufficient portapotties for your crowd.

4. Chip timing, including a mat at the start.

5. Our 15k had awesome post-race food a couple weeks ago. It was set up in a building near the finish, and there was Gatorade, water, soup, pizza, jelly beans, chocolate milk, bagels, bananas, oranges, and other stuff that I'm just not remembering. So great. Basically anything you could want post-run.

6. Coordinating groups to do cheering at various points on the course. Maybe local school sports teams?

[ebeth]

For a 5k my primary concern is price. I want it as cheap as possible and don't really care about the frills.

15k...aside from convenience, a good course (scenic, no out and backs), something more interesting than bagels and bananas after, and a tech shirt (preferably long sleeved)

[G22]

I like the stuff mentioned up there ^^^

I prefer tech shirts. While I love long sleeved ones, I have long arms and if I order my size (S/M) the sleeves are never long enough usually So I tend to prefer short sleeeves just because I know I don't have that issue with them.

[gt7301b]

Good shirts

Clear info about the age group awards (Is it first overall, top three overall, only age group award/How deep are the age group awards and what are the age brackets)

Chocolate milk makes me happy

Enough bathrooms

[LoveTrains]

I like medals!! It might be lame to those that run a lot of races or greater distances, but getting a medal when I ran an entire 5k is inspiring to me. It IS a challenge for me to run one and I like the Recognition that it was tough by getting a medal. I'm also slow and obese so there is that. But it requires hard training for me to get to a 5k and it's not easy.

[sweetiesparkles]

Medal

[sadlebred]

In Feb.

at the finish coffee/hot chocolate/something warm
somewhere warm to go if it's really cold
a colored tshirt (non-white)

[Wines Not Whines]

Ample bathrooms

Somewhere warm to wait before the race starts. If I can park my car near the start and wait in my car, that's fine.

Day-of packet pickup

Good food afterwards. More than bagels, bananas, and packaged muffins. Hot cocoa or coffee for a winter race.

[runblondie26]

1) is it a usat&f certified course?
2) "women's fit" dry-fit shirts? It's likely I'll actually like it if it's not a big, boxy shirt
3) awards for top 3 overall and 5yr age groups?
4) strollers allowed? Good chance I may have to bring my kids

Where in Georgia is this race? I may run it, if it fits the above criteria

[runblondie26]

Ok, I looked it up, and think I know which one you're talking about. A bunch of people in my running group do that race.

Upgraded t-shirts and chip timing would be biggies there.

You can't beat the registration price, which is also a draw, so there's the challenge of balancing the extras with that.

[fuckyourcouch]

Tech shirt
Timing chip or bib
I like finisher medals
Goodie bag stuff is useful/edible
Well planned/staffed water stations (for 15k)
Not over congested start and finish

[runblondie26]

Honestly, it's the inexpensive registration fee and no-frills nature of the race that people like.

[foundmylazybum]

Meh. I hate tech shirts. In GA sleeves suck in the summer so unless you are giving a tech tank top--I'd rather have a 50/50 tee shirt that has a cool design. Tech tees wick sweat but hold the smell and I HATE the way they fit and feel---even *nice* ones like Brooks.

A 50/50 long sleeve would be pretty awesome.

Prizes are awesome, but don't go cheap. Make the prizes relate to the race. For instance I just raced Soldier's Half Marathon, and the trophy was a plaque that had the Soldier's logo with the star on it.

The coolest trophies I've ever gotten were (1)--a gold pan that had a big horned sheep geode on top of fools gold from the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half. They mined for gold in Idaho springs so the gold pan made sense and the big horn sheep roam up near Georgetown. The trophy means a lot to me b/c it makes so much sense in regards to the race. (2) I got a huge trophy from a local 5K of a dog howling at the moon for Howloween.


Make the trophy relate. Spend $ on stuff like that.

At the end have things like bagels and peanut butter, m&m's, flat soda, coffee, hot chocolate, pretzels, oranges, bananas, good granola bars etc.

[polarbearfans]

I would rather a regular tshirt over a tech shirt. Medals are fun, but not necessary, especially in a 5k. Chip timing. I like knowing my time.

[jordylee]

For a 5k, low price is most important to me. I prefer cheap, no frills races for shorter distances.

[spunkypenguin]

- Food, particularly novelties like cupcakes or ice cream. I'm highly food motivated lol If a race advertises as a cupcake race, ice cream race, etc, I will be there
- Fun after party (usually surrounding food - like ice cream party, champagne/wine)
- My Winter Series does a swap/raffle after one of the races that is a lot of fun. Everyone brings an item for the table and then your bib # gets called , you go up and pick your "prize"
- Tech Shirts - I never wear cotton shirts. If it's going to be cotton, I would prefer a long sleeve. Long Sleeve are the only cotton race shirts I ever wear

[al320]

I really love seeing bagpipes on the course, but thats never arranged its just a dude with bagpipes on the course lol

Tech tee, preferably long sleeves

I got a DQ gc as an ag award recently. Love that

Food at the end of a 5k isnt that important, 15k its more so, but really a banana or bagel works for me. Warm beverage is nice if its cooler too.

For me, for a 5k i just want it to be nearby and a good course. A good shirt is a bonus. Nothing else matters.

I love 25k and they are rare around here, so as long as i could do it, i would.

[foundmylazybum]

I also think making a good course matters. In CO there is a course in Wash park t hat is usatf certified so a lot of races are run there. The course sucks IMO. Two loops, boring blech. I stopped doing races there bc I hated the course so much lol.


I disagree that no frills 5ks with good courses are all that matter. You don't have to have bands or bagpipes (?) on the course but snacks at the end and good awards? Yes.

[katyintx]

I agree with bathrooms. Ones with actual flushing toilets are preferred, but if porta potties are the only option, how about renting some portable hand washing stations as well? That's a WAY better experience (for me anyway)!

Also, regarding chip timing, I agree with the ones embedded on the bib. My last 5k they did the ones that looked like house arrest ankle bracelets, and they sucked. Nobody wants to take those off as soon as they're done running, not to mention they rub your skin. Ouch.

Good AG awards. I got a GU once. Sweet, thanks for that... It was a nasty flavor too.

[bostonmichelle]

Bathrooms and a warm place to start/end

Bib chipped timing and real chipped timing with start/end mats. Lately it seems like races in my area advertise "chip timing" but don't have the start mat so it is still all gun time, I'll pay a few more dollars for chip but if you advertise it as such make it chipped timing not half assed chipped timing. There are a few races I won't do again because they were advertised as chipped and slightly more expensive than non chipped ones.

Either tech tshirts or an option for no tshirt at a reduced price.

Warm beverages at the end.

Plenty of water out there both end and on the course.

Food is a big plus in my book.

Live music.

Good AG awards, like beer mugs or something like that.

[juliabug]

I like to start/end at a park so my kids can play while I race. I love to have a kids race (with bibs!) too.

[klindstrom]

Wow! Thanks ladies! I didn't expect that big of a response. In case anyone wants to come it's the Al Toll Race in Macon, Ga. February 7th.

I was thinking about doing mini cupcakes for the end to go along with the regular bananas and oranges. My friend bakes and said she would help with that. We are working on shirts now, trying to find out money wise what we can do. I love the idea of hot chocolate at the end, I didn't think about that.
We use a local club for the start/finish so we do have real bathrooms

Now where can I find a man with bagpipes? haha

Thank yall so much!!!

[shauni27]

I want to add on that a tech tee is great, as is fun food--the cupcakes and cocoa are great ideas. But my favorite 5Ks have bands that play before the start, during the race and at the finish. I love 5Ks that have a really good community feel--where everyone wants to come even if they are not racing, so I think the band is a great way to do that.

[arch01]

I've become picky about the 5ks I run (only do small races now) and there's only 1 15k in our area, so with that, I like:

-Fun shirts. In February I'd like a nicer long sleeve shirt, doesn't matter tech vs. non-tech. Tech would be awesome, but I only like shirts that are light/bright colors because I run 95% of the time in the dark.

-Separate starts for strollers. As a stroller pusher, it's nice to start first and get out without having to weave in and out of people. My dad hates when strollers start first though

-I'm not fast, I will never be fast, and my only shot at placing is in a small race. I don't have much to say about awards LOL

-Something that will make me remember the race-whether it's good food at the end, fun entertainment, whatever... that will be what keeps me coming back every year.

[gt7301b]

Oh one more thing, post the results quickly and start the awards as soon as possible. I know that you want people to hang around, but when the awards are 2 hours after I'm done I'm annoyed and that is what I remember about the race.

[mrsjthompson]

- A decent quality shirt - doesn't matter if its tech or cotton as long as its a nice one and runs sort of true to size. It's no fun to get my size M shirt and my husband could wear it. Preferably a color other than white.
- A couple of 5Ks that I've been in have gotten swab bags donated. Nothing fancy, but a koozie or a little flashlight have been nice to have. And water bottles. I've gotten lots of those.
- A medal would be nice, but chip timing would be better. Or at least make sure the mile markers are where they are supposed to be? (Not that you wouldn't, but it tends to be a problem with races here locally. Super annoying.)
- I'm always in the back of the pack, and having at least one water station is a good thing.
-Having some course support is fun too, even though its only 3 miles. I've been in races that had middle school bands playing, and this weekend the 5K was aviation themed and we ran on a runway, so they had some planes out and other plane-related parts like motors and stuff around and the people from those companies out cheering.
-DH would probably add a beer station. He's still super disappointed he missed the one in a 5K we ran a couple of months ago.