Advice on setting up a race

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BarefootEm Oct 2015 9:07pm, 7 Oct 2015 68 posts	0 BarefootEm Hi all, I work for a small charity and as a runner I had the idea that we could perhaps do a small, local race to help raise our profile and obviously some cash! As a regular runner and racer I know what I like as a participant, and I have an abundance of offers of support from local businesses and individuals, in relation to marshals, help on the day, goody bag goodies etc, a venue and a route. However I don't know where I stand in relation to the legal side of things. I expect this to be for between 200 and 300 people depending on costs involved etc... I know who to approach re road closures, but do I need a licence, and if so where from? Where do I go for insurance, (I assume I need that!) At this point I am trying to get together possible rough figures to try and figure out if it is possible in the first place, timings to see how quickly it can be done etc... Any help, advice, r sign posting very, very welcome! Many thanks Em
LindsD Oct 2015 9:25pm, 7 Oct 2015 6,847 posts	0 LindsD There's an article on this somewhere. Sorry I'm on my phone so can't look.
Fragile Do Not Bend Oct 2015 9:32pm, 7 Oct 2015 394 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend There's one here http://www.fetcheveryone.com/article-view.php?id=335 But it's not terribly helpful at the moment...
BarefootEm Oct 2015 9:49pm, 7 Oct 2015 69 posts	0 BarefootEm Thanks, I did have a dig around and couldn't find anything more useful than that at the moment... That will be a fab article when it is full
BarefootEm Oct 2015 10:09pm, 7 Oct 2015 70 posts	0 BarefootEm Thinking about it I am pretty sure Fetch did an article/blog post about it some time ago, but I can't find it now
F ing Fleecy Oct 2015 10:14pm, 7 Oct 2015 23,770 posts	0 F ing Fleecy Here: http://www.fetcheveryone.com/cms-68
Surrey Phil Oct 2015 10:23pm, 7 Oct 2015 1,035 posts	0 Surrey Phil I organised an inaugural 10k run for our church (charitable company) in July this year. Before you start, make sure that you have permission from local authorities, police and any private landowners. We didn't close any roads, so I can't help you with that one. If you do, then you will need to take the local public transport into account and do some liaising with them. As a charity, you will probably have your own public liability insurance in place. You may well have to ensure that a one-off event premium is paid to cover you for £5 million. Our premium worked out to be around £53. The race licence is worked out on a sliding scale. Our event was set at a maximum field of 150 which cost £27 via Run Britain. This is the minimum fee and will increase on numbers. Another requirement of the race licence is that of a race adjudicator. A list of local race adjudicators is obtainable from the Race Director's Portal on Run Britain's web site. They too need notice and will usually accept or decline fairly quickly. Other costs you may need to consider is that of medical cover (St John's Ambulance, British Red Cross, etc). You need to obtain quotes from such groups and also whether they are able to attend. It is important you get their confirmation a few months ahead of the event as this can depend on whether you get you race licence approved or not. St John's covered us for £105 although I have heard some races giving a donation based on a pound or two per participant. I didn't request an ambulance, just two paramedics which was OK for us. Another is that of a course measurer. They are not cheap but you will then be able to state that the course is accurately measured on your advertising along with the race licence number. If your event is multi-terrain or a trail run, a course measurement is not required and you can measure it using a satellite measuring system or jog around the route with a GPS watch. Costs may add up but you can also make cuts but borrowing high-viz jackets, keeping medals and prizes simple and laminating your own signage. However, I would still buy your own distance markers. Bib numbers can be plain with space for medical details on the back and I would also refrain from chip timing to reduce costs, especially as it is a charitable event. Finally, consider including a Gift Aid tick box on the entry form to help maximise your income. I hope your event proves a success, Em. This is not a conclusive list of do's and don'ts. It just worked well enough for us.
BarefootEm Oct 2015 7:57am, 8 Oct 2015 71 posts	0 BarefootEm Thank you, this is fantastic! If I set it up as a fun run.... Would there be less red tape?
DeeGee Oct 2015 8:16am, 8 Oct 2015 16,717 posts	0 DeeGee Yes. A fun run does not have to be a precise length, so you won't need a measurer, for a start. Road closures is going to be your biggest red-tape, though. And probably your biggest expense.
Old Man Oct 2015 9:00am, 8 Oct 2015 2,492 posts	0 Old Man If it's not accurately measured though and advertised as a fun run, that may deter some from entering. As a runner yourself you'll know how important (or not) that is to your market