News How to Organise a 5K Run

January 27th, 2017

A 5-kilometre (5K) run is often an event which is held in aid of a good cause. There are a variety of well-known charities which organise 5k runs as a method of fundraising, and they are often very successful. The idea usually is to try and get the participants of the race to gain sponsorship from their close family & friends. When the desired outcome for an event is to help a good cause, people usually come together to make sure it is successful, but to make sure that it is organised correctly have a look at the following points below.

Get the Right Team Together

When organising any type of event, it is vital that you have the correct personnel together so that the event runs smoothly. More specifically to a 5K run, you will want people who are not only passionate about charitable causes, but enthusiastic about running too. Try and cover your bases with:

1.     Skilled Fundraisers – Of course for any type of charitable event you will have to try and raise adequate funds to hold the event. Therefore, you want to hire people who have the correct skills when it comes to raising funds for a running event.

2.     Creative Marketers – Even though you are not going to be selling your event, you are going to be selling the idea of it. This means you will need to get marketers in who can use the correct cost-efficient- tools, such as custom wristbands.

3.     Planners – When it come to the operations and organisation of the race, it is vital you have people who can correctly schedule and plan. These are people who are forward thinking, pay attention to detail and can work well under pressure.

Develop a Strategy

Once you have put your team together, it is important that you develop a strategy that you will all work towards to make sure the event runs smoothly. The three important areas when planning a run are choosing the best location, gaining sponsorship and having a good registration process.

Location

·      Choose somewhere to meet that is central and easy for participants to get to.

·      Make sure the route chosen is adequate for the people who are taking part e.g. don’t have steep hills to run up if the people taking part are at an intermediate standard.

Sponsorship

·      Encourage participants to gain sponsorship from their friends & family.

·      Try and get sponsors which are relevant to the cause you’re raising money for.

·      Try and get sponsors who can offer water or fresh fruit throughout the run.

Registration Process

·      Make sure participants have a good amount of time beforehand to register for the event.

·      Do not charge participants a fee to take part as this can often put people off.

Once all of these steps have been taken, you will have assurance that your 5K run will be adequately planned and will be successful, but more importantly – enjoyable.