Fun Races For Runners In Chicago Area

I wanted to jump on here and share some cool events that are happening around the Chicagoland area that many runners probably aren't aware of but maybe they should be.  Midwest Event Management is a new Chicago startup event management company that has started putting on some amazing running events in the Chicago area for runners!  

The first one and most popular is the Shamrock 5k Beer Run in Arlington Heights, IL.  This annual race is in its third year and has over 2,000 runners annually.  What makes this race unique is that it is a beer run that has beer stations on the course!  That's right at every 1k mark instead of having a water station there is a beer station!  Runners don't run this race they attempt to stumble their way through it and the after party includes more beer!  

If that is too much beer for you then there are two other races that also include beer, but not until you finish the race.  All of this beer is included for free with the race entry fee.  The Cheers To New Year's 5k race is a fun race in Itasca that starts and finishes at a the Church Street Brewery.  So, you don't have to worry about the weather you can hangout in the brewery and after the race go back in and enjoy a free drink on them.  The Beer5k is the same model; however, it starts and ends in downtown Chicago on the lakefront!  This is a great event for runners and once they finish they can hangout at the brew-fest taking place.

The Wine Run 5k is a super fun race that involves free wine for runners. This race has expanded from the south side of Chicago to a few other wineries in Illinois and Wisconsin.  This is a great way to run a fun race, get a free wine glass, and a free shirt.  These events have grown in popularity and are growing each year you don't want to miss out.

There are many other fun and exciting events that Midwest Event Management are putting on.  So, instead of paying $30 for a plain 5k think about one of these fun events and get so much more out of your running!

Tips for Race Directors on Effective Race Starting.

If you are a race director and have a decent sized race around or well over 500 runners this is a must read article to make sure you take care of your start line. 

Tip #1: I was at the Joliet Park District Red Eye 5k with over 500 runners over the weekend and they did something that not many of our 250 races do that we time...  At the beginning of the race they had pacing signs for 5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 minute miles for runners to line up appropriately according to their running time.  This allows for everyone to be properly lined up and will reduce congestion early on in the race. Also, your elite or more competitive will appreciate this as many times at races you have slower people that line up in the front of the line.

Tip #2: Have sound and a microphone.  If you have over 150 runners your voice will not be able to carry the crowd.  You will need to have a sound system at your start line.  If possible try getting a radio station to play music at the start line and use their microphone.  If that doesn't work hire someone to bring a sound system.  If J3 Timing is timing your race we can provide one for around $50.

Tip #3:  The more runners you have the wider your start line should be.  We recommend a 10 foot start line at minimum and after 500 runners you should add 5 feet in width of your line for every 250 runners.  So, if you have 1,000 runners at your race your start line should be at minimum 20 feet wide.  Most timing companies can't handle that wide of a start line.  J3 Timing can go as wide as 60 feet with steel trussing for your finish line.  That is something to consider when hiring timing companies and setting up your race.

Tip #4:  Make sure that your race is chip started by the timer.  This will allow for the most accurate race timing and runners expect this at most races.  Chip started races means when the runner crosses the start line the timing machine records a time and that is their individual start time.  So, if the race starts and the runner takes 3 minutes before they cross the start line they are not penalized for that. 

If you follow these four easy tips you will have a great start to your race and your runners will surely appreciate it and hopefully you will continue to grow your race!  Thanks for reading and please comment with your thoughts and/or expereiences!

Thanks!

Andy
J3 Timing

How do I market my 5k race?

Marketing your 5k run is one of the most important thing you will need to plan for when organizing your race.  If you don't have any runners at your event you aren't going to be able to raise much money for your charity or be able to cover your costs of producing the event.

Step 1: Setting up your online registration.  The days of mailing in paper registration forms are long gone and now with smartphones and technology most runners signup online with an online registration site.  We recommend using the registration platform Itsyourrace.com for your race registration.  The great thing about setting up online registration is runners can sign up in advance to help give you a better idea of how many runners will be attending your event.  In the past many runners signed up the day of the event; however, if there was poor weather they might not show up at all costing you hundreds to thousands of dollars.  This way with online registration you lock in their registration costs.

Step 2: Create a Facebook page for your race, or if you already have a Facebook page create a Facebook event for your race.  Make sure to tie in your online registration so your Facebook fans can click the link to register for your event easily.  Also make sure to include pictures of your event and positive images of runners running your race having fun.  Sending positive vibes about your race is key when trying to convert runners to register for your race.

Step 3: Post your event on online calendars 9 months in advance.  Why so early, because the serious runners typically plan their running events far in advance.  You want to make sure you post your race on the main running calendars like running in the usa and also your local running clubs website.  You can also be proactive and post the event with paper flyers in local businesses and shoe stores to help promote your event.

Step 4: Paying for advertising. Depending on what your race budget is paying for advertising will help you get the word out about your race.  Some forms of advertising include: mailers, email blasts, boosting Facebook posts, Active, local running magazines, and running google ads.  What we have seen through our experiences is that boosting a Facebook post is your most effective way to advertise your running event.  The rate of return is about $1 for every $1.50 spent.  So, you are essentially losing money on advertising but you are building your event and getting the message out.


I hope this blog helped you out and I wish you the best of luck with marketing your race!  If you have any comments or suggestions on marketing please feel free to leave me a comment.

Thank you!!!

How many volunteers do I need for my 5k race?

How many volunteers should you have for your 5k race?  With timing 250 races annually and producing 10 races a year I feel that I have a good answer for race directors.  When lining up volunteers a general rule of thumb is to have a volunteer to participant ratio of 1:20.  That's right for every 20 runners you should have one volunteer to help you.  

Ratio 1:20

For example, if you have a race of 100 participants you should have 5 volunteers to help you out at the race.  It is important that you as the race director know your volunteers ability and how to best utilize them.  If you have a very bubbly personable person that is someone you want at the registration greeting people and checking them into the race.  If you have someone who maybe isn't as personable that is the person you want setting up tables and helping with the heavy work.  Those are just two examples of some roles you volunteers could be doing.  If you are making your race an annual event it gets much easier after the first year, but it is important to keep your volunteers in the same role as they did the year before.  If you do that then you won't have to retrain your volunteers every year.

Packet Pickup

Help yourself out on race day by hosting a packet pickup the day before the race.  This will allow runners the opportunity to check into the race and pick up their shirts, goodies, and race bibs before the race day.  This will cut down on lines on the day of the race and will make it easier for your volunteers to manage.  Runners also appreciate having a packet pickup knowing that they don't need to show up to the race early to sign in is an added bonus for them and it also shows that you put the extra effort into making your race a good one. 

On Race Day

You are in charge of everything and people will be asking you a lot of questions so it's good to have everything in place and your plan ready to go.  Have your volunteers show up 1.5 hours before the race to help with setting up and getting everything organized.  You as the race director should be there at a minimum 2 hours before the race.  If you hire J3 Timing to handle all of your timing and finish line needs they will be there 2-3 hours before the race setting up.  If you have 100 runners you should have 2 of your volunteers at a table handling all of your pre-registered runners.  The pre-registered line will go pretty quick as runners are already registered you just need to cross them off and hand out their race shirt and race bib.  It would be wise to use your other 3 volunteers to handle all race day registrations.  Anyone who is not pre-registered will need to complete a registration form, sign the race waver, and pay the race day entry fee.  The race day registration information will also need to be relayed to the timers so they can enter their data and bib number into their computers before the race begins.  You as the race director will need to mark the course and put up any course signs that are appropriate.  If possible, you want to do most of your course markings and signs the night before the race.  Getting the course marked accurately is the most important part of the race you do not want to have a runner make a wrong turn and mess up the course or worse have people follow him in the wrong direction.  Once the race begins have your 5 volunteers transition to putting away registration boxes and to setup the refreshments and water for the finishers.  At the conclusion of the race have your volunteers help with cleanup and make sure you offer them a race t-shirt if you have extras.  It's important to take care and thank you volunteers so they want to come back and help you again next year.  

Thanks! 

Beer Run 5k-A new Fad in the Running Industry

In the running industry there appears to be a movement towards fun races to increase the number of participants and less of an emphasis on competitive races.  Don't get me wrong there are a ton of competitive races and almost all of the 5k races are chip timed and competitive.  I am talking more about the color run 5k a fad that hit the nation a few years ago.  As the running industry evolves so does its races.  The new fad that I am seeing is the Beer Run 5k.  More participants are running then ever and part of that reason might be because their are simply better races out there now.

I am seeing more beer run 5k races popping up across the country.  One example of this is the Arlington Heights Shamrock Beer Run.  This race started two years ago and in its first year they had over 1,600 runners!  Let me explain what this whole beer run 5k is about.  Runners start the race with a 3 oz. drink.  Then at every 1k point in their 5k run they have a beer station... That's right a beer station where runners have the option to stop and have another 3 oz. beer.  If the runners are able to survive they end the race and it is a party where runners can rip off a free beer ticket that will get them a 16 oz. beer for the after party.  While participants might not be too worried about their time they are certainly having a blast at this race.  After the finish runners are able to hangout and interact with other runners and the breweries are present at the finish line for the runners to try other beers.  Each beer station is sponsored by a different brewer so you have the tasting options of five different breweries!  Then at the finish line you choose which brewer you want your 16 oz. drink from.  

There are options if the runners would like to stick around and enjoy the atmosphere of the race they are certainly allowed to purchase additional beer tickets for the after party.  The post race is filled with music and entertainment.  This race had a photo booth setup for pictures which the runners love!  

If you are a race director who runs a couple of events throughout the year I would recommend you add a beer run 5k to your race series.  It is great fun and the turnout is usually high for runners.  If you have any questions or would like more information please contact J3 Timing.

Six tips for race directors to increase their race atmosphere

Six tips for race directors to increase race atmosphere

There are so many 5k races out there nowadays. With the 5k market being saturated and runners having multiple races to choose from each weekend, it is important for the race director to create a fun and exciting race atmosphere for their event. Your goal as a race director should be to create a fun event, bring your runners back, and have your runners spread the word about how great their experience was at your race.

Tip #1: Invite vendors to setup at your race. You don’t want runners picking up their race bib and standing around for 30-45 minutes doing nothing. Invite running clubs, chiropractors, boy/girl scouts, sporting stores, and other organizations to make your race look official. This also gives your race the appearance that it is larger than it might actually be. If you have a smaller race your goal should be 3-5 vendors

Tip #2: Provide a coffee table. Having a coffee table setup for your runners, volunteers, and spectators is a small thing that goes a long way. A fresh cup of coffee in the morning will put people in a good mood to start their day. Try finding a local coffee shop to provide the coffee as a sponsor. If you can’t find a coffee shop to sponsor this service usually runs between $100-$200 depending on the race size.

Tip #3: Have music playing at your race and have it playing at least one hour before the race starts if not earlier. Playing music before, during, and after your race is key to pumping up the race atmosphere. Races that don’t have music are quite and boring. Runners are looking to have a good time and if you want your runners to come back music is a must have. I recommend getting a DJ or renting a speaker box that you can plug in an iPod or phone.

Tip #4: Don’t forget about the kids! You will have kids at your race and if kids are happy their parents are going to be happy and will want to come back next year. Think about having a balloon or face painting table at your race. If you have a bigger race budget a bounce house is a huge hit with children.

Tip #5: Display a hashtag for your event and announce it on the PA system. The concept of the hashtag (example #stockton5k) is to have all runners, volunteers, spectators to post their videos/pictures with your hashtag. This will allow everyone and the race director to search Facebook/Twitter to view all of the videos/pictures that were taken at the event.

Tip #6: Provide a photo booth. I would recommend having a photo booth with your races logo. This is an opportunity for people to take pictures with groups or by themselves and then they will share those photos. I mean who doesn’t like to pose for a good photo?

For more articles and running tips please visit www.j3timing.com