AARD: How strict are cut-off times for races/courses?

Today's question was originally asked by Joan Oliver Emmer (Women Who Run the World), but I chose this one for today because I recently had the same discussion with another runner friend who was curious: "How strict are cutoff times for races?  Why can't I get my medal if I am only a few minutes behind?"

Here's the main deal with cutoff times - they're not usually the race's choice.  Course limits are most often dictated by the venue where the race is being held, which for longer races that have cutoffs usually means a city.  There are lots of permitting points that I'll probably eventually discuss, but the most relevant today is the street closure aspect, and therein lies the basis for the cutoff time on a half or full marathon.  My best example is the Marine Corps Marathon: the famous "Beat the Bridge" cutoff is set at mile 20, which participants MUST reach by 1:15pm.  This is a hard-and-fast limit that is enforced by a line of buses pulling in front of the course.  All participants who miss the cutoffs are put on the buses and taken to the finish line, where they do not get a medal or a time because they didn't finish the race.  The MCM website is very clear about several cutoff points and the pace needed to "stay alive" on the course.

But why 1:15pm?  Why a 14-minute pace?  The 1:15pm time is the latest Washington DC will allow the roads to be closed around the capital.  Obviously, DC is a kinda important city for our country, and even on a Sunday, people need access to the buildings along the National Mall and other points of the course.  The 14-minute-per-mile pace is not some arbitrary "we think you need to be a better runner than this" decision, but rather a calculation of what it will take to make it to the Bridge by 1:15pm.  This cutoff isn't meant to discriminate against slower runners specifically, it's just a city requirement to have the streets cleared at a reasonable time.

Of all the first-marathon advice I received, "don't get on

a bus" was the piece that stuck with me the most!

Boarding buses at the cutoff, however, is NOT the universal solution for races with a time limit.  For other events, that cutoff time is a little more "soft", and most participants will still be able to complete the race and earn their medal.  If the venue/city allows it, a soft cutoff will see slower participants moved to sidewalks or all-purpose trails so the streets can reopen, allowing the participant to continue with their race at their own pace.  The important difference between these two types of cutoffs (hard and soft) is communication prior to the event.  MCM makes it very clear what will happen to anyone not meeting cutoffs, including when and where those sweeps will take place.  Other races plan for sweeps, but don't tell their runners what to expect - at these events, runners are surprised to learn they may not be able to complete their goal.  It is very important as a race director to make sure we're communicating our cutoffs and what to expect at those times, especially if a soft cutoff means fewer aid stations.

In very, very rare occurrences, a race will impose a cutoff time simply to allow the race workers and volunteers to go home.  I've really only seen this done for ultra marathons, if a company doesn't have a big enough crew to keep shifting employees throughout an event that might take some people 24 hours or more.  Some races will keep the course open but may not be able to keep volunteers on the course for the full time and cannot guarantee course support after a certain point; again, communication is key for these instances.

Finding a pacer can help you manage your race splits better

while also giving you an experienced runner's advice along the way!

I keep putting the onus on the race directors to ensure their participants are aware of a cutoff time and what it may mean for their experience - but it's equally important for race participants to do their due diligence in researching an endurance event.  While prepping for my MCM experience, I wrote a post about finding the right marathon for your pace, especially if you're looking to enter a limited field event.  It's just as important for runners to do their research before signing up for an event, and perhaps even more important for potential participants to be honest with themselves about making the cutoffs.  Be prepared for what you might experience at your race, and we'll do our best to craft races that can accommodate as many people as possible!  This whole crazy running business is a team effort, after all!

Have you ever been stymied by a course cutoff?  Have you ever been surprised on race day to find out you're in danger of an unadvertised sweep?  What other questions do you want to Ask a Race Director?

AARD: How do RDs come up with a race's course?

Kristen K from Run Away With Me asks: "I've always wondered how new races come up with the route - especially here in Anchorage, where every race ends on a giant hill."

Kristin, I can't speak to Anchorage, but I definitely have put together some courses with some crazy hills!  Often times, the course is partially (if not fully) dictated by what the local authorities will allow, and if that means running on a hill, that's what we do.  But course creation is also more than just finding the X number of miles that the police or rangers will let us use.  We look very closely at the actual experience of running the course, as well as timing logistics like start/finish areas that are safe and accessible.  Difficulty is usually a byproduct of these other items, though if it's meant to be a challenging race (like the Hill Yeah half marathon my company puts on every year) we will probably go looking for something a little more spicy!

What does "the experience of running the course" mean?  It's all about flow and accommodation.  Where can we fit the expected number of participants without having people run into each other?  What makes sense with traffic patterns and local establishments?  For example, if we're running on a major road, we're far more likely to be allowed to shut down a lane on one side of the road for a mile or two, allowing traffic to continue both ways, than if we tried to cross over the entire road, which would require stopping ALL traffic.  We try to avoid courses that would cross over themselves to avoid runner collisions.  If it's a race with 100 people, we're more likely to use a bike path or park trail than a race with 1000 people that simply won't fit in that space.  Aid station locations are a concern too - they have to be well-placed for runners to receive fuel when appropriate, but should also be accessible for dropping supplies and for volunteers to find.  We want the runners to have the best possible experience, which doesn't always mean "most scenic" or "most convenient" - it means safety, sensibility, and smoothness.

Having a proper starting and finishing area (or areas, if they're separate) is also a major concern.  Since this is where people will congregate before and after the race, and all of our expensive timing equipment and staff will be located, it's important that the start/finish is placed in a location that is safe and ample for the race's needs.  You can't have a big post-race party in an alleyway, and you wouldn't want to pay police to shut down an entire main street for a very small race just to keep the start/finish on the road.  It has to make sense for what you're doing, how many people you're having, and for the neighborhood.  We take into consideration both amount of parking and easy of getting into/out of the parking area, as well.

Once we find a course that works, we stick to it like glue!  In fact, many race timing and management companies will probably have go-to locations with straightforward courses to keep things simple and to avoid stepping on too many law enforcement toes.  Here in Cleveland, for example, we have only a couple of approved downtown courses, so we may reuse the same course for several events.  I've had a few complaints about the route getting "stale", and I get what the runners are saying, but hope they can understand that running in a major city is very limited.  If we want to offer four downtown races a year, we're much more likely to have them all approved with the same minimal-interference course than we are to get four separate courses approved.  I had a similar experience in Chicago as a runner, finding many of the downtown races often went on the same portions of road and relied heavily on the Lakefront Trail.  It's just the way things may have to be done in some areas.

Do you have a favorite course you've run?  What course features do you think of when you consider favorites?  What's important to you to have on a course?  And, as always, what other questions do you have for race directors??

AARD: What's your biggest fear with an event?

Today's AARD question comes from one of my fellow Sweat Pink ambassadors, Marsha A, who asks: "When do you begin to breathe easy?  It seems every race has that one thing you HOPE goes as planned and then you let out a sigh, either when the race is over or that "thing" (weather, etc) works out like you'd hoped...  What's your biggest fear about/with the event?"

That's a bit of a doozy, Marsha!  But the easy answer to my biggest fear about an event is having a major medical incident occur during the race.  I've had a few races during which a participant was either injured (like being hit by a car) or experienced a serious episode (such as a heart attack) and really, those are my worst fears.  I'm trained in CPR and first aid, and so far I've managed to keep my head in a crisis (even as a participant in a race witnessing a medical incident and taking control), but some day there's going to be something too big for me to handle.  I haven't actually lost a runner to a medical emergency yet, but there's a first time for everything and THAT is what I fear.

But as for beginning to breathe easy...  It's probably when I verify the top finishers.  For just about every race, I manually record the times of the overall winners, to check against my timing equipment to ensure everything is working properly.  Once I know my boxes are reading properly, the weight comes off my shoulders.  I've had every kind of problem you could have at a race: police not showing up (or worse, leaving early), major unannounced construction altering my route, running out of shirts, running out of medals, running out of food, horrible weather, portos tipping over in a storm the night before (grosssssss)...  I can deal with all of that, but if my timing equipment isn't working and the race has more than a hundred people, I'm screwed.  There ARE ways to adapt but I would definitely be panicking more than I have for anything else.

Do YOU have a question for a race director?  Itching to know more about the race planning process?  Looking for some tips or consulting for your own race?  Leave me a message - comments are great and emails work too!  And stay tuned for the next informative Ask A Race Director!

AARD: How much time is needed to plan a race?

Today's Ask A Race Director question comes from Sharla W. who asks: "How far in advance do you have to start planning for a race?"

As with many of the questions I've been receiving, there is no one right answer to this question; instead, the answer varies depending on a few factors.  Longer distance races (half/full/ultra marathons) take more time than a 5k.  Destination events will need a broader marketing timeline than a little local event.  A full series of races might have an ongoing timeline, constantly requiring work on the next event and relying on routine marketing.  Venue choice might make for a longer permit process, and of course the race's goal number of participants should be considered as well.  But for the sake of information, let's narrow this answer down to two cases.

Hosting a local 5k usually needs about three to six months' worth of planning. It is usually the event permit and any police/ranger support needed for the proposed course that takes the most time, and in some cities the permit process may need to be done up to a year in advance.  Popular venues may also require an early permit, if only to reserve the intended date before another organization's event can secure the location.  Once the permit is in place, the rest of the process can be done in a few months.  Activating registration is simple, but marketing and selling sponsorships should be started at least three months prior to the event date.  Finding volunteers can be done in a pretty quick turnaround if the race supports a large cause or charity, and any swag orders (shirts, medals, etc) usually go in less than a month prior to the race.  Course creation only takes an afternoon, unless there's construction in your path.  Of course, the goals for a local 5k are usually smaller in scope than a national blowout event, so the timeline can be shortened to fit this scope.

They'll see everything!  They'll...

They'll see the big board!

A larger event, such as a destination marathon, requires considerably more time, especially if the race is in its early years.  At least one year of marketing is practically a must, and if the course is going through a major metropolitan area, permitting may need just as much advance notice.  Even for established races, next year's event is usually started immediately after completing the current year's event.  Securing sponsors, reserving the race date at the venue, and promoting the event can be an ongoing process.  Actual race day arrangements are made a month in advance or more, including placing orders for shirts, medals, food, and whatever else is needed for the race.

In the end, the time it takes to plan a race is heavily dependent on the event itself.  You want a larger crowd with a bigger scope, you need to plan for a much longer timeline than if you have a short local race that isn't going to go all-out every time.  Of course, all that said, I've seen races start planning only a month or two in advance and not only draw a large crowd, but pull together a really exciting event/post race, so there are exceptions to every rule!

Have a question you'd love to Ask a Race Director?  Send it over!  I'm happy to answer any and all questions, as well as provide assistance and consulting if you are interested in putting on an event of your own.  Stay tuned for the next installment of AARD, coming next week!

Introducing: Ask A Race Director!

A long time ago, I wanted to start a series here to help answer questions I get frequently from the running community.  Entitled "Ask A Race Director", this series would be a way to help inform runners and racers, especially when it comes to some of the policies that leave participants scratching their heads - or worse, walking away angry.  Finally, it is time to start that series!

Welcome to Ask A Race Director, Volume 1!

My first question comes from Sharla W, who asked a great kickoff query: how did I first get into race directing?  Well, this answer is pretty closely tied in with my personal journey over the past decade or so.  I'll try to keep the backstory brief, if possible, including glossing over 20+ years as an athlete who hated running ("my sport is your sport's punishment" mentality) and years of study towards archaeology/art history that ended up useless, prompting a need to find a new career goal.  Those two items inform the story but aren't focal points.

My first job in the racing industry.

The heart of the story begins when I moved to Chicago after failing to find my calling in Columbus after grad school.  I took a job as an office manager for a research group, and found myself in charge of event planning as part of the many facets of the work.  Despite little experience and no training, I was able to quickly learn some of the tools and tricks of the trade.  Before long I was putting together events and conferences with great success.  When it came time to move on from that position, I started looking for another job that would allow me to keep planning events, including an actual event planning position.  I went through a few more office management type jobs, all the while continuing to build experience in different forms of event planning but constantly unsure if I was really in the "right" line of work.

During this time, my running hobby started to take off.  I was learning that competing against myself was the best way to carry on my athletic spirit, and dove deeper and deeper into the endurance sport world.  As I struggled with other aspects of my life, I found the running community to be the closest feel I had to "home" at the time, and wanted to be a bigger part of it.  Volunteering led to a couple part time paid race work opportunities.  The more I did, the more I loved it.  It became clear that I had found my calling.  When I moved back to my family home in Cleveland, the opportunity to become a full time race manager presented itself.

Not race directing, but the same happy dance I do after orchestrating

a successful event.  I WILL be directing this race NEXT year!

Call it kismet, call it dedication, call it whatever you like - I took to that job like a fish to water.  Spending every day putting together events can be challenging, exciting, hectic, and even boring sometimes, but when you go home saying "I love my job" even after your worst days, you're where you belong.  Event days are just the icing on the cake for me, though I must admit seeing events take shape and watching runners (friends and strangers alike) accomplishing goals, becoming healthier, making new connections, and having a blast is probably the BEST part of the job!

So that's my story, in a nutshell...  It was the right confluence of passions and joys, mixed with good timing and a lot of personal drive, that got me into the position I've enjoyed for the past few years.  I'm so thrilled to have the opportunity to change lives every day, to raise money for charities doing good work, and to have fun while I do it!  There's no better job in the world than being a race director!

My favorite customer ;)

Do YOU have a question to Ask A Race Director?  Want an explanation of a weird rule or procedure?  Curious about the inner workings of the racing industry?  Let me answer for you!  Leave a comment, shoot me an email, message me on social media, whatever works for you works for me.  And, tell me about YOUR dream job, too!