How to organise a running race: a step-by-step guide

Organising a community race sounds like a job for big event companies, but many of the best ones are put on by a run club, a neighbourhood association or a group of friends. A charity 5K, a local 10K or a club's end-of-season race all follow the same steps. This guide puts them in order. It is written for races in Spain.

1. Define the race in one sentence

Distance, audience and purpose: "family charity 5K for the neighbourhood association", "night 10K for recreational runners", "the club's end-of-season race, open to everyone". That sentence decides the route, the price, the number of places and who you tell about it.

2. Pick a date and a route

• The date: check your area's calendar and avoid clashing with big races nearby. Leave time for the permits: the sooner you set it, the better.
• The route: a loop or an out-and-back is easier to control and needs fewer volunteers. Measure it with a GPS or a mapping app and plan where an ambulance can get in.
• Start and finish: a place with room for the arch, bib collection, bag drop and people waiting.

3. Get the permits

If the race uses public roads, it needs authorisation. Who gives it depends on the route:

• Inside one town, in the urban area: the town hall. Each sets its own deadlines and forms, so call the sports department or the local police as soon as you have a date.
• On interurban roads: the regional government or the DGT (Spain's traffic authority), depending on the route. The DGT asks for the application at least 30 days in advance, with the race rules, a route map and the insurance. In Catalonia and the Basque Country their own traffic service handles it.

The DGT explains it on its sports events page (in Spanish).

4. Arrange insurance and medical cover

For the permit you will be asked for civil liability insurance and accident insurance for the runners. Many athletics federations and brokers have policies designed for community races. Also arrange medical cover (ambulance and staff) in line with the number of runners; the town hall will tell you what it requires.

5. Write the rules

A short document answering what everyone will ask: distance and route, start time and time limit, categories and prizes, price and what it includes, how bibs are collected, refunds and transfers, and the use of photos. Publish it next to the sign-up.

6. Open sign-ups

This is where most time is lost on spreadsheets, bank transfers and messages. What you need:

• One sign-up link that works on a phone without installing anything.
• Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with the money going to the club or organisation.
• Several ticket types if you have them (general, members, kids, early bird) and extras like the T-shirt.
• A form for what you need to know: size, club, emergency contact, acceptance of the rules.
• Limited places and a waiting list, so you never go over the capacity you were authorised for.
• An exportable list of runners for timing and bib collection.

With Kibi you publish the race with all of that and share a link. Free races cost nothing; on paid ones the 5% fee is paid by the participant, so the organiser receives the full price. More in payments for clubs.

7. Prepare race day

• Timing: for a small race a stopwatch and a finish list are enough; from a few hundred runners, chip timing is worth hiring.
• Bibs: number them from the list of runners and organise collection the day before or an hour before the start. With each sign-up's QR in Kibi, checking who collects is one scan.
• Water: at the finish and, on 10 km or longer, halfway.
• Volunteers: one at every junction and turn, plus start, finish and bibs. Give them a vest, the map and a contact number.
• Plan B: what happens if it rains, if it is very hot or if the route has to change.

8. After the race

Publish results and photos as soon as you can: they are what gets shared most and what brings runners to the next edition. Write to the runners to thank them and announce next year's date while they still remember.

Doing it with your club?

Many community races grow out of a run club that wants to go one step beyond the weekly run. If you do not have a club yet, start with how to start a run club; if you do, see how Kibi works for clubs.