I organized my very first 5K this summer. Here’s what went right, what I learned, and how you can plan your own community race step by step.
My First 5K: From Idea to Finish Line
This past summer, I organized my very first 5K race. To be honest, I wasn’t sure where to start. Permits, timing, food, sponsors — it all felt huge. But step by step, with a lot of community support, the race came together. If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to put on a race in my town, but I don’t know how,” here’s what I learned.
Step 1: Don’t Go It Alone
One of the best decisions I made was hiring a student to work with me over the summer. We divided up the tasks, shared ideas, and kept each other motivated. Having a second set of hands (and brains!) took away a lot of the stress.
Step 2: Get Sanctioned and Insured
We registered with Athletics Ontario, which turned out to be a smart move. Not only did we get insurance, but it also gave the race some extra credibility. Runners liked knowing it wasn’t just a random fun run — it was official.
Step 3: Figuring Out Timing
I lost sleep over timing — should we go manual, should we invest in chip timing? In the end, we went with Zone4, and I’m glad we did. They mailed us everything (clock, loop, chips, even testers) and had someone on standby to walk me through setup on race day. Everything worked flawlessly, which was a huge relief.
Step 4: Getting the Word Out
Marketing the race was a bit of “all hands on deck.” We:
Printed posters and hung them around town.
Ran Facebook and Instagram ads.
Asked friends to spread the word.
It wasn’t fancy, but people showed up — because in the end, races spread through excitement and personal invites.
Step 5: Planning the Course
We had the choice of officially certifying the course or measuring it ourselves. Since this was our first go, we kept it simple and marked out the distance with clear kilometer signs. It worked fine — and we saved the budget for other things.
Step 6: Food, Drinks, and Sponsors
I was blown away by how generous the community was. Here’s what we pulled together:
Cobs Bread donated their daily leftovers.
Krispy Kreme gave us seven boxes of donuts (the finish line smelled amazing).
Local grocery stores each handed over a $25 gift card, which we turned into fruit, water, and snacks.
All it took was a friendly letter explaining what the race was about.
Step 7: Organizing Volunteers
A race can’t run without volunteers. To keep things organized, I used SignUpGenius to list every position we needed filled. Volunteers could see open roles and sign up themselves, which saved me a ton of emails.
Here are some of the roles we posted:
5K turn-around marshal
Water station crew
Photographer
Sweeper (making sure no one got left behind)
Setup crew
Race kit handout
Chip handout
Medical support
Food tent helpers
Having these roles clearly laid out meant volunteers knew exactly what was expected of them — and on race day, everything flowed much smoother.
Step 8: DIY Bibs
Instead of ordering official race bibs, we bought waterproof labels and markers. Runners wrote their own numbers, and since we had chip timing, the bibs weren’t really needed anyway. It ended up being quirky and fun — people got creative with their numbers.
Step 9: Cookies Instead of Medals
This was probably my favorite touch: instead of medals, we handed out finisher cookies from a local bakery. They even added ribbons so we could hang them around runners’ necks at the finish line. Honestly, they got more smiles (and photos) than medals ever would.
What I’d Tell Anyone Planning Their First Race
If you’re thinking about organizing your first 5K, here are my biggest takeaways:
Don’t try to do it alone — get help.
Lean on your community — local businesses want to support you.
Use tools like SignUpGenius to keep volunteers organized.
Keep it simple — you can go bigger once you’ve got one race under your belt.
Standing at the finish line and watching runners come through — knowing we built this from scratch — was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.
👉 If you’re dreaming about putting on a race but don’t know where to start, I’d love to help. Check out my Race creation services — I’ll help you avoid the mistakes, focus on the fun, and cross the finish line with a successful event.