Have you served as a race director? If so, how did you learn your trade? Did you previously volunteer at a number of races in all those many functions, organizing and policing food tables, working packet pickup and registration, serving as a course monitor or serving as the media guru? 

Have you been the person on the team to reach out to sponsors? How about master-minding the location and delivery of the porta-potties? Serving as a race director is a great way to use your organizational skills and knowledge of all those necessary functional areas of the race venue. Now, there is a new running magazine out there, Race Director Magazine. In its initial publication New York City Marathon Race Director Ted Metellus is interviewed and talks about the future of the New York City Marathon as well as some of the less glamorous jobs he did while working on races.

Race Director Magazine, a digital magazine, is published by Running USA, a not-for-profit organization devoted to improving the status and experience of distance running and racing in the United States.

In addition to the interview with Metellus, a number of race directors opine on where the running industry is going. And to be clear, it is an industry. I have written in earlier blogs about what races offer to municipalities in the way of increased tourism, revenue from race fees, etc. 

Additional articles include how virtual races have changed with what is offered to runners and how selection and number of volunteers have changed with COVID restriction. I am just now reading the Race Director Summer Issue. I’ve scanned it and look forward to reading more in depth about how charities that depend on races for fundraising have pivoted as well as the article providing recommendations for successful sponsorship meetings.

Race directors come in a wide range including those of us who came up through the ranks volunteering in various positions at local and regional races. Then there are those who may have started the same way but now are CEO’s of major races with a large staff. Reading the first two issues of Race Director, I believe it fills a previous void and offers something for directors of the 200 participant local race to the 20,000 participant major event.

Take a read. Let me know what you think.