People connect through shared experiences. That’s why organising a 5k is a fantastic way to bring your community together, spread awareness, and fundraise for charity.

But with so many moving parts (literally!), planning a 5k can be a little daunting for even the most seasoned event organisers. 

Between route planning, promotion, and registration — just for starters — you’ll want to start preparing months in advance.

This article will guide you through what you need to know when planning a 5k, provide a free downloadable checklist, and explain what strategies successful event organisers are using to boost registrations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Stage 1: ideas and strategy

Stage 2: getting up and running

Stage 3: promotion and ticket sales

Stage 4: race day preparations

Stage 5: after the finish line

Runners and guides chat before a race

How to use a 5k to connect with your community 

Organising a 5k walking or running event is a powerful way to strengthen ties with your community while amplifying your brand’s mission. 

Community events hosted by local members are more impactful because they can authentically represent the values and motivations of their community. To make the most of your event, consider the needs and desires of your unique community during the planning phase. 

Here are some advantaged strategies you can use to connect with your local community and boost ticket sales.

Make your event accessible to everyone

Running events can feel intimidating for attendees. To make your event feel supportive and inclusive, you need to look at it from the eyes of a person with no running experience.  

Draw inspiration from event organisers like First Derivative, which hosts a Colour Run – Charity Fun Day, who promote events as local community gatherings where people of all running abilities can have fun while getting fit. 

First Derivative does this by incorporating fun themes that add a sense of playfulness, making their events appeal to families and people of all running abilities.

Or you could even work your audience into your theme, like holding 5k runs for newbie runners.

But beyond new runners, making your 5k accessible means opening it to everyone — including people with chronic health conditions and physical disabilities. So consider ways to allow people who walk with aids or who use wheelchairs to participate. For example:

By planning to make your event truly inclusive, you can attract a wider audience and organically grow your community. 

Invest in marketable merchandise  

When planning your 5k, consider what promotional strategies you can use to increase awareness and attract more participants over time. Investing in marketable merchandise is a profitable way to increase your event’s revenue and exposure. 

If you design high-quality merchandise, attendees will likely wear them on more than one occasion, effectively advertising your events for you. (After all, there’s a reason why the global merchandise industry is £233 billion!)x

For example, charity race organisers Shelter use merchandising by supplying participants with a t-shirt as part of their entry price for their Colour Run. Not only is this great advertising for your brand, but racers feel like they gain a prize for completing the race.

Shelter’s merch clearly shows its brand with a simple design, meaning it’s something participants can wear over and over again.

Revolve your event around one distinguishable feature 

When planning a 5k, choose a theme or feature that will set your event apart. This can help generate excitement and improve the memorability of your event. 

A great example is The Happy Farmer Cafe’s 5k Farm Run, which is set in the beautiful countryside, with beer and cider stations every 1k. Basing their events around having a drink and great food with friends and family makes a challenging task more enjoyable.

Another way to connect with your community and boost awareness is by using an event marketing platform. Eventbrite is the world’s largest events marketplace with a search engine that helps people looking for 5k races find yours.

5K Race Downloadable Planning Checklist

The 5 stages of planning a 5k (a timeline) 

The success of your 5k event relies on the quality of your planning efforts leading up to the day. Use our five-stage plan to ensure you consider every detail from the start to the finish line. 

Stage 1: ideas and strategy

Start by outlining what you want from your 5k event and identifying the resources you have at your disposal. 

Set an achievable goal

Setting an achievable goal when planning a 5k event can help you measure success throughout the process. Here are some areas to assess when setting an attainable event goal. 

Although you may have multiple objectives, try to narrow down one primary objective so you can focus your efforts and resources there. 

💡Pro tip: Use Eventbrite’s tracking and analytics tool to find out how many tickets you’ve sold in the past to help you determine an attainable goal for your event.

Runners celebrate completing a color run

Choose your theme and race type

It’s important to decide what kind of race you’re hosting in the early planning stages; a competitive race will require more planning and certifications, while a short fun run might be less logistically complicated. 

Make sure you tailor your event to suit your unique target audience and brand. 

Many event organisers do this by choosing a theme to bring more excitement to the event. You can even encourage participants to dress up — just make the dress code in your marketing materials clear. 

Take a cue from The Running Bug’s Run for Blood Halloween Race, which encourages participants to wear Halloween costumes.

💡Pro tip: Virtual races are a great way to reach runners outside your immediate community. Participants in these races run a particular distance wherever they can during a specific period and then log their run information before the period is over.

Find the right sponsors 

If you’re planning a 5k/fun run that supports a local organisation, the best sponsors to reach out to are the businesses in your community. 

Your sponsors don’t have to be directly related to running or exercise, but it may be beneficial to reach out to sporting goods shops, running clubs, health food shops, and gyms. 

Consider working with local restaurants or cafes willing to donate water, sports drinks, or food to participants.

For example, The Muirhead Outreach Project’s Rainbow Run Glenrothes, which raises money to support local families is sponsored by the Leviton and Kingdom Housing Association, allowing them to keep costs down for their event and provide attendees with a memorable experience.

💡Pro tip: Use Eventbrite to find other local 5k running events and research who’s sponsored them. From here, create a customised sponsor package that breaks down how you’ll market their brand to your target audience. 

People running in an event

Plan a safe and certified route 

When planning a 5k fundraiser, your race route is a critical consideration. Here are some steps you can take to plan a safe and certified route. 

  1. Choose a location: Select an area that has enough space for participants to run safely and is protected from external dangers like traffic or uneven roads.
  2. Obtain necessary permits and permissions: Some racecourses may require you to stop traffic or close public trails temporarily, which requires approval or even permits from your local authorities. 
  3. Conduct a risk assessment: Assess any potential hazards that could impact a runner’s experience, such as sharp turns or low-visibility areas.  
  4. Secure liability insurance: Procure insurance for the event and have first aid and medical assistance available just in case anyone is injured. 

One way to optimise resources is to use a location with the necessary amenities. Most 5ks are held in local parks that have a clear running track set out already. For example, the Bedford Running Festival takes place in the scenic Russell Park, which has plenty of running tracks and public toilets, and plenty of space to set up additional amenities like refreshment stalls.

💡Pro tip: If you’re looking to attract serious runners to your race and ensure that your race will be nationally ranked, you need to set up your event with the national athletics governing body. These bodies include England Athletics, Scottish Athletics, Welsh Athletics, and Athletics Northern Ireland.

Plan your post-race event

Decide what will happen at your post-race event, whether that’s sponsors giving out freebies, vendors selling food and gear, or even entertainment. 

Some creative post-race event ideas include: 

Don’t forget to create a map of where you want sponsors and vendors to set up, and assign a volunteer to assist them on race day.

💡Pro tip: Splash out and hire a professional photographer to capture people crossing the finish line and celebrating at your post-race event. You can use these on social media and your next event advertisement. 

Runners start a road race

Stage 2: getting up and running

During this stage, you’ll work to ensure that people can easily purchase tickets and everything goes smoothly on race day. 

Create an event page 

Creating an engaging event page is essential for promoting your event. It should provide all the relevant information about your event and allow participants to register and purchase tickets. 

In order to make an effective event page, make sure you: 

Eventbrite makes creating a page for your event a simple process. Check out this step-by-step tutorial guide: 

💡Pro tip: You can use your event listing on Eventbrite as a landing page for leads on different platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. Eventbrite has sold more than 290 million tickets across 180 countries and is a well-known and trusted brand that participants know is secure.  

Set up event registration 

When setting up your event registration, ensure the process is as simple as possible. An unreliable or over-complicated registration page and checkout can seriously lower conversion rates.

To ensure a smooth registration process, make the registration page clean, and easy to navigate. 

Also, don’t forget to: 

The registration page for your event is the first point of contact for potential participants — so it has to make a good impression. 

💡Pro tip: Avoid redirecting checkouts as this can lead to a lack of trust from attendees and increase the chance of them changing their minds. Instead use Eventbrite’s seamless checkout on Facebook and Instagram, which allows customers to purchase tickets without leaving the platform.

Simplify your 5k registration process with Eventbrite

Learn more
People filling out an event registration form on their mobile phones

Organise volunteers 

Races usually require volunteers to help them run smoothly. Here are some specific things you can do to gather the right people. 

1. Hang flyers in local businesses and community centres 

2. Post on your social media pages 

3. Provide incentives, such as a voucher for a free drink or gift card to a local restaurant

    Once you have the right number of volunteers, it’s time to narrow down what jobs they’ll need to do. 

    Before the race: 

    At the race: 

    After the race: 

    💡Pro tip: Use Eventbrite to create and publish an advertisement explicitly looking for volunteers. You can post an event listing looking for volunteers to help with your 5k event, which outlines the advantages of registering as a volunteer. For example, you can offer complimentary food and beverages. 

    Walkers in a charity race cross a bridge

    Put together a great race packet

    A race packet is a collection of essentials that participants receive before a race, usually including: 

    For example, you could include a custom event t-shirt, a commemorative medal, and a little sweet for racers to enjoy after the event.

    💡Pro tip: If you’re designing a race t-shirt, consider how to make it stand out. Runners typically have lots of race shirts, so use material, cut, and design that’s a bit different. 

    Secure your materials

    A diverse range of materials will be required on race day to ensure smooth operations. Proactively planning and obtaining these materials beforehand can help avoid any last-minute hiccups on the event day. 

    Some materials you might need are: 

    Securing these materials in advance guarantees a well-organised event and less stress on the event day. 

    💡Pro tip: Create a comprehensive logistical map outlining the placement and setup of these items. This will streamline the setup process and help identify any missing resources so you can manage the event day more efficiently. 

    People running on a mountain trail

    Stage 3: promotion and ticket sales 

    In this stage, the focus shifts to spreading the word, driving ticket sales, and generating excitement among potential participants. 

    Promote your event on social media 

    Promoting your event on social media is a cost-effective way to reach a large audience and generate interest in your race. 

    However, it’s important to be strategic and creative in your approach and use audience-targeting data to create highly impactful social media ads. 

    Some creative ways to promote your event on social media include: 

    One way to ensure you optimise your revenue spend and reach your target audience is to use  Eventbrite’s marketing tools. They can help you create targeted campaigns, track engagement, and use AI to optimise your content. 

    💡Pro tip: Consider using unconventional tactics like including QR code event registration on Instagram and Facebook to make registration a snap. 

    Use in-person marketing techniques 

    Don’t just restrict yourself to online marketing — go old school and use in-person marketing techniques to promote your event. 

    Some in-person marketing techniques to consider include: 

    Don’t be afraid to go wild and use guerilla marketing to get your audience’s attention and make your event stand out. 

    💡Pro tip: Consider hosting pre-event training sessions. This can be a great way to generate buzz and encourage registration while also providing value to your community. 

    Use an event marketing platform to boost registrations 

    Using an event marketing platform like Eventbrite is a great way to boost engagement and drive ticket sales for your event. Eventbrite can help you reach an already warm audience, which is more likely to convert into ticket sales compared to cold traffic. 

    How to use Eventbrite’s marketing platform to boost engagement: 

    💡Pro tip: Use Eventbrite to create an early bird discount. This can help generate buzz and drive ticket sales as it leverages the FOMO effect. 

    A crowd of runners

    Stage 4: race day preparations

    You’ve done the prep work, and race day is finally here. You and your volunteers will want to get to your location early to set up and start directing participants when they arrive. Get ready for a great day!

    Designate parking and check-in areas

    Depending on your race location, you may need to designate an area for parking. If there’s no place to park at the race location, let participants know ahead of time where to find alternatives.

    Here are some tips to consider: 

    You’ll also want to make sure you have clear signage directing participants to where they can check in and pick up their race packets. 

    💡Pro tip: Don’t forget to designate an area for checking in personal items. 

    Set up the course

    Set up your start and finish line, leaderboards, and race time displays along the route. Get your sound system ready before participants start arriving, and have volunteers set up water stations, packet pickup, and food tables.

    Mark your route clearly so participants stay on course and have a safe and enjoyable experience. Here are some tips to consider: 

    💡Pro tip: Set up the course the day before and test it with a small group of volunteers before the event to ensure it is safe, enjoyable, and fully functional. 

    Have an emergency plan

    Be sure you have communication protocols in place so that attendees know what to do if your event is postponed or cancelled due to extreme weather or other safety concerns.  

    💡Pro tip: Consider having a backup location or alternative date in mind just in case you need to postpone your event. This can help reduce the amount of tickets you have to refund if something goes wrong.

    Runners waving and cheering

    Stage 5: after the finish line

    Your work is not done once your attendees cross the finish line — there are still a couple of tasks that need to be completed to ensure a successful event. 

    Clean up 

    It’s critical that you leave the location as it was when you found it. Not doing a thorough clean-up can hurt your reputation and prevent organisations from wanting to work with you in the future. 

    Here are some ways to reduce clean-up time: 

    💡Pro tip: Consider recycling or donating any leftover materials or equipment to reduce waste and support your local community. This can help show that you care about local matters and the people that live there and build goodwill with local businesses for future events.

    Thank sponsors, volunteers, and attendees 

    After the event is over, focus on nurturing any new leads and relationships that may have been established during the event. This can include sponsors, volunteers, and attendees. 

    Send thank-you emails to race participants and volunteers and a small gift to sponsors to show your appreciation. And be sure to keep everyone on your email list in the loop when you start planning your next event. 

    💡Pro tip: Use Eventbrite to craft strategic post-event surveys and send them to participants. This will help you to understand what went well and where you can improve to make your next 5k an even bigger success!

    Ready to start planning a 5k fun run? 

    Pulling together a charity race requires a lot of planning, but with an appealing theme and a solid marketing plan, your event can draw in a large audience. 

    However, planning all of this on your own can be an overwhelming experience. 

    That’s why experienced event organisers rely on Eventbrite to create standout running or walking 5k events. Eventbrite can help you with every stage of your planning, including event registration, targeted promotion, ticket sales, and even event analytics.