Your Go-To Resources…
At RunSignup, we take education seriously because we want to empower you to create and manage your own events. Get familiar with the resources you can use to answer any questions and learn more about our tools
Support How-To’s
Your one-stop hub for step-by-step how-to’s for key products and features across the platform.
Product Blog
Our blog is your regular news feed for product updates and industry best practices. Subscribe to keep up!
Webinars & Events
Get hands-on training through our comprehensive library of on-demand webinars and upcoming webinars & events.
Monthly Newsletter
Get a roundup of all the news delivered to your inbox, every month, with our RunSignup monthly newsletter.
New Race Directors: How to Get Started
Getting your race up and running on RunSignup is a breeze with our Race Wizard. If you have a simple setup, you may be ready to open registration after you complete the Race Wizard, but the customization options are endless. Walk through our initial setup process and then dive into our recommended next steps.
Jump to a Step:
Step 1.
Setup Registration with the Race Wizard
Setting up a run, walk, ride, or other traditional endurance event? Jumpstart your learning with our Race Wizard video playlist and then take a tour of your RunSignup Race Dashboard.
Your Race Wizard: A Walkthrough
Step 2.
Customize Your Race Website
Once you’ve created your race with the race wizard, dive into your race website to enhance the look and add custom content and pages to your race website.
Key How-To’s for Your Race Website
Step 3.
Create Your Marketing Plan
Ready for a launch? Learn how to implement a digital strategy, activate your participants as ambassadors, and track your marketing spend to optimize your results.
Key How-To’s for Your Race Marketing
Step 4.
Set Your Participant Management Parameters
Reduce your customer service with flexible options for self-serve participant management, including waitlists, deferrals, event transfers, bib exchanges, and more.
Key How-To’s for Participant Management
Quick Tip Videos for Participant Management
Step 5.
Communicate Clearly
As you prepare for registrations to come in, dive into your free email platform and draft and automate all your key emails, including the registration launch, reminders about referral programs, and pre-race details.
Key How-To’s for Email Marketing
Quick Tip Videos for Email Marketing
Step 6.
Raise More for Your Cause
Whether your race is organized by a nonprofit or benefiting a local charity, most endurance events include some fundraising. Learn how to supercharge your donations – or even activate Peer-to-Peer Fundraising.
As you prepare for registrations to come in, dive into your free email platform and draft and automate all your key emails, including the registration launch, reminders about referral programs, and pre-race details.
Key How-To’s for Fundraising
Step 7.
Prepare for RaceDay
It’s (almost) game time! Connect with your timer to evaluate the RaceDay tools you need to go paperless, reduce lines, and eliminate stress before the gun goes off.
As you prepare for registrations to come in, dive into your free email platform and draft and automate all your key emails, including the registration launch, reminders about referral programs, and pre-race details.
Elements of the RaceDay Suite
General Resources for New Race Directors
Race directing can be a big job. While there is no one manual – all races are different – there are a number of industry resources that we recommend to help you learn more about the endurance industry and prepare for your event.
1. Race Director 101 from Championship Racing has a terrific checklist and detailed guide.
2. Event Director’s Education from Road Runners Club of America offers practical advice on topics like permitting and insurance. There is also an option for a paid Race Director Certification.
Check Out Event Director’s Education
3. Race Director’s Hub on Facebook is a community of race directors around the world. Have a question? Ask!
4. Race Director’s HQ offers free articles, resources, and vendor listings alongside a paid membership program.
5. Runners for Public Lands has a free Race Directors Guide to help races build community and care for the environment through their events
Check out Runners for Public Land
6. Guide to Non-Binary Inclusion in Running is a free resource for race organizers who are looking to create more inclusive events for non-binary participants.
Need more help? Submit a Support Ticket for assistance! Our highly responsive Support Team is online 7 days a week.
More Blogs for New Race Directors
Guest Post: Runners for Public Lands Vision For More Inclusive Races and Events
This is a guest post from Runners for Public Lands. Runners for Public Lands is eager to launch the Race Director Resource Hub to assist event organizers in implementing a sense of belonging, natural history, and environmental stewardship at their events. This…
Read More
How to Use the RunSignup Website
RunSignup is a product-led company, and our goal is to create end-to-end technology solutions that can solve our customers problems. We invest heavily in UX to make our registration platform intuitive, but events are complicated and every race director and timer needs…
Read More
It’s Renewal Season!
Fall race season is kicking into full swing, and races are getting ready to take registrations for the next year of their event! If you’re ready to get your event registration back up and running, but not sure if you should start…
Read More
How to be a Race Director: 2021 Education Round-Up
With our 2021 Spring Forward Seminar we capped off a year of extensive virtual education focused on helping event professionals and nonprofits manage the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and pivot events from in-person to virtual to hybrid. Between multi-session virtual seminars and webinars…
Read More
Renewing a Cancelled Race
Why Renew? If you made a number of edits to your (cancelled) 2020 race, it may be tempting to just start over. Don’t! Going through the steps to correctly renew your race has a number of benefits, including: Complications of 2021 Renewals Renewing is…
Read More
Advice for First-Time Race/Challenge Directors
Virtual races aren’t really new – but with COVID-19 restrictions turning in-person events into virtual ones, experienced race directors are learning what it’s like to be a rookie director all over again. This episode of talkSIGNUP covers tips for a first-time virtual…
Read More
Webinar Recap: Turkey Trot Master Class
Watch Webinar Recording Download RaceDay Checklist View Webinar Slides Thanksgiving Day is the largest running day in the United States! Are you ready to stand out from this crowd? Today’s webinar covered the path to Turkey Day Greatness: For a checklist of…
Read More
Trail Running is Paving the Way for Green Running!
At the US Trail Running Conference in San Luis Obispo, California this last week the RaceJoy team got to connect with race directors and vendors in the trail running industry. We get a lot of great ideas for RaceJoy from this group and definitely…
Read More
Becoming a Race Director
A new book just came out, Organizing a 5K, by Crystal Waters McCulough. We saw it on a post on Race Directors HQ, and ordered it and read it this past weekend. It is a great book for people thinking about putting on…
Read More
How The Scott Coffee Run Uses RunSignup
Bob was inspired to start RunSignup based on being one of the race directors at the Scott Coffee Run. Eight years later, it is useful to see how the race makes use of RunSignup technology today (this will be a long blog…
Read More
RunSignup Joins Race Directors Hub as a Community Partner
We’re joining with Race Directors Hub, the thriving endurance industry forum from the online resource Race Directors HQ, as a Community Partner to the Facebook group! The group was launched by Race Directors HQ editor Panos Gonos in October 2017 and has grown into Facebook’s…
Read More
Custom Race Dashboard
We have brought the power of a Custom Dashboard we introduced a few weeks ago to our larger Partners to each and every race that uses RunSignup. Here is some of the eye candy you can customize to show just what you are looking…
Read More