{"id":2244,"date":"2022-05-18T18:50:59","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T18:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/?p=2244"},"modified":"2022-12-15T20:41:17","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T18:41:17","slug":"5-key-components-for-a-successful-race-briefing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/how-to-start-a-race\/5-key-components-for-a-successful-race-briefing\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Key Components For A Successful Race Briefing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Effective race briefings are a vital touch point with athletes, communicating important messages and engaging participants with your event.<\/span> For race participants, a briefing is their first proper interaction with you. We have spoken with Race Director\u2019s worldwide to come up with five core components for an effective briefing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting The Tone<\/span><\/h2>\n

It is important to set the right tone from the outset.<\/span> Ourea Event\u2019s<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> Shane Ohly said \u2018I\u2019m not your friend\u2019 to participants of the Dragons Back Race and goes onto say \u2018safety\u2019 is the number one consideration. The Ourea Events team have a superb safety record despite operating in hostile mountainous environments and establish early on with participants that they will be safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Bradley of<\/span> Runway Adventures<\/a><\/strong> has a slightly different perspective, and points out that athletes \u2018must be respectful of others and look after the countryside\u2019. For Chris it is integral to the sustainability of the event that \u2018we treat all users (of the countryside) with respect and a smile\u2019, this is fundamental element to Runway Adventures\u2019 races which share the trails with other users.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep briefings punchy and make sure your audience can hear you. 15 minutes is a good rule of thumb for a briefing. For multi-stage or more complicated races you might want to go up to an hour. Mandy who runs the<\/span> Storm Trail Series<\/a><\/strong> ruefully admits that athletes tend to \u2018zone out after 5 minutes\u2019 so \u2018keep it short and sweet\u2019!<\/span><\/p>\n

The 5 Key Parts Of An Effective Race Briefing<\/span><\/h2>\n

1) Distribute clear notes to participants in advance of a briefing<\/span><\/h3>\n

Send out briefing notes in advance or create an area on of your website where athletes can access the essential information. Some organisers will forgo in-person briefings altogether and rely on the fact their briefing notes will do the trick.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a 5km race, a one to two page document will suffice in the weeks leading up to the race. Other more complex races require much more detailed information communicated well in advance. For example, the 268 mile non-stop<\/span> Spine Race<\/a><\/strong> has a mandatory kit list of 30 items and a detailed participant area on the website, participants of the race known as \u2018Spiners\u2019 will need information months in advance of the race.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bottom line for all races is that participants should have received information which gets them arriving in the right place at the right time and with the required equipment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2) Connect with your audience<\/span><\/h3>\n

At the briefing and before launching into some of the more serious parts, you should look to create a handshake with your audience. This can be as simple as saying why you are involved with the sport you are organising and what outcomes you are looking forward to from the race.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Asking the audience to \u2018raise your hand if\u2026\u2019 or \u2018let\u2019s see who has travelled the furthest to get here\u2019 are both great questions to get initial buy-in. If you can inject some humour, even better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having a \u2018front of house manager\u2019 involved with the race briefings is a good idea. This is a face which participants will see at registration, in the briefing and at the finish line. It gives an all-important personal touch and a familiar face as participants complete their journey with you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3) Communicate clearly on safety\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Safety is a race organisers primary concern and can cover a wide range of factors. Don\u2019t overload this section of a briefing, effective on-course safety comes from pre-planning and execution, which is unrelated to what participants need to hear.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Participants expect a duty of care while at your race and you should make them feel like you have safety well-covered so they can focus on the getting themselves around a course.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few of the key safety messages to hit in the briefing include:<\/span><\/p>\n