A World Class Editor & Mid-Pack Marathoner Asks Race Directors to Consider 12 Things

By Patrick Stiegman

Let’s talk toilet paper.

It’s a balmy October morning, I’ve disembarked from the bus in Hopkinton and am excitedly approaching the start line of the 2021 Boston Marathon, my fifth Boston but first in-person marathon since the pandemic gripped the globe and — in various degrees — disrupted the running industry, creating chaos for race directors now facing a moving target just to keep us all moving.

There is no better organized or more resilient race than Boston, and the 2021 version came with new-normal protocols and enormous logistical challenges: vaccination confirmation, testing and masking requirements, social distancing, etc., and, in a fortuitous turn (focus group of one) a rolling start to the 125th edition of the world’s oldest marathon, all expertly implemented by the B.A.A., Dave McGillivray, and a world-class operations team and platoons of volunteers.

But there was … an issue.

A few hundred yards from the start line was a massive U-shaped phalanx of Porta-potties, and despite hundreds of my fellow mid-packers seeking last-minute pit stops, the queues were relatively short. But I immediately noticed runners ahead of me rapidly opening and closing Porta-let doors, scurrying and stalking the now suddenly elusive toilet paper, stall-bystall, square-by-square. It was like “Let’s Make a Deal” with runners betting who could pick the door with the prized TP.

Witnessing the desperation and panicking at the implications of 26.2 miles without, well, having properly taken care of business, one runner (I can neither confirm nor deny it was me) pulled a pair of discarded Strawberry Shortcake leggings out of a nearby donation bin, you know, just as a failsafe.

Let’s be clear, here: McGillivray orchestrates a minor miracle each year in Boston (as do fellow World Major Marathon race directors, and thousands of their event management colleagues), and implemented extensive and vital operational procedures on a long-ass day that goes unnoticed by most runners, without which the safety, security and success of all taking the course could not be ensured. Those big picture elements were flawless, and race directors can’t be in three places at once — what other industry relies so heavily upon volunteers, including critical medical volunteers, and with such a stellar batting average? Rational me knew this. Irrational me just really needed to find a stall with toilet paper.

I blame a phenomenon I call Runner’s Brain. Macro shifts to micro, vision narrows, things that should NEVER be taken for granted … well, are taken for granted. I wasn’t proud, but the anxiety of what lay before me, especially battling a recently torn knee meniscus, had me red-lining. Good news? A fellow runner’s Paul Revere-like pronouncement -- “This one has paper!” — signaled success, and crisis averted, I proudly started and finished the Boston Marathon (and did the same in the 50th TCS New York City Marathon just three-plus weeks later).

And as we all return to real racing (with a dash of virtual challenges added for flavor), here is some respectfully offered food for thought to race directors, fully cognizant most are superficial asks and inherently less important than the logistics of safety, security, spacing, pricing, runner hesitancy, field size, supply chain issues, etc. -- especially as the pandemic maddeningly endures. But since I love races, here are a dozen things that knock about a mid-packer’s running brain.

1. Speaking of Porta-potties (sense a theme here?) don’t allow runners to create their own queues. We are like sheep before the race, and will simply follow the person in front of us in line — even if that leads to a S-shaped row of runners stretched across the parking lot all pointed to a single stall. If you can, set up the stalls in logical blocks, or have a volunteer establish properly spaced lines, saving the panic when you are 23rd in the queue just 90 seconds before the gun fires.

2. If you have a race Web site (and you SHOULD have a race Web site), put the race date, time and location front and center on the homepage. I’ve run marathons quicker than the hours lost on some sites searching out start times.

3. Oh, and speaking of the Web site: the next most prominent link (other than REGISTER) should be a course map, preferably with elevation chart. Let me know what I’m getting into, especially for first-timers at your race.

4. Race T-shirts? Optional, but always nice — and if possible, offer a technical shirt option, even if at extra cost. Great promo for your race, signage opportunity for sponsors, and I’m more likely to sport it on a future run if it’s wicking.

5. As for race bibs, don’t put too many tabs at the bottom (you know, post-race food, swag pickup, etc.). It makes the bib too bulky, and honestly, I’m usually too exhausted to expertly manipulate the tab tearing-off process after the race.

6. Fully endorsing the aforementioned 2021 rolling start in Boston, I recognize most races will have corrals and waves, especially with the need to distribute runners under pandemic protocols. That said, allow an entry point on both sides of each corral (ideally with volunteers validating numbers), helping minimize late-arriving runners inevitably leaping the barriers (and bruising my toes).

7. On-course logistics vary by size of race, number of runners, volunteers, community guidelines, permits and, of course, budget. But don’t skimp on water stations for shorter distances. Even one water stop in a 5K can make a difference.

8. Speaking of water stations, if you have a mix of both water and Gatorade (or other sport drinks), wonderful! But please put them in consistent order from station to station, ideally in different colored cups. Again, Runner’s Brain...

9. Similarly, if you have mile markers, wonderful! But please ensure accuracy -- I know watch GPS data can vary, but having markers for miles 8 and 9 just a half-mile apart is disorienting. Better still: install clocks at alternating mile markers.

10. A few post-race asks: If you are going to offer beer, issue wristbands at packet-pickup, so I don’t need to carry ID during the race. If you have post-race food, keep it simple -- bagels and bananas are sufficient (hard pass on chili, chowder, tofu-burgers, etc.) And the No. 1 point of emphasis post-race: water takes precedence in the finish chute. All other amenities can wait.

11. The Internet has revolutionized post-race result access, yet I still run a number of races with printed times tacked to a tree with sweat-stained runners jockeying for position to spy results. But whatever the method, faster the better, and if you can send alerts or post online, that’s preferred.

12. Medals: yes, yes, yes, all races, all distances. I’ve earned hundreds of race medals, all shapes and sizes, and they are both motivational and meaningful symbols of achievement and goals reached, even exceeded. It's more than a medal, but the story behind it. And if you offer virtual race options, please ship the medal in advance so I can wear it proudly after crossing that virtual finish line.

That’s the list (opinions may vary). And while the job of a race director may seem thankless at times, I assure you most runners are TRULY appreciative of your efforts — that’s why so many of us register for races, rather than just log endless training miles. The communal environment you foster, the shared experiences, accomplishments and conviviality of in-person races were undeniably missed over much of the past 2 years -- and we’re grateful to be back.

Oh, and did I mention the toilet paper? //

About the author: Patrick Stiegman is Vice President / Editorial Director for Global Digital Content at ESPN, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hartford Marathon Foundation. Since embracing the sport in 2012, he has run 32 marathons, 160+ half marathons, completed 10 IRONMAN 70.3s and, in 2021, his first full IRONMAN 140.6. None fast, all challenging —and all satisfying.