“Designing a race is like making up your own world and allowing others to be a part of it,” says David Kilgore, an On Running athlete and the race director of October 7 Hudson River 50 and Trail Marathon, which aims to bring trail running to the Big Apple. “One of my favorite things in the world is sharing trails with new people. These days I spend a lot of my life in cities, so the race tries to highlight hidden natural gems near this metro mecca.”

Kilgore is far from alone. There’s a growing movement of pro trail runners adding race directing to their resume, while continuing to run at an elite level. Two years ago, Dylan Bowman, a Red Bull pro, took over Gorge Waterfalls in Hood River, Oregon, and just announced a new race, The Big Alta, in Marin County, California. “We got excited and took the chance. It’s been a big learning experience and a source of huge satisfaction,” says Bowman.

Also in 2021, Tim Tollefson founded Mammoth TrailFest, a series of trail and mountain races near his home of Mammoth Lakes, California. “I went from focusing just on myself to having this desire to share what I’ve learned with others,” says Tollefson. “TrailFest was created to share self-love and acceptance with everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from.”
 

A good idea only goes so far. Race directing requires attention to details and execution, says Mike Foote, a The North Face pro who started race directing in 2010, a year after his first 100-miler. In 2013, he co-founded The Rut Mountain Runs in Big Sky, Motantana, now one of the top mountain races in the country. 

“Having a vision is key, but executing that vision takes so much work,” says Foote, who sees race directing as a long-term learning process. “As soon as you clean up from the event, you start thinking about how to make it better the next year.” 

It took years, Tollefson says, to build relationships with partners necessary to balance safety, impact, community involvement, and overall experience. “We’re in it for the long haul.”
 

Luke Nelson, a Patagonia pro runner, took over Scout Mountain Ultras in Pocatello, Idaho, in 2012 and echoed the sentiment. “So many details need to be considered and planned for,” Nelson says. “Plus the beautiful challenge of working with hundreds of volunteers, time on permits, insurance, working with land managers, business and environmental partners, and logistics. It’s a lot of work, and incredibly rewarding.”

“It’s an immense physical and emotional energy demand,” Bowman adds. “Over the week of racing there is little sleep and a lot of work, leaving our whole team exhausted by the end. Plus the stress of being responsible for participant’s safety and desperately wanting them to have a good time. The cliche is definitely true. It’s a lot harder to direct races than run them!”
 

Comparing Racing And Race Directing

“There’s a lot of overlap between racing and directing,” says Kilgore. “It’s something you spend years building towards, not something that just happens on the spot.” 

The big difference is where that time and energy go. “Racing is all about yourself, while race directing is the opposite, curating an experience for someone else,” says Foote. “External focused instead of internal. I love the contrast between the two.”

Nelson says that being a race director and racing at an elite level both necessitate a fine attention to detail. 

“When preparing for a race I look at the smallest details of training, diet, and recovery,” he says. “The little things really matter. The same applies to race directing. The best events consider the smallest details, even some that runners never see. You can feel the difference when an event has done this work, just like an elite athlete who feels the difference when they have done the detailed work to prepare for a race.”  

“They both require a strong ‘Why?,’” says Tollefson. “When your perfect plan doesn’t play out, you need a clear purpose to stay on track. Both require some level of creativity, goal setting, and accountability.” But there are major differences, too, he explains. “Running at an elite level can be self-serving, steeped with ego, and very solitary. Race directing forces community to the center of every discussion.”
 

Both racing and race directing come with intense pressure, Bowman says. “As pro athletes, we’re constantly worried about our job security, which is intimately tied to our health and performance. When you underperform, it has real consequences on your livelihood,” he says. “As a director, you rely heavily on your reputation, knowing that participants have been looking forward to your event for months. If you make a mistake, it might create a negative experience for hundreds of runners.”

Behind The Scenes

A common theme that came up was how much preparation goes on behind the scenes. “The days of buying some t-shirts and marking a course are in the past,” Foote says. “Marketing, sponsor relations, graphic design, social media, communications strategy, website, volunteer management, registration software, equipment maintenance, elite athlete management, storytelling, aid station menus, and awards are just a part of the machine that make the whole event run smoothly.”

“Over 1,000 emails went through my inbox before the 2023 race,” says Nelson. “There is so much time spent coordinating volunteers, permits, insurance, partnerships, website, registration, merchandise and so on. Plus the volunteer work, like trail clearing, trail marking, course clearing, and trailhead cleanups.”

With so many moving pieces, race directors have to be adaptable. “There is almost always something going haywire behind the scenes, so you have to find ways to pivot to continue with the show,” says Kilgore. This takes good communication, a good team, and the ability to problem solve. “Most issues have a clean solution, but there’s usually at least one moment of total panic,” says Bowman. “Luckily, those usually remain behind the scenes.”

Lessons From Race Directing

To be a successful race director, you have to be passionate, Kilgore says. “The key is that you love what you do. Race directing takes a ton of work and passion is what keeps you going.” It also requires learning to trust others. “You quickly learn to ask for help,” says Tollefson. “The idea that we do anything alone is a fallacy. Let people in, admit that you don’t know, and then listen.”

 

For all the hard work, the payoff is clear. “It’s much easier to run 100 miles than to direct a 100-mile event,” says Nelson. “And directly related to that, the reward of greeting runners at the finish line is one of the most beautiful things I have experienced in the sport.”

It takes time to build a successful event. “It’s a multi-year process and you need to appreciate the journey just like anything else,” says Foote. “It starts with a unique experience, but the fun comes with building the culture and community over many years. That, and you always need more porta potties than you think!”