If you want to sign up to your first (or next) race but aren’t sure where to start, fear not! Part 2 of our series on running skills explains what races are available, how to sign up to them, and what to expect on the day itself

Words: Anna Harding

Having a goal race on the horizon can be great motivation because goal setting gives us a sense of purpose and achievement once it has been completed. Your goal might be to finish the distance, run the whole thing without walking, or to run it in a certain time. Whatever the goal you set yourself, don’t let the word ‘race’ scare you off; most of the time it’s about the satisfaction of finishing it, not necessarily winning.

Data from a report written by Run Repeat (State Of Running 2019) found that mass participation peaked in 2016, with 9.1 million runners crossing a finish line of some sort. During the pandemic, races were cancelled, but now that they’re back, it’s a great time to get back in the action. And there are lots of ways to find out when races are taking place, from social media to specific websites like findarace.com.

What happens at a race?

The magic of race day comes from a mix of elements: the buzz, excitement and adrenaline at the start line, highfiving the spectators out on the course, meeting marshals, stopping at aid stations for refreshments and crossing the finish line.

It’s also a very special experience to come together with hundreds or often thousands of other like-minded people who are all itching to put their training to the test so prepare for a thrilling and and memorable experience.

Before we go into more detail on distances and logistics, a word of caution about running races for those who use a GPS watch to track their runs; don’t expect the distance on your watch to match exactly with the length of race you’re doing.

Although races are measured accurately (most of the time) and the majority are officially certified, you will almost certainly find that your watch distance is either under or over the distance when you’ve finished.

There are a number of reasons why this could happen, including the GPS going haywire around tall buildings or because you’ve had to weave in and out of other runners. It’s worth bearing this in mind if you want to hit a certain goal time; it may be better to keep an eye out on the distance markers during the race to check you’re on track.

5K & 10Ks

Preparing for 5K and 10K races can be a great first foray into racing or could serve as a benchmark and practice for a longer distance. Races are staged all year round at these distances and many include fundraising elements, such as Race For Life in aid of Cancer Research UK. These distances are ideal for racing because the training and preparation, as well as the recovery, aren’t as time-consuming as they are for longer races.

Technically speaking, parkrun isn’t a race, but the weekly timed 5K runs are a cost-friendly way for people to experience the fun of running with a large group of people. In order to take part, all you have to do is register on the website and print off your barcode. Take that along with you to the run, which is held weekly on a Saturday morning, and run the course. At the end, you’ll be given a finish token, which is scanned along with your barcode so that your result is properly logged and sent to you by email. By going back every week, you’ll be able to keep track of your progress, but do remember, parkrun is a timed run rather than a race.