
Build and Event with Heart: How to Start Your First 5k/10k
From Dirt And Vert by East Coast Adventures
May 25, 2026 · 49 min · Episode 133
About this episode
The episode provides a roadmap for starting your first 5K or 10K, covering race directing and fundraising tips.
We get a lot of questions about how to get into race directing, how to host fundraisers for charity, and what it actually takes to put on your very first 5K or 10K. In this episode of the Dirt & Vert Podcast , David, Matt, and Mike Taylor break it all down into a simple, high-level roadmap. We start the day catching up on Mike and Matt's longest 50K ever at the Stump Jump anniversary race—a beautiful, well-marked course where they threw up a thousand times, survived on green and red Gatorade, and battled some classic race director lies about the actual distance to the next aid station. Then, we dive into the nitty-gritty of race directing. From navigating monthly city agenda permits and securing liability insurance policy to choosing a major hosting platform like RunSignUp and finding a local photographer to capture the memories, we share the fumbles we went through so you don't have to.
People in this episode
Hosts: David, Matt, Mike Taylor
Topics covered
- race directing
- 5K
- 10K
- fundraising
- event planning
Keywords
- race directing
- 5K
- 10K
- fundraisers
- event planning
- liability insurance
- RunSignUp
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: RunSignUp
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