Olympic marathon observations
Race directors can get some ideas about event management from the Olympic Women's Marathon.
But remember three things: a) this is the Olympics, so everything is top-notch, cutting edge; b) it's a marathon, so some things don't apply to shorter distance races; and, c) there were only 82 participants.
Still, here are some things worth noting:
1. A blue line was painted along the entire course, cutting all tangents, so competitors could run the shortest distance possible and never go off course.
(Note: don't fret if a runner in your race tells you his GPS shows your course is long. Very few runners are able to cut each corner as tightly as possible, so most runners will actually run farther than the stated distance of your course).
2. French barricades (interlocking, metal fences) lined the entire course. Many large, American races use these for crowd control at the start and finish. It's very effective but expensive.
3. Workmen scraped chewing gum off portions of the course.
4. Some streets appeared to be newly resurfaced.
5. Narrow streets were totally closed to traffic; wider ones allowed traffic on one side.
6. The first kilometer split (everybody but the USA is metric) was placed in the middle of the course and knocked down by passing runners. All other markers were to the side of the course.
7. Computer chips were embedded in all runner bibs so times could be tracked throughout the race.
8. Aid stations were spread out, yet runners sometimes had difficulty getting their water and fluid replacement (runners had personalized bottles of liquid).
9. Water mist sprayers were installed at several points along the course to cool runners.
By the way, a former Chicago Marathon winner was the first to cross the finish line. The race did not go well for American runners.