5K Event

Below are brief risk management guidelines for organizing a safe and low-risk 5K event on campus. Please also complete the Event Risk Assessment form. You will need to consult with the appropriate college administrators and offices to receive approval before you advertise your event.

Please note: The guidelines below are provided for event planning purposes only. Following these instructions alone does not guarantee your event's compliance with campus policies and regulations. Your 5K event must be approved by the appropriate college administrators and offices, including, at a minimum, Public Safety, Risk Management, Student Leadership and Involvement if it involves a student organization, Campus Center and Event Services if a specific on-campus location(s) need(s) to be reserved, Jake Brenner with respect to use of the Natural Lands and possibly Human Resources (if employees will participate or assist).

The procedure and requirements vary depending on who or what parties are organizing and participating in the race. Races on campus can either be 1) organized/sponsored by the college and open only to college community participants, 2) organized and sponsored by the college but open to the public, or 3) organized by an outside party (third party) and open to the public. An event involving minors may or may not be approved.  Before including minors please be sure to review the Protection of Minors page and Policy requirements. 

For 5K events where participation is limited only to students, faculty, and staff of the college, and the location is limited to campus roads, the organizing campus group or department must complete a comprehensive risk assessment including, but not limited to, the steps listed below:

• Complete an Events Risk Assessment.
• Notify all appropriate administrators and offices of your plan as early in the process as possible.
• All participants must be notified that they will be required to sign a release waiver in order to participate. The notice and the waiver form must be posted as part of the promotional materials, and the signed waiver must be required as part of the registration process. It is always best to have as many participants register and submit their waivers in advance of the event as possible.
• Close registration at least 30 minutes before the race.
• Submit a campus map with the route marked to the appropriate administrators and offices.
• Ensure that Public Safety is present for the race, if recommended by the office of public safety.
• If the race crosses or is in any way to occur on college or public roads, consult with Public Safety and Risk Management before planning a race.

Depending on the specific nature of the 5K event, additional steps may be necessary for a complete risk assessment. Please consult the appropriate college administrators or offices if you have any questions. These events will typically be insured by the college.

This event may still be insured under the college insurance policies at no cost to the organizing department or student group as long as the risk assessment steps as listed above are completed and organizers guarantee that all participants, including those who are not members of the campus community, have been notified about the release waiver requirement as part of the promotional materials and that the signed release waiver is required to register for the event (i.e., the waiver is signed before the event). If the event is co-sponsored with another organization (outside party/third party), the college may require the event to purchase separate insurance for the event (see below) and a contract/agreement may be required between the college and the third party.