Handing Out Shirts At Your Fundraiser Race? Follow These Tips
Over the years, it has become customary for road races — especially those that are fundraisers — to hand out shirts to the participants. The participants can proudly wear these shirts to advertise for the race's sponsors, and also to let others know about their accomplishment in finishing the race! If you are organizing a road race, then you will want to follow these tips in ordering and planning for the shirts.
1. Order dry fit shirts.
Cotton shirts are out, and custom dry fit apparel is in. (You may see these sold as "custom dri fit clothing" in some places). Dry fit apparel breathes a lot better than cotton and can be worn in both warm and cold weather, which makes this material more appealing to athletes and runners. If you buy dry fit shirts, your participants may actually wear them when they are running and working out, which means they will get more use. You will pay a little more for a dry fit shirt than for a cotton one, but your participants will be far more pleased with them.
2. Choose short sleeves unless it is the dead of winter.
Unless your race is in the middle of winter, choose short-sleeve shirts. Many runners wear short sleeves in colder weather than the average person would wear short sleeves, and the short sleeve season is longer in most areas—so a short-sleeve shirt will simply get more use.
3. Include your sponsors on the back.
Of course, you will want the front of the shirt to prominently display the name of your race and your logo. But on the back of the shirt, in smaller letters, you should include the names or logos associated with any sponsors who donated to the race or helped organize it. Some race directors simply have the names of the sponsors listed, one on top of the other. Others will arrange the logos of the sponsors in a sort of collage-like pattern. Either is fine, but it may be easier to just list the names since you then do not have to arrange for all of your sponsors to send their official logos to the shirt printing company.
With the tips above, you should have an easier time ordering custom shirts for your road race. Remember to order various different sizes in order to accommodate a variety of runners. Good luck, and have fun!