The Runner-First Standard is a public commitment independent race organizers make to the runners, walkers, and volunteers who show up on race morning. It's free to sign, open to any race on any registration platform, and it asks for nothing but the way you probably already operate — said out loud.
The badge members display on their race websites.
A runner should be able to read the whole standard in the time it takes to pin on a bib. Each promise is expanded into specific commitments in the full standard.
We show runners the full price before checkout. No fees revealed at the last step, no charges designed to be missed.
Course, distance, timing, awards, and amenities are described accurately — and corrected publicly when something changes.
Refund, transfer, deferral, and cancellation terms are published where runners can read them before registration opens.
Participant information is protected and used to put on the race — it is not the product, and it is not for sale.
First-timers, walkers, competitive athletes, kids, and volunteers are treated with the same respect at the same finish line.
When something changes or goes wrong, we say so, we respond to the people affected, and we work to make it right.
We leave courses, venues, and neighborhoods better than we found them, and put the long-term health of local running ahead of a quick return.
Read the full standard, including the accountability policy → The Runner-First Standard v1.0
The organizer has publicly signed the standard and committed to respond when runners raise a concern. The promise is transparency and responsiveness — in writing, with their name on it.
That a race will never make a mistake, that every refund request succeeds, or that the network referees disputes. We are not a court, and membership is never a verdict on race quality.
Concerns sent to the network are forwarded to the organizer and logged. Members commit to respond within 14 days. A pattern of ignoring runners, or misrepresenting facts, is what costs a race its badge — full policy here.
We're inviting fifty independent race organizations across the United States to found the network — organizations that already run races this way and are willing to say so publicly. Founding membership is free and stays free.
The Better Race Network was founded by the organizers of A Better World Running, which has operated affordable, community-centered races in Southern California since 2011, with technology support from Race Ascend.
Membership does not require Race Ascend or any particular registration platform, and no membership decision is ever based on what software a race uses. We believe transparency should start with us.
Two minutes. We read every application personally and reply within a few days.