Race organization - best and worst

A few things off the top of my head from working on race committees:

• Start early recruiting plenty of volunteers. Make sure they are properly trained.
• Check-in is typically a choke point.  Have signs to direct participants and plenty of volunteers to help.
• Have a medical tent staffed with qualified volunteers to address most common needs: blisters, strains, etc.  Coordinate with local EMT's to be on notice for more serious problems (some local authorities may require EMTs to be on site).
• Coordinate with local authorities to insure course safety, especially if sharing the roads with public traffic.  Have traffic control at potentially dangerous intersections.
• Instruct volunteers to be nice & smile. 

Mark

For a century you HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO make sure the turns are marked well.  I recently did a ride where one turn was not marked well---possibility is that some locals messed with signs---and LOTS of people went the wrong way.  Not good.  IF the local area will allow spray paint on the road, then that would be my suggestion on marking turns. People, wind, vehicles, other cyclists, animals cannot bump, move, or change which way the arrow is pointing if it is clearly spray painted on the ground. 

Other than the sign mess up, the ride went great.  Positive points were:
- Organized packet pick up the morning of the ride
- Started on time after the National Anthem
- Good aid stations
- Good volunteers
- Nice t-shirt
- Commerative pin
- Water Bottle
- Post ride meal
- Plenty of porta potties at the start
- Ride marshals that did a good job of keeping cyclists doing the right thing

For course markers, I've seen lots of creative ideas, most of which suck.  The best I've seen so far are small signs - the same kind they use for campaign signs.  They're pretty cheap, re-usable, you can get bright colors, and you can't miss them.

For the pre-race information, whether it's via email or web site, give a lot of information.  People don't have to read it all (put the important things in a section at the beginning), but some will want to.

If it's a century, and you have permission, also go with small painted markers on the roads.  Those last yearl-round, and are useful for all cyclists in the area; I've found some nice routes by following those things.