The following recommendations for conducting a road run were developed by the Rocky Mountain Road Runners, a member of the Road Runners Club of America, to assist and protect the club when conducting a race sponsored or organized by someone else:

• The race conducting organization should review and approve the race entry form in advance of printing.
• The race conducting organization's logo should appear on the entry form.
• There should be notification in the entry form that unofficial bicycles are prohibited.
• There should also be notification that runners with dogs on leashes, vehicles for transporting children (baby strollers/joggers), and all forms of radio/cassette headsets are prohibited. This restriction is imperative to prevent potentially dangerous situations that might result in legal action being taken against the race sponsors or organizers and is recommended by USATF, the governing body of the sport, and by the RRCA.
• Short-distance "fun runs" designed for children should not be timed or scored. Overall age group awards are inappropriate in these types of events and often create problems. Giving finisher ribbons or medals to all runners is an acceptable alternative.
• Age groupings (and awards) are similarly discouraged for children younger than six years of age except, perhaps, in low-key races designed to attract family groups. It is the goal of many race organizers to encourage activity and fitness but not competition among younger children because of the potential physical and psychological risks. Age groups might begin with 6-9, 10-15 and 15-19, and then proceed in either five- or 10-year increments, e.g. 20-24, 25-29 or 20-29, 30-39, etc.
• When possible, age group trophies should be awarded proportionally based on the anticipated number of runners in each age group. It is preferable to go at least three-deep in each group.
• There should be parity between male and female winners for at least five places overall whether the awards are money, merchandise or trophies.
• In most cases, unless an elite division is established (sometimes seen in triathlons and duathlons), overall winners should not be eliminated from the age group awards. Those who exclude the overall winners from the age group prizes do so presumably to provide awards to more participants. But this practice distorts the results. For example, if the overall male winner is in the 20-29 age group but is not given the award for his age group, it is then the second place finisher in that age category who takes home a trophy that indicates he finished first when, in fact, he did not.

If overall awards are given in addition to age group trophies, the race organizers must accept the fact that some runners will receive two awards. A couple of solutions to this potential dilemma are to make the overall awards different from the age group trophies or medals, and to provide for more than just the top three finishers in those age groups from which overall winners are most likely to emerge, i.e. 20-29 and 30-39.