You did it! You made it to the finish! Congratulations!

Except, even as your runners celebrate finishing their big day, your work as a race director isn’t over yet. A start line can be as simple or as complicated as the size of your race dictates, but “the finish is usually a lot more elaborate,” said David Katz, who has been the official course measure for three Olympic Marathons, served on the USATF technical and rules committees, and currently sits on the World Athletics competition commission.

Your finish line and post-finish area can include everything from the lead-up to the finish, the finish line itself, and the athlete flow post-finish.

Managing athlete flow

A...