Running Expo Essentials

Check out our guide to running event expos

These are often held in exhibition halls where you'll be asked to go and collect your race bibs (race number) and timing chips. This obviously saves the event organisers having to mail out thousands of race packs and it can generate revenue for them, and it can also be a great experience for the runner too. Our expo essentials guide makes sure it's a positive part of your event journey, rather than a negative one.

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Know the opening hours

This might sound glaringly obvious but every year hundreds of runners across the world get to their expo too late, or too early. The former can be a real problem. The really big expos have a very clear policy on late comers. If you're late you will not run. So know when the expos open and close and do not be late. If your train is late or the traffic is bad that isn't the event organisers problem.

Try and avoid Saturday

For Sunday events most expos are between two and four days long. Occasionally there will be the odd one that only opens on Saturday but generally they are from Wednesday, Thursday or Friday until Saturday. Saturdays will always be crazy busy, so if you are able to you should try and get there on another day. That's fine if you live relatively local, but for many people they don't have a choice. If that's you then try and get there as early in the day as you can on Saturday. The afternoons are likely to be worse than the morning.

Remember to bring your registration documents

You will be sent a registration document, either on email or in the post that you need to bring to the expo. Don't forget this as you will find it very, very difficult to collect your bib or chip without it. Sometimes you'll be allowed to collect other runner's race packs as well, but you'll need a signed letter from them to make that happen, as well as their registration document.

Guard your race bib and chip with your life!

it's very likely that bib and chip pick up will be the first thing you do and then you move into the main expo hall where all the merchandise booths are. That's not always the case, but it's generally what happens. This means you still have a bit of time to go before you exit the hall. And this means you have plenty of time to lose the bib or the chip! This does happen. It's not unusual to see race packs left on chairs or on booths where someone has put it down while they tried on a pair of shoes and forgotten to pick it back up! Hang on to it tightly, it won't be easy to get another one!

Enjoy the expo and don't be intimidated

Don't be intimidated by expos. They can be overpowering when you see the first signage!

When you first walk into the hall of a major expo it can be overwhelming. There can often be more than one hall, sometimes three or four and the scale of it may take a bit of getting used to. This may be your first experience of going to a major exhibition and it's likely to be the first time you'll see the scale of the race that you're taking part in. Don't be intimidated. This is part of the whole race package. Soak up the atmosphere and enjoy it. It's an incredible experience and you may not get to feel it again.

Don't buy kit for race day

There are often some great deals to be had on kit at expos, whether it's on shoes, socks or apparel. Some expos will have booths from multiple retailers and there will often be some bargains, especially running shoes from the previous season. DO NOT BE TEMPTED if you are thinking about using any of these bargains on race day. A new pair of socks or shorts might seem harmless enough, but avoid wearing anything that's new on race day.

Don't buy kit for race day. At the London Marathon Expo there are many opportunities to do that!

Listen to the talks from the experts

Many of the bigger expos will have a panel of experts who will deliver talks on a rotating schedule across all the days of the expo. Some days might have more than others, but generally they will offer all runners the opportunity to listen to a selection whenever they are visiting. These will often cover race day planning and strategy, where water and gels will be on the course, or how to get to the start. They differ by race, but are definitely worth a listen.

Take in the history

There are often displays that detail the history of the race and these are well worth spending some time visiting. They put it all in context and show how things have changed over the years. Some started with only a few hundred runners and have grown to tens of thousands.

These race shirts from previous events were on display at the Honolulu Marathon expo

Say hello to your charity

If you're running for one of the bigger charities at an event like the London Marathon chances are they will have a booth at the Expo. Make sure you go and say hello to the fundraising team. You may well have been talking to them ahead of the event so it would be nice to put a face to a name. There may be some items to collect like flags for friends and family, so make sure you spend a bit of time with them.

Don't be on your feet too long

There can be a lot to see and do at these shows and it can be tempting to stay for a few hours. That's fine but be wary about spending too much time on your feet. If you're visiting on a Saturday and your race is on Sunday remember that in less than 24 hours you'll be running your event and in the ideal world you should be resting. If you do want to see every inch of the expo, just take regular breaks. There should be places to have a sit down and grab a coffee.

The expo is a part of your race experience and you should make the most of it. Runners that can done multiple events will often head in and out as quickly as they can, but if you're a relative newcomer make the most of it and enjoy it.