March 12, 2026 - Road Race Management’s latest Biennial study shows race directors continuing their decades-long trend towards being true professionals with “race directing” representing paid employment for 80% of the survey respondents. More and more event management companies and running clubs now conduct multiple events as a way to amortize staff salaries and to support increased compensation. “While less than half enjoy any traditional fringe benefits [such as health insurance and a retirement plan], a growing number receive ongoing education and reimbursement for travel expenses, consistent with a growing complex field,” said Sean Ryan the study’s author, who has conducted the survey since the 1990s.

The study shows the percentage of respondents who are full time as directors rose to 47%. But race directors appear to be staying in their positions longer, with the percentage of those staying in the industry more than 20 years climbing from 16% 10 years ago to 38% in 2025. [The RRM Longest Serving Race Director site lists the years of service for hundreds of race directors.)

Compensation levels continue to be varied. While 80% of directors are paid, only half make $20,000 or more for their largest event. One half of the directors make over $60,000 annually from all their events, with 1 in 4 are making more than $150,000.

Not surprisingly, compensation was closely linked to event size with 52% of directors of races with over 20,000 participants earning over $150,000, while only 6% of directors of events with between 5,000 and 9,999 participants reaching this amount.

The full study examines race director perks as well as details on compensation for assistant directors. Race directors remain optimistic about the future. Ninety percent were optimistic pointing to growing participation and the addition of more events to their portfolio. 

The complete results of the survey are available for $99 by clicking here. 

Road Race Management publishes the twice monthly free E-News (sign up here), featuring links to essential industry news combined with periodic race reviews and longer articles on key industry topics. In addition to its acclaimed website at www.rrm.com, Road Race Management hosts several other popular websites including The Guide to Prize Money Races, Doping Sanctions, and the Longest Serving Race Director sites. It also hosts the oldest race directors’ meeting in the world scheduled for December 7-9, 2026 in Hollywood, FL.

Road Race Management publishes the twice monthly free E-News (sign up here), featuring links to essential industry news combined with periodic race reviews and longer articles on key industry topics. In addition to its acclaimed website at www.rrm.com, Road Race Management hosts several other popular websites including The Guide to Prize Money Races, Doping Sanctions, and the Longest Serving Race Director sites. It also hosts the oldest race directors’ meeting in the world scheduled for December 7-9, 2026 in Hollywood, FL.