Race Director University Launches On-Site Volunteer Training Program: The Least-Trained Person At Every Race Is Also The Most Visible

May 22, 2026

• Now they’re RDU-trained. On-site. Day before.
• Race Direcor University – First National Certification Program For Race Directors.
• After Grand Slam Track’s April bankruptcy, two endurance deaths in less than a week, and rising industry liability exposure, RDU brings a four-hour day-before-event training to event sites nationwide — $1,495 per session, with paid staff and event sponsors welcome alongside the volunteer corps.

DeKalb, Ill. (May 22, 2026) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ — Look at the back of any race volunteer shirt this Memorial Day weekend. The volunteer’s role, the event’s name, and often the sponsoring organization are printed in bold letters, visible from fifty feet away. They are, in most cases, also the least-trained person on the course.

Race Director University (racedirectoruniversity.com), the nation’s first professional certification program for race directors, today launches the RDU On-Site Volunteer Training Program — a four-hour, day-before-event training delivered in person at the event site, designed to close what RDU founder Gregory J. Evans calls “the most visible liability gap in the endurance industry.”

The launch comes during a quarter that has shaken the sport.

On April 16, Grand Slam Track — the professional track league founded by Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson — exited bankruptcy in Delaware after collapsing with more than $20 million owed to athletes and vendors. Court filings showed Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone listed as owed $268,750, Gabby Thomas $185,625, and Marileidy Paulino $173,125. Johnson himself was owed more than $2 million from a personal loan he made to keep the league’s Philadelphia event running. Of the four meets originally scheduled in 2025, only three were ever held; the Los Angeles meet was canceled. The court-approved exit plan paid athletes roughly 70 percent of their claims. Vendors received approximately 14 percent.

Days before the Grand Slam Track confirmation hearing, the 2026 Marathon des Sables in Morocco — a 40-year-old multi-stage race that requires every entrant to pass pre-race medical screening — recorded a competitor death on its second stage. Three days later, ultramarathon champion David Parrish, a 35-year-old former U.K. Royal Marine and winner of the 2023 Cape Wrath Ultra, died attempting an unsupported fastest-known-time on the 240-mile Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland.

“None of these operations was unsophisticated,” Evans said. “Michael Johnson is not unsophisticated. Marathon des Sables is not unsophisticated. David Parrish was not an amateur. Everyone in this industry has an Achilles heel — and the most exposed one is sitting in plain sight on the back of every volunteer shirt this weekend.”

Federal and state volunteer immunity protections, including the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 and most state Good Samaritan statutes, contain significant carve-outs and may not cover many race-day volunteer roles. Common exclusions include gross negligence, willful misconduct, and incidents involving motor vehicles. Good Samaritan statutes typically address spontaneous emergency aid by passersby, not organized event personnel acting under operational direction. Race organizations that deploy untrained volunteers in these roles carry the residual exposure.

“Between 2015 and 2016 we were hired by attorneys to conduct internal audits — what some called proxy reviews — on road race production,” Evans said. “With more than 1,000 sporting and special events behind me, I will tell you plainly: everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. The question is whether your infrastructure absorbs the mistake or amplifies it. A trained corps is the difference between a bad day and a bankruptcy filing.”

THE OFFER

The RDU On-Site Volunteer Training Program is delivered the day before the event at the event site.

Pricing

• Single session: $1,495 flat for one four-hour training
• Double-session day: $2,990 for two consecutive four-hour trainings (charged per session)

Who attends

Volunteers, paid event staff, and event sponsors are all welcome to attend. Up to 50 attendees per session. Larger corps can be accommodated by scheduling the double-session day or additional dates.

Travel

RDU travels nationwide. The host covers travel, per diem, hotel, and ground transportation to and from the event site.

What every attendee receives

• The RDU Volunteer Manual — a [PAGE COUNT TBD]-page professional reference guide
• One of 22 RDU Quick Reference Cards, distributed across the corps so the complete 22-card reference library is carried on-grounds on race day
• Complimentary enrollment in the RDU Volunteer Course — full online program access at no additional cost
• Inclusion on the official RDU-Trained Volunteer Roster, provided to the race director for use in incident reports, insurance filings, and post-event audits

Host responsibilities

Venue and lunch or snacks for the attendees. RDU recommends hosts also provide raffles and branded swag to recognize and retain their volunteer corps.

Optional extension

RDU is also available for extended on-site engagements, including operational reviews of the host’s broader event production. Available upon request.

Self-directed alternative

Race directors who prefer to conduct volunteer training in-house are welcome to contact RDU directly or review the Resources section at racedirectoruniversity.com for self-paced materials.

COMPANION RESOURCES

Race directors are encouraged to review three additional RDU resources alongside the on-site training:

• The RDU Legal Playbook — racedirectoruniversity.com/rdu-legal-playbook
• The 22 Quick Reference Guides — racedirectoruniversity.com/22-quick-reference-guides
• The RDU Refresher Course for previously trained directors returning to the field

ABOUT RACE DIRECTOR UNIVERSITY

Founded in 2012, Race Director University is the first national certification program for race directors in the United States, with curriculum spanning Levels I through V and a master executive credential for producing legacy events at the presidential, institutional, and corporate level. Founder Gregory J. Evans served 33 years as Chairman of Long Distance Running for the USATF Illinois Association and has been on the ground at more than 1,000 events — over 600 road races and more than 400 special events — as race director, assistant race director, and event-day announcer. This Memorial Day weekend, Evans returns to the Western Springs Tower Run 5K/10K/Youth Mile and Walk as event announcer for his 30th-plus consecutive year.

MEDIA AND BOOKING INQUIRIES

Gregory J. Evans

Founder & CEO, Race Director University
Email: greg@racedirectoruniversity.com
Phone: 630.327.1619
Web: racedirectoruniversity.com