Road running

Volunteer management for road races and marathons

Closed roads, live junctions and a start funnel that needs eight people at once. mrshl maps every position on your road course, staffs it to headcount, and hands each marshal a brief with their spot, their timings, their parking and your closure notice.

  • Junction & crossing mapping from GPX
  • Headcount targets per position
  • Road closure notice on every brief
How it works

From closure plan to briefed marshals

The same four steps whether you're staffing a 400-runner 10k or a city marathon with 60 positions.

01

Map junctions & crossings

Upload your GPX and drop a point on every junction, road crossing, turnaround and cone line — the positions that actually decide whether runners stay on route.

02

Recruit from your own pool

Share one mobile signup link, and pull last year's marshals back from your volunteer pool instead of starting from an empty roster each season.

03

Staff to headcount

Set required headcount per position — two on live-traffic crossings, a crew at start and finish — and watch gaps close as volunteers are assigned.

04

Brief with closures & parking

Every marshal gets a page with their spot pinned, arrival and release times, parking and walking access, emergency numbers and your traffic management notice attached.

FAQ

Road race marshal questions

How many marshals do I need for a 10k road race?

Count decision points rather than distance: one marshal at every junction, fork and turnaround, two at any crossing with live traffic, a crew at start and finish, one sweeper, plus about 10% spare for no-shows. mrshl lets you set the required headcount per position so the number you need and the number you have are always visible side by side.

Can I attach my road closure or traffic management plan?

Yes. Upload your road closure / traffic management notice once against the event and it is linked from every marshal brief, so every volunteer on the course has the current version on them.

How do marshals know when the first and last runner will reach them?

Set a front-runner pace and a sweeper pace per race. mrshl works out the arrival window at each position from the GPX distance and prints it on that marshal's brief, so shift times reflect reality instead of guesswork.

Does it handle races with multiple distances on the same course?

Yes. A single point can serve several races, each with its own distance, pass number and instructions — so the marshal at a split fork gets one brief telling them to send the 10k right and the half left.

What do volunteers get on the morning itself?

A lanyard card: credit-card sized, with their position, role, shift times or release condition, and the emergency and radio numbers. It's generated from the same assignment as their full brief, so the two can never disagree.

Do volunteers need an account or an app?

No. They sign up on their phone through your public link and receive a link to their own brief. Nothing to install, no password.

Staff every station, shift and crew with confidence

Less race-week chaos, fewer no-shows, and a volunteer team that knows exactly where to be.