If your company or charity is organizing a racing event or fun run, you may want to design and plan swag bags for it. Swag bags contain giveaways and souvenirs of your race that runners can use on the day of the event or keep as mementos of their experience. If you’re new to organizing gift bags for 5ks, fun runs, and other races, keep reading to discover some key items to include in your bags. Here are all the tips you’ll need to put together a terrific swag bag for your next racing event.

Racing Events and Swag Giveaways

Swag bags and other giveaways allow you to give back to your participants and thank them for joining your racing event. Custom race merchandise and swag items serve as souvenirs for your participants, which will help them remember your race and their accomplishment for years to come. They’ll appreciate that you’ve taken the time to put together these things for them. Customized race merchandise can even help promote your race for the future by increasing awareness about it.

Almost every race, fun run, charity walk, and marathon is a suitable candidate for swag bags and giveaways. Whether you’re organizing a 5k, 10k, marathon, fun run, or themed race, you should always try to include some type of custom swag giveaways tailored to the race. For example, during this time of year, many groups organize fall- and Thanksgiving-themed fun runs and races. These events attract many fans of the season, so be sure to reflect this seasonality in your logo design and custom merchandise.

Best Bags To Hold Race Merchandise

To start putting together your swag bags, you need to begin by selecting a bag to hold everything. Racing bags should be lightweight and durable in case the participant wants to bring them along during the run or walk. Fabric bags are lightweight and easily collapsible for easy carrying or storage. Choose a fabric that’s water resistant so that it won’t jeopardize the contents of the bag, even if your participants encounter rain or other sources of water along the trail. Vinyl and other synthetic materials make great waterproof fabrics for totes and drawstring running bags.

What To Include in a Race Swag Bag

Once you have your race giveaway bags, it’s time to choose what to stock them with. Here’s a list of the many accessories, snacks, souvenirs, and other items to potentially include in your racing bags.

Official Race Medals or Certificates

Medals, certificates, and other completion souvenirs provide your participants with incentives to join your race. Some runners even choose which races to participate in based on the medal designs. Consider designing custom medals and giving them to everyone who completes the race. Most people signing up for races and fun runs don’t have an Olympic athlete’s endurance, so reward all participants with medals and completion awards to celebrate their accomplishments.

Custom Race Merchandise

If medals aren’t in the budget, or you have a smaller-scale race, another way to design souvenirs is to create custom merchandise for your race. For example, participants will love custom clothing featuring your race’s logo—they might even wear it on the day of the race. You can easily order items like T-shirts, hats, hoodies, sweatpants, and more in bulk to keep costs down while providing your guests with items they’ll love. Be sure to choose durable materials for your clothing and accessories. The longer these items last, the more brand awareness they can build for your event.

Running Accessories

Beyond running clothing, you can also stock your swag bags with accessories to make the run more enjoyable. For example, consider custom ordering armbands featuring your race’s logo. Many runners enjoy listening to music during a race, so armbands or custom headphones would be perfect inclusions in a swag bag. Water bottles are also items that runners can’t live without. Go with the sustainable route by customizing reusable water bottles with your race’s logo. Even smaller items like custom sweatbands and socks are thoughtful inclusions in any race giveaway bag. Add these items to your pre-race swag bags so that runners can use them during the event.

Personal Care Items

Any runner will appreciate personal care items, such as sunscreen, lotion, deodorant, baby powder, and hand sanitizer, on the day of the event. These items are easy to find in small travel sizes that will fit perfectly in any swag bag. You can even order custom labels or containers for personal items to keep your race’s branding consistent.

Snacks and Sports Products

All race participants will need a bit of a pick-me-up after being out in the sun all day. This is especially true for your runners and walkers who will be out of breath at the finish line. Extra goodies you can add to your swag bags include healthy snacks and bars, fruit, sports drinks and mixes, and supplements. If you’re hosting a beer run, don’t forget to include a free beer voucher for your 21-and-older adult participants.

Where To Find Merchandise

Customizing your own race merchandise might sound like a daunting task, but you just need to know the right sources. Leave logo design up to your team or commission the work of a professional artist or graphic designer. Once you have the perfect design for your merchandise, you’ll need to find suppliers that offer some of the above materials. If you’re looking for running accessories like hats and caps, you don’t need to look far. At KBETHOS, we offer vintage sports caps and other headwear styles that are high quality and can handle tough running conditions.

Swag bags can be the highlights of your racing event when you execute them correctly. Now that you know how to put together a memorable swag bag for your next racing event, you’re sure to create an entertaining race full of thrilled participants. Don’t forget to visit KBETHOS to stock up on bulk hat orders just in time for your next race. We offer blank hats perfect for customization with your race’s logo and slogan designs.