Setting Up a Race

This page explains how to create a new race and configure all of its settings.

Contents

Creating a race

  1. Log in and select your club from the user drop-down at the top of the page.
  2. Click Races in the navigation menu.
  3. Click Create Race (or New Race).
  4. In the dialogue, you can either start from scratch or select an existing race to copy — all settings from the selected race will be pre-filled and can then be edited as needed.
  5. The race creation wizard will guide you through the required settings.

When you create a race based on an existing race, the default race number allocations are also copied from that previous race. If you create a race from scratch instead, the initial number allocations are based on any number range definitions configured on the selected race type.

Importing multiple races

If you have a large number of races to create, you can upload a CSV or Excel file to import them all at once instead of creating each race individually.

To import races:

  1. Navigate to your club’s Races page.
  2. Click Import Races.
  3. Select your prepared CSV or Excel file.
  4. Click Upload. Races are created or updated immediately.

A summary message is shown after the import confirming how many races were created or updated. If any rows could not be processed, an error message describes the problem.

For the full details of the required file format and supported columns, see the Race Import File Format reference.

Note: The Import Races button is only visible to users with the Import races permission. Contact your organisation administrator if you need this access.

Basic race details

Basic race information is set in the Race Details section.

Field Description
Race name The public name of the race as it will appear on the site
Race type The type of race — determines available classes and crew types - this cannot be changed later so please ensure it is correct
Location The race venue — set by searching for an address or postcode and positioning the map pin
Region Set this if you wish to indicate a region in the events list, or leave blank if not
Status Set to Scheduled by default, in the event of a date change, postponement (change to a yet-to-be-determined date) or cancellation you can update this field to indicate this in the events list and on the event page. If an event is set to Cancelled then further enteies will be prevented.
Code An optional system code for the event, often required for race results software

The Race Details section provides further details

Field Description
Organiser The contact who will receive entry-related correspondence
Race details A free-text description of the race shown on the race page (supports rich text / HTML)
Race downloads Add any additional files here that you want to make available on the race page to supplement the information in the race details
Race terms and conditions Race-specific terms, shown and agreed to during checkout. In addition to these your organisation administrator may also have set additional terms on the race type which will also be shown during checkout.
Cancellation and refund terms Terms covering cancellations and refunds (optional)
Race code An optional short internal code for the race
Link name and Link URL Link text and a URL to show to users on the event page. Mutiple links can be added by clicking Save and then adding another.

In addition to the Organiser other contacts may also be required if the organisation administrator has set these on the race type.

Race visibility

By default, a race appears in the public race list on the home page. You can make a race hidden by enabling the Hidden option in the Race Details section. A hidden race:

  • Does not appear in the race list on the home page
  • Is still accessible to anyone who has the direct URL
  • Can be shared with specific competitors or clubs by providing them with the link

This is useful for private club-only events or for testing a race setup before making it public.

Entry dates and deadlines

Field Description
Race date The date the event takes place on, or starts on for a multi-day event
End date The date the event ends on for a multi-day event, for a single day event this can be left blank
Ranking list season Only available if your organisation administrator has linked the race type to a ranking list for selecting competitors, if so select the season in which the event takes place
Entries open The date and time from which entries can be submitted. This field is required.
Entry close The date and time after which entries can no longer be submitted

A race displays as Open on the home page when the current time is between the entry opening date and the entry deadline. It displays as Closed (with the relevant date) at all other times.

One or more Pricing tiers can then be enabled by selecting the checkboxes next to them. If you configure more than one then you must provide an end date for all but the last selected pricing tier (which will be assumed to be the same as the entries close time, if not specified). These allow you to offer a lower price to those who enter early.

Race Fees

The Race Fees section in race settings defines the prices charged to competitors for each entry.

Within the race fee amounts are configured per competitor group (which typically correspond to age categories and race class groups inherited from the race type). For each competitor group you must provide:

  • Standard fee — the standard entry fee
  • Additional-tier fee amounts — if your race type has additional pricing tiers (such as early-bird or late pricing), you must specify the fee for each competitor group at each tier.

For crew entries, individual fees are summed to create the total order amount.

Beyond the fee amounts, you also configure which payment methods are available:

  • Stripe — enable online card payments (requires Stripe to be connected to your organisation or club account)
  • PayPal — enable PayPal payments (requires PayPal to be connected)
  • SumUp — enable SumUp payments including card reader support (requires SumUp to be connected)
  • Allow payments by invoice — if enabled, competitors can choose “Pay by Invoice” at checkout to defer payment
  • Allow entries without payment — if enabled, competitors can choose “Pay later” to submit entries without paying at checkout, with payment due on race day

For more details about payment methods, see Payment options.

Race classes and crew types

Race classes define the categories that competitors can enter. These are configured via the race type. For each race class you can set:

  • Crew types — which crew formats are available for entries in this class (e.g. K1 only, or K1 and C2). Crew types are selected by the entrant when they submit their order.
  • Age classes — which age categories apply to this class

Entry fees are set per competitor group rather than per race class (see Race Fees).

You can also group race classes into race class groups, which are then associated with the race type. Race class groups help drive the competitor group (pricing) logic used to calculate the price of an entry. Contact your organisation administrator to change the available class groups.

Teams

A team is a separate collection of one or more entries or crew members, distinct from individual entries. Teams are submitted independently after the individual entries they link to have been placed. Unlike individual entries, team entries do not have a submission deadline and can be submitted at any time up to the race date. Individual entries must still be submitted by the deadlines shown on the race page.

Team configurations are defined in the race type settings by your organisation administrator. If team entries are supported for a race type, competitors can submit team entries separately once their individual entries have been placed.

Setting entry limits (competitor limits)

You can limit the total number of entries accepted for a race, and also set per-race-class limits in the Limits section of race settings:

Setting Description
Entry limit (crews) Maximum number of crew entries accepted. Set to -1 for no limit.
Entry limit (crew members) Maximum total number of individual competitors across all entries, for use when crew entries are accepted. Set to -1 for no limit.

If submitting an order would cause any race limit or race-class limit to be exceeded, checkout flags this and blocks submission of that order.

This means capacity is evaluated at order level. For example, if only two places remain, an order with three items will be blocked, while a different order with one or two items may still be accepted.

You can also stop new entries for a specific race class entirely by clearing that class’s Race enabled checkbox in Limits.

Changing limits does not remove existing entries. Likewise, disabling a race class for new entries does not affect entries that are already in the race.

When race-class limits are configured, the race dashboard shows a per-class progress indicator so race organisers and race managers can see remaining places at a glance.

Membership requirements

You can configure how competitors provide proof of membership when entering your race. The controls for this are in the Memberships section of the race settings.

Membership verification options

Setting Description
Online membership check The system attempts to verify membership using an external database. External database lookup is supported only for selected sports and membership organisations.
Allow active membership proofs to be uploaded Unchecked by default. If checked, competitors can upload a photo or scan of their membership card during checkout for verification by the organiser.
Allow active membership proofs to be shown on the day Unchecked by default. If checked, competitors can defer membership verification until race day, when proof must be shown at check-in. An additional fee can be set for this option if required.

Viewing uploaded membership proofs

When competitors upload membership proofs, you can review them from the entries page. The proof images are attached to the relevant entry and can be viewed by clicking the icon on the entry.

Membership expectations

It is generally expected that competitors will have active membership valid on the race day at the point of entry. If you anticipate entries being submitted well in advance (for example if entries open many months before the race date), you can:

  • Select the Allow active membership proofs to be shown on the day option to defer verification until race day, or
  • Ask your organisation administrator to disable strict membership checks at the race type level to allow more flexibility with membership dates.

Additional entry data

Some races require competitors to provide extra information beyond the standard details. You can configure custom entry data fields for a race, by selecting these in the Race Info section, for example:

  • Estimated finish time — used to allocate start groups for timed events
  • Start group preference — allows competitors to request a particular start group
  • Custom text fields — any other information the organiser needs

These fields appear as an additional step in the checkout wizard. They may be either required or optional.

Uploading race details

Detailed race information (such as event-specific rules, course notes or organiser instructions) can be added to the Race Details section in the race settings. This field supports rich text including headings, bullet lists and links.

You can also link to external documents (e.g. PDFs hosted elsewhere) from within the race details text.

Creating course maps

Course maps can be provided to competitors in two ways:

Uploading a document

You can upload a PDF or Word document containing the course map and other supporting materials. The document will be available for download from the race page.

Drawing a course map

The platform includes an interactive map editor (powered by Mapbox) that lets you draw a course map directly on a base map. You can:

  • Place waypoints and markers
  • Draw route lines
  • Add labels and notes

The drawn map is displayed interactively on the race page and is accessible on mobile devices.

Both approaches can be used together — for example, you might upload a detailed PDF of the instructions while also providing an interactive map of the course.

Managing race number allocations

Number allocations define which race numbers can be assigned to each race class. You manage them from the race’s Entries area by opening Number Allocations.

For a newly created race, the initial allocations normally come from one of two places:

  • If the race was created by copying an existing race, the previous race’s allocations are copied across
  • If the race was created from scratch, the allocations are based on any number range definitions on the race type

Use this page to:

  • Monitor how many numbers are available and already allocated for each class
  • Create a new number range manually
  • Copy ranges from another race of the same race type
  • Import ranges from a CSV or Excel file
  • Edit exclusions or formatting for an existing range
  • Delete a range that is no longer needed

Monitoring allocations

The Number Allocations page shows one row per race class with:

  • The configured number ranges for that class
  • An exclusions badge showing how many numbers in the range are blocked out
  • An allocation progress bar showing how many numbers in the configured ranges have already been assigned to entries
  • A warning indicator showing when any excluded numbers have been used by a race entry (look for a yellow exclamation icon)

This is the quickest way to see whether a class is close to running out of numbers before you renumber or accept more entries. If the number allocation for a race class runs out, then entries can still be made but will appear in the entries list without a number.

Fixing highlighted excluded numbers

If excluded numbers are highlighted, it means race entries have been assigned numbers that have been marked as excluded. To fix this:

  1. Go to the race entries page.
  2. Select the entries with excluded numbers.
  3. Use the Renumber Entries action to reassign them to valid, non-excluded numbers.
  4. You can run this action on multiple entries at the same time.

Once renumbered, the warning should be cleared.

Creating allocations manually

To add a range manually:

  1. Open the race.
  2. Go to Entries.
  3. Click Number Allocations.
  4. Click New Allocation.
  5. Choose the Race Class.
  6. Enter the Start Number and End Number.
  7. Optionally enter a Number Format if you want displayed numbers to include leading zeros or a custom format.
  8. Save the range.

Each range belongs to a single race class. The end number is inclusive.

The number format uses a Python-style format string. For example:

  • {0} displays numbers as 1, 2, 3
  • {0:03d} displays numbers as 001, 002, 003
  • M{0:02d} displays numbers as M01, M02, M99

Editing existing allocations

This might be necessary if you need to extend a range to allow more numbers or to add specific numbers within that range to an exclusions list (for example, due to a damaged bib or missing number board)

To edit an exclusion:

  1. Open the race.
  2. Go to Entries.
  3. Click Number Allocations.
  4. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to the number allocation.
  5. Edit the Start Number or End Number as required or add a number to the Exclusions list - note all numbers must be between the start and end numbers.

If you edit a Number Format then you will need to renumber all entries to make this apply to existing entries.

Copying allocations from another race

If you have already configured number allocations on another race, you can reuse them:

  1. Open Number Allocations.
  2. Click Copy from.
  3. Select Copy from Race.
  4. Search for the source race.
  5. Click Copy.

If you tick Clear existing, all current number ranges and exclusions on the race are deleted before the copy runs.

This deletion is permanent. Export the current allocations first if you may need to restore them.

Only races with the same race type are available. The copy action adds any missing ranges and exclusions without duplicating identical ranges that already exist on the current race.

Importing allocations from CSV or XLSX

You can bulk-create allocations from either a CSV file or an Excel workbook:

  1. Open Number Allocations.
  2. Click Copy from.
  3. Select Create from File.
  4. Upload a .csv or .xlsx file.
  5. Click Import.

If you tick Clear existing, all current number ranges and exclusions on the race are deleted before import.

This deletion is permanent. Export the current allocations first if you may need to restore them.

The import reads:

  • CSV files encoded as UTF-8, including UTF-8 with BOM
  • The first worksheet in an .xlsx workbook
  • The first row as the header row

Blank rows are ignored.

Required file structure

The file must contain a header row with these required columns:

Column Description
race class Race class code or unique race class name
start number First number in the range
end number Last number in the range, inclusive

These optional columns are also supported:

Column Description
number format Optional display format, for example {0} or {0:03d}
exclusions Optional list of numbers in the range that must never be allocated

Header names are case-insensitive. Spaces and underscores are treated the same, so headers such as race class, race_class, start number, and start_number are all accepted.

The importer also accepts these aliases:

  • class for race class
  • race class code or race class name for race class
  • start for start number
  • end for end number
  • format for number format
  • exclude or excluded for exclusions

For the exclusions column, provide one or more numbers separated by commas, spaces, or semicolons.

Example CSV/XLSX layout 

race class,start number,end number,number format,exclusions
Div 1,101,120,{0:03d},105 110
Div 2,201,220,{0:03d},205;208

If your spreadsheet software would otherwise split exclusions into separate columns, wrap that cell value in quotes in CSV files, for example:

race class,start number,end number,number format,exclusions
Div 1,101,120,{0:03d},"105,110"
Div 2,201,220,{0:03d},"205;208"

You can use either the race class code or, where it is unique, the race class name. If a class name is ambiguous for the race type, use the code instead.

If the import finds an identical range already on the race, it does not create a duplicate. Instead, it only adds any missing exclusions for that same range. This means re-importing the same file is safe.

Exporting allocations to CSV or XLSX

You can also export the current number ranges and exclusions from a race:

  1. Open Number Allocations.
  2. Click Export.
  3. Choose CSV or XLSX.

The exported file uses the same column structure as the import format (Race Class, Start Number, End Number, Number Format, Exclusions), so you can edit it and import it back if needed.

Editing allocations and exclusions

To change an existing range:

  1. Open Number Allocations.
  2. Click the edit icon for the relevant race class.
  3. Update the race class, start number, end number, or number format.
  4. In the Exclusions section, add or remove excluded numbers as needed.
  5. Save your changes.

Exclusions are individual numbers inside the range that should never be allocated, for example if you want to reserve a number or avoid a damaged bib.

Deleting allocations

To remove a number range:

  1. Open the range from Number Allocations.
  2. Click Delete Range.
  3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting a range also removes any exclusions attached to that range. This does not renumber existing entries automatically, so make sure the race still has enough valid allocation ranges before allocating or reallocating numbers.

Entry status defaults

When a new entry is submitted, it is automatically assigned a status. The default is Accepted, but you can change this to Pending if you want to review and approve entries manually before they are confirmed.

Status Meaning
Accepted Entry is confirmed
Pending Entry awaits review by the organiser
Rejected Entry has been rejected by the organiser
Deferred Entry has been deferred to a later race
Cancelled Entry has been cancelled

Location

To set the race location:

  1. Search for a location, street or postcode closest to the venue of the race. The location will be shown on the map by a pin.
  2. For further fine adjustment, drag the pin on the map to the precise location.
  3. Save the race.

After saving, both the location name/address and the exact pin position are stored. In the background, a what3words location is generated automatically and will be displayed alongside the location on the race information page.

Editing a race after creation

You can edit any race settings at any time from the race dashboard. Note that:

  • Changing the entry fee after entries have been submitted will apply the new fee to all entries, but any price difference (delta) will not be automatically invoiced or refunded to existing entries. Entries affected by the fee change may be marked with a warning indicator.
  • Changing the entry deadline will take effect immediately.
  • The race name, date and location can be edited freely.

To edit a race, navigate to Races in your club area, click the race name and then click Edit Race on the race dashboard.

Cancelling a race

If a whole race needs to be cancelled:

  1. Go to the race settings and update the Race status from Scheduled to Cancelled. This ensures the cancellation is clearly displayed on the home page and race page. If the entry deadline has not yet passed, setting the status to Cancelled also prevents any further entries from being submitted.
  2. Notify entrants by email to advise them of the cancellation.
  3. Process refunds directly from the race settings. Choose your refund approach:
    • Refund all — issue a full refund to all competitors.
    • Keep a percentage — retain a percentage of each payment (for example, to cover administrative costs) and refund the remainder.
    • Keep a fixed amount — retain a fixed amount from each payment and refund the remainder.
    • Keep transaction fees — retain the payment processor transaction fees, which are typically not refunded by the payment provider and would otherwise result in a loss to the organiser.
  4. To cancel all entries in bulk, see Cancelling race entries in the Managing Entries guide.

Important: Before proceeding, ensure that the refund terms you apply are consistent with the cancellation policy that competitors agreed to when entering the race. The cancellation terms displayed on the race page should accurately reflect what will happen in the event of cancellation.

Postponing a race

Postponing means giving notice that the event will no longer take place on the previously advertised date, while the new date has not yet been confirmed.

  1. Go to the race settings and update the Race status to Postponed. The home page and race page will show the race as postponed so that competitors are aware.
  2. Notify entrants by email to advise them of the postponement and any next steps (for example, whether they should expect a refund or whether their entry will be carried forward to the rescheduled date).
  3. If you have a confirmed new date, follow the steps in Rescheduling a race below.

Existing entries are not automatically affected by a postponement. Competitors will still appear in the entry list and their entries remain in Accepted status until you take further action. If you need to cancel entries or process refunds, see the Managing Entries guide.

Rescheduling a race

Once a postponed race has a new confirmed date, update the race to reflect this.

  1. Go to the race settings and update the Race date to the new date.
  2. Update the Race status to Rescheduled so that competitors can see the race has moved to a new date. The home page and race page will display the rescheduled date.
  3. Notify entrants by email to confirm the new date.

Note: The race date field is considered to be the current confirmed date for the event. When a race is rescheduled, updating this field to the new date is sufficient — there is no separate “original date” field. Competitors who entered before the date change will see the new date on their order confirmation and on the race page.

Notifying entrants by email

After changing the race status (cancellation, postponement or reschedule), it is good practice to send an email to all entrants to advise them of the change.

To send an email to all order submitters:

  1. Go to the race entries page and click Orders to switch to the orders view.
  2. Click Send Email at the top of the orders list (without selecting specific orders) to send to all order submitters in the current list.
  3. Choose an appropriate email template (for example, a pre-configured cancellation or postponement template) and customise the subject and message as needed.
  4. Use Preview to confirm the recipient list and message content before sending.
  5. Click Send.

For more details on composing and sending emails to competitors, see Sending emails to competitors.

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