Races are looking for ways to add something to their newly formed virtual events and we’ve adjusted the backend so RaceJoy’s live tracking, cheer sending, and progress alerts at every mile can be offered. This is a safe and healthy way for participants to get outside and run different courses designed for your virtual event. In addition, you can offer that much needed social connection with remote spectators so participant’s feel connected and supported as they complete virtual events. Plus, race organizers and timers are able to use RaceJoy’s monitoring and communications system to manage things from the safety of their home.
RunSignup is also fast working on a solution where participants can submit their finish times straight from the app by clicking on a Submit Virtual Results banner ad. The virtual results will show as part of the RunSignup Results platform and be visible in RaceJoy and the race web site. Thus creating a live updating leaderboard for your virtual events.
Virtual Event Days:
In order to use RaceJoy for a virtual event, the event must take place over specific dates over a short period of time and have specific outlined course map(s) that the participant can select from. Having an open ended event where the participant can run any time or any place isn’t going to work with RaceJoy and we recommend in these situations, the participants use their training apps. We suggest if you have a large event, to have it space out over a three days to a week and smaller events to occur over a weekend. You can create multiple course routes for people to have different options and could set up corral times to help ensure people space out as they complete the course.
Key Virtual Race Features with RaceJoy:
- Live GPS tracking of participant’s location
- Real-time cheer sending from remote spectators
- Performance progress alerts at every mile without timing equipment
- Monitoring dashboard with progress board for race organizers and timers (from the safety of your home)
- Integration with RunSignup’s Virtual Results (coming soon!)
- Delivery of in-app Scored Results
- In-app Communications (news alerts, audio sound files at points along the course, direct audio, and banner ads)
In-App Communications
Given the times we are facing, it is essential to be able to communicate with participants. RaceJoy gives you the ability to send news alerts to everyone that accesses the event in the app and direct audio messages to selected individuals. Basically, RaceJoy gives you a virtual megaphone. This is an effective way to reinforce any guidelines you have for completing the virtual courses.
Events can monitor the location of participants and send direct messages to individuals or a group of individuals from the RaceDay Monitoring Dashboard. For example, if you see that people are congregating around the finish line, you can simply type in a message like: We see that you are hanging out with other people. Please exit this area now to avoid risking the health of others. This would then be played in audio format on the selected individuals’ phones.
You can also add to your virtual event experience by having geo-based audio files play at select points along the course to help cheer them on, point out an interesting spot, or communicate an upcoming turn.
What is the Process?
Races go through a RaceJoy Certified timer who is trained in setting up course maps and timing configurations in RaceJoy. The timer will need an electronic version of your course map(s) in either KML or GPX format. You can check to see if your timer is certified here:
RaceJoy for Virtual Events Recorded Webinar:
Watch this recorded Webinar for more information on the RaceJoy features that are specifically for virtual events and how you can offer it for your events.
