Event Information

Free For All RunSignup Races

With more than 30 million photos uploaded last year, RaceDay Photos has become an valued feature for RunSignup races. This free, unlimited photo platform that offers advanced features that make capturing and sharing race memories easier than ever. This session will walk you through setup and show you how to leverage RaceDay Photos to enhance participant engagement.

• See how auto bib tagging and seamless integration with results creates a personalized participant experience
• Learn to organize photos with unlimited albums and allow volunteers or participants to upload directly
• Discover how to use the RaceDay Mobile App for efficient photo capture at designated course points with automated interval options
• Walk through setup and configuration for race day

Who should attend: Race directors and timers looking to leverage free photo integration

View Slides

Summary of Webinar

Overview

Photos are bragging rights. Participants want to share their experience, and when they do, they become marketing tools for your race. Tagged photos appear directly on each participant’s results page, can be watermarked with your race or sponsor logo, and are shareable right from the platform. RaceDay Photos is free, supports unlimited photos, and integrates seamlessly with your results. This session covers the full setup — from platform configuration to mobile capture to upcoming improvements.

Platform Setup

Navigate to Photos > Photo Setup on your race dashboard. Key settings include:

• Photo access — public or private
• Participant uploads and public tagging — choose whether to allow these, and whether uploaded photos require approval
• Watermarks — apply your race logo or a sponsor logo to all photos. Four placement options: lower left or lower right for race or sponsor logo. The sponsor logo must be loaded in the Sponsors section first.
• Bib management — remove unassigned bib numbers, set a valid bib range, and flag frequent false positives (e.g., a speed limit sign reading as bib 65, or a year banner reading as 2026). Use this to keep auto-tagging accurate.

Photo access for photographers and volunteers: Add them with photos-only dashboard access under Race > Secure Access > Dashboard Page Access. They get no access to financials, participant data, or email lists — just photos. Remove access after the race if needed.

Uploading Photos

Photos can be dragged and dropped directly into albums on the platform, or uploaded from an SD card, phone, or shared photographer folder.

Best practices for uploading:

• Keep photos under 5MB each — the platform tests at 100 photos at 3MB per hour
• Upload in batches of 250 or fewer to avoid dropped photos
• Keep photos from different cameras or devices in separate upload sets — if one device’s clock is off, you can manage that set independently
• Communicate these expectations to any external photographers before the race. If they shoot in RAW format, you will have a bad time.

Set up descriptive album names beyond the default start line and finish line options. If there’s a scenic backdrop or sponsor activation point on course, name the album after it.

Automatic Tagging and Bib Management

RunSignup automatically detects bib numbers in photos and tags them to the correct participant. A few tips to improve accuracy:

• Use four-digit bib numbers — this prevents a partially covered bib (e.g., arm covering the first digit of 1101) from being misread as 101
• Use large, thinly spaced (kerned) numbers — easier for both auto-detection and manual identification
• Use high contrast bibs — white background with dark numbers; avoid gray on gray
• If you’re unsure whether your bib design reads well, ask your timer — they identify bibs manually all the time and can tell you immediately if it’s a problem
• Remind participants to wear their bib on the front, fully visible, and to raise their hands at the finish line

Manual tagging is available in both basic mode (thumbnail view) and advanced mode (full screen). Photos can be retagged, untagged, and corrected directly on the platform. You can also open public tagging so participants and spectators can help tag the untagged photos album.

Watermark tip: If your race logo is too large or poorly shaped for the watermark, create a hidden sponsor with an alternate logo (e.g., a circular version) and use that in the lower left instead. It renders much cleaner.

Using RaceDay Mobile for Photo Capture

RaceDay Mobile (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play as “RunSignup Mobile”) is a scalable, low-cost way to capture race photos on site without professional equipment.

How it works:

1. Import the race from RunSignup
2. Select Photo Capture mode
3. Create or select an album
4. Take photos — manually, with a Bluetooth clicker, or using automatic interval capture

Photos upload automatically to the RunSignup platform. If connectivity is limited, the app uses store-and-forward — photos stay on the device until they can upload, then are removed from device storage once confirmed. The app gives clear on-screen indicators of what’s pending upload versus what’s already on the platform.

Incremental auto-capture: Set the app to take a photo every X seconds (e.g., every 3–5 seconds) for a set duration. The app shows an estimated data usage so you can plan accordingly. For reference: two devices capturing every 5 seconds for 5 hours at a marathon used a couple of gigabytes on Starlink — low cost relative to the value.

Device recommendations: iPad mini is the preferred device. Aim for 8GB RAM minimum, no less than 4GB. Use dedicated company or organization devices rather than personal phones. Mount on an inexpensive tripod for consistent framing — test your setup before the race starts using a dummy album.

Access note: Photo-only access applies in RaceDay Mobile as well — a volunteer with photos-only permissions can bring the race into the app and capture photos without accessing any other race data.

What’s Coming

Next release (imminent):

• Auto photo capture triggered by a chip read at a defined timing location, driven by RaceDay Scoring integration — no manual tapping, no junk frames

Later this summer:

• Human detection auto-capture — the app detects a person entering a defined area in the camera frame and triggers automatically, reducing wasted frames and data usage

Platform improvements in review:

• Drag-and-drop album ordering
• Cover images for albums
• Bib management improvements
• Finish line photo timestamps feeding back into RaceDay Scoring as timing reference points
• Ability to delete individual photos
• Download selected photos
• Per-album watermark options (e.g., sponsor logo on sponsor-specific course location album)

Key Takeaways

• RaceDay Photos is completely free — unlimited photos, automatic tagging, watermarking, and social sharing all included
• Tagged photos appear directly on each participant’s results page and drive organic sharing and marketing
• Keep photos under 5MB and batch in groups of 250 for the most reliable uploads
• Four-digit, high-contrast, well-kerned bib numbers significantly improve auto-tagging accuracy
• RaceDay Mobile turns any tablet or phone into a scalable finish line camera — use your check-in tablets after check-in wraps up
• Set up a sandbox race to test the full photo experience before race day, and use it to demo the sponsor watermark value to potential sponsors