February 14, 2022 – After nearly two years focused on virtual and hybrid events, runners are more adept with running tech and more intent to seek unique running experiences. With that, running has seen massive growth and global expansion and there is an urgent opportunity to welcome all these new people into the sport.
As events around the world return, making them stand out and simplifying operations is more crucial than ever. RunGo has released a full suite of digital features to power running events:
Route creation, sharing, and embedding
RunGo is the only platform that allows anyone to create great looking routes on the web, that are customizable, ad-free, and embeddable on a race’s own site. Include points of interest (POIs), race logo, account-free GPX download, and custom cue sheet.
Many races have tremendous signage and on-course volunteers, but runners still get lost. Even if runners don’t get lost, what they see along the course, without context, is often forgotten.
Race day app
Participants following a race route on race day keeps everyone on course and engaged with what they’re passing and with sponsor activations. A runner’s memories and performance are heightened when they know that an aid station is coming up in 500 meters, or the names of the trails they’re on, or stories about the neighborhood they’re in, or cheers from race ambassadors.
Course timing
Skip popsicle sticks or Tyvek bibs, and let the RunGo app calculate and rank course times. For races that aren’t determined by tenths of seconds, course timing from RunGo tracks start departure and finish plus course trackpoint accuracy. Simplify your race operations, perfect for local events and trail or ultra races.
Virtual race app
Extend an audio-guided run for virtual participants, allowing them to run your carefully curated course from anywhere in the world, using RunGo’s Virtual Modes. Create an audio-guided journey presenting the things they would be passing on your course. From a treadmill, runners can watch an animated course with Live Street View.
Web-based continuous live race tracking
RunGo offers the simplest race tracking out there. Other race tracking options interpolate based on athlete’s previous race times, based on timing mats that may be 5km or more apart, depend on special GPS hardware worn by runners, or require spectators to download an app. RunGo’s tracking is live and web-based.
Three types of leaderboards
Don’t make virtual runners fill out web forms with their run times. RunGo supports run submissions directly from the app, for results automatically verified by GPS. Leaderboards can either track runners single race events, cumulative challenges, or multi-route races. Each runner and all participants can seek mileage goals, such as filling out virtual routes or GPS art routes.
Custom completion badges, digital medals, and NFTs
Medals aren’t just for completion. Reward participants who, for example, picked up trash along their run, or who completed five of your routes, with unique digital badges as their race medal. Extend these medals into unique NFTs, and forever etch their accomplishment.
“From Open Course Racing to real-life events for run experiences and live tracking, RunGo is a powerful tool to add to your event and complements other digital features you’re using,” said Noah Bloom, head of partnerships at RunGo.
RunGo’s race features have been trusted by the leading races, brands, and challenges.
REI and The Trail Portal sent runners to their land agency partners to explore the trails and pick up trash. Audio messages from the race director and sponsors motivated runners along the way. Runners earned custom badges and placed themselves on series leaderboards.
Atlanta Grand Prix created short and long courses every few weeks in neighborhoods around Atlanta.
Events like Lululemon SeaWheeze, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, SixPack Challenge, 5x5K FOR GOOD, BMO Vancouver Marathon and RUN VAN, and Arthritis Foundation, and hundreds more races each year build unique experiences with RunGo.
Learn more at rungoapp.com/races
