How to Run a Virtual Race: Entries, Medals and Staying in Touch

A virtual race lets people run, ride or swim a set distance wherever they like during a time window, and then claim a medal or a finisher item. There is no start line, so there is no race-morning check-in to fix problems. Almost everything you promise is settled at registration: what people are signing up for, when they must finish, where their medal will be sent and how you will contact them. This guide shows how to set it up.

Set a clear window

Decide when registration opens and closes, and the dates during which the distance must be completed. Publish both on the event page and repeat them in your confirmation message. Many virtual races run for a week or a month, and confusion over the dates is the most common source of complaints.

Offer entry options at different prices

Virtual races usually offer a few levels: an entry with only a digital certificate, an entry with a medal, and an entry with a medal and a T-shirt. Make each of them a separate ticket with its own price and capacity. Capacity matters when you have a limited stock of medals or shirts, and a closing date matters when you need to place a production order.

Collect delivery details properly

If you ship anything, you need an accurate address, and a phone number for the courier. Ask for the address as a required question at checkout, and ask for the T-shirt size at the same time. Export the list once registration closes and use it to place your order and your shipping run. Remember that postage to other countries costs far more than domestic shipping, so decide at the start whether you will ship abroad and say so clearly.

Decide how finishers share proof

Because nobody is watching, you need a simple method for finishers to show they completed the distance, such as a screenshot from a tracking app. Choose the method before you open entries, describe it in the event page, and repeat it in your confirmation message and in a reminder before the window closes. Keep it easy, because every extra step lowers the share of entrants who claim their medal.

Stay in touch

Virtual participants are easy to lose. Send a welcome message when they register, a mid-window reminder, and a last-call message before the deadline. You should be able to email selected groups, for example everyone who has paid for a medal, with your own words and not a generic template.

Clubs and charities

Virtual races often work through clubs and charities. A promo code per club, with a usage limit and an end date, lets you track which group each entry came from and rewards them with a discount. A private code for invited guests, up to a free entry for a sponsor’s guests, is also easy to set up.

Refunds and cancellations

Publish a refund policy before sales open. Many virtual races treat entries as non-refundable once the medal order is placed, which is reasonable if you say so up front. If you have to cancel the whole event, decide how you will refund everyone and how you will tell them.

Common mistakes

• Vague dates. State when to register and when to finish, in the same words everywhere.
• Optional address fields. You cannot ship a medal without an address.
• No plan for proof. Decide how people share results before they register.
• Silence after sign-up. A reminder or two drives far more medal claims.

Set it up on endurace.pro

• Separate tickets for each entry level, each with its own price, capacity and opening and closing dates, so registration closes on schedule.
• Your own required questions, for example a text question for the delivery address, next to T-shirt size on a mobile form.
• Promo codes with usage limits and dates, public or private, and a code that makes entry free for invited guests.
• Email to selected participants, and a searchable registration list with CSV export for your fulfilment.
• A tiered cancellation policy on the event page, and a one-step full refund for everyone if you cancel.
• Tracking links, which show which channel brought each registration.

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