DistantRace +
Jelgava Night Half Marathon
Discover the success story of how DistantRace IT solutions transformed the organization of a running marathon.
Discover the success story of how DistantRace IT solutions transformed the organization of a running marathon.
The organizer of the Jelgava Night Half Marathon, Baltic Events BDR, chose DistantRace.com as their IT partner.
DistantRace.com is a leading provider of IT solutions for sporting events. With a reputation for reliability and innovation, DistantRace partners with numerous high-profile races, ensuring participants have a seamless experience from start to finish.
Baltic Events BDR is the leading organizer for running events in Latvia. With over 10 events annually, they bring together thousands of runners. One of their standout events, the Jelgava Half Marathon, attracted over 3,600 participants.
The collaboration between DistantRace and Baltic Events BDR combines cutting-edge technology with expert event management, resulting in seamless, efficient, and enjoyable running events for all participants.
Participants can quickly and easily register for the race through our user-friendly registration system. The registration form is available to participants on the organizer's website via an iframe.
On the website, open the event, click on register, and you can register up to 20 participants in one application. No need to log into the system—quick and easy.
For larger groups, the responsible person can create a dynamic cart and send a special link to the participants so that everyone can fill in their own details. In the end, the responsible person can pay or create an invoice for all participants (unlimited number of people).
For sponsors or specific groups, the organizer can create a special registration link where they can set the discount amount—up to 100%.
The organizer can create discount code campaigns by defining codes and discount amounts.
After successful registration and payment, participants have the ability to update their own information and make changes as needed.
The organizer can set a fee for changing distances. When a participant changes their distance, they need to pay the distance change fee plus the difference between the original and new distance prices.
The organizer can set a fee for changing participants. When a participant needs to be changed, the fee must be paid to successfully update the participant information.
If the organizer wishes to sell additional products, participants can add these products at any time. For example, insurance can be purchased at any point.
Participants have the option to change their team at any time before the race if needed.
At the Jelgava Night Half Marathon, using DistantRace services, the organizer was able to keep online registration open until the start of the race. This streamlined the process of distributing race numbers and allowed participants to enter their details and make payments at any time up until the race began.
Each organizer can choose their own payment methods. In this case, the organizer selected several payment methods.
Initial Offering: Stripe payments
Payment Flow: Money goes directly into the organizer's account
Commission Options:
Fee Structure: Commission can be included in registration fee or added as an extra fee for transparency
Main Payment Channel: Montonio.com
Services Provided:
Commission Handling: DistantRace cannot automatically deduct; invoice issued to organizer monthly
If a participant chooses the prepayment invoice option, an invoice is generated, and the participant must make the payment to the organizer's bank account.
With any payment method, if a participant has indicated that an invoice is needed, it will be generated, even if they pay by credit card.
The organizer has the ability to set different prices for various distances at different times.
Organizers have the ability to define additional products for sale. In this event, three products were offered:
Participants could choose their preferred method and location for receiving their race number, providing all necessary shipping information.
Participants could purchase insurance alongside their participation fee, offered by the organizer in collaboration with partners.
Participants could choose between a medal or tree planting (included in price). For an additional fee, they could opt for both the medal and tree planting.
The DistantRace team can help create various types of products, both simple and specific. Some organizers offer sports shirts as additional products.
DistantRace sends the following informational emails to participants:
If a cart has been started but payment has not been made, we send a reminder about the cart so the participant can complete the registration.
If an advance invoice has been issued but not paid, we send a reminder about the unpaid invoice. This email is sent if automatic bank transaction processing is enabled—each time the latest incoming payments are fetched, it is determined which invoices are still unpaid, and a reminder is sent.
Participants had the option to get their starter packs for free through a convenient pick-up service.
Baltic Events chose Omniva as its partner for sending starter packs, and DistantRace is integrated with Omniva's API. This allows for the automatic creation and printing of shipment records in Omniva's system. Packing the starter packs was very straightforward and took relatively little time for the organizer's partner, SIA "SportLat Serviss".
With DistantRace, it is possible to connect many external services such as Omnisend, Listmonk, Twilio (WhatsApp/SMS), Text2Reach, and also SMS Server Tools and others upon request.
Baltic Events have connected Omnisend, which provides the organizer with the ability to send payment emails with their defined design. The organizer has the option to change the email design themselves in their Omnisend account.
DistantRace Advantage: Automatic connection to Omnisend API for seamless information transfer.
Note: May require IT specialist assistance. DistantRace team available for support.
Baltic Events Use Case: Targeted emails for each competition's participants.
Twilio is an international solution providing multiple communication channels: phone calls, SMS, and WhatsApp. Baltic Events successfully integrated Twilio with DistantRace for WhatsApp notifications.
Important: DistantRace automatically manages participant preferences, ensuring compliance with marketing opt-out requests.
SIA "SportLat Serviss" uploaded pre-prepared results from a CSV file during the event. The DistantRace system then calculated:
Note: In Latvia, we have collaborated with several timing service providers. DistantRace does not provide on-site timing services for in-person competitions.
DistantRace provides the option to add virtual finisher certificates, ensuring that every participant in the competition has the opportunity to receive one.
The certificate designs are created using Microsoft PowerPoint or Canva.com.
These certificates were also generated for the Jelgava Night Half Marathon and sent to participants via WhatsApp, as well as displayed alongside their results.
More Information: For detailed instructions on creating certificates, please refer to our documentation.
DistantRace enhances participant support by offering FreeScout integration:
Baltic Events utilized the DistantRace-supported FreeScout solution, which:
The FreeScout solution can be integrated into the organizer's website, enabling a web chat feature for direct participant support.
In the support tool, currently in Beta mode, it is possible to delegate communication to an AI assistant. This AI can help participants with everyday queries, such as:
With DistantRace, it is possible to connect many external services such as Omnisend, Listmonk, Twilio (WhatsApp/SMS), Text2Reach, and also SMS Server Tools and others upon request.
If you're interested in our solutions and believe we can make your life easier, feel free to contact us!
Want to discuss your event needs in detail? Schedule a meeting with our team!
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