Virtual races are for the moment the main or even the only option for most timing companies. With this global health crisis that does not seem to be slowing down, in many countries, especially in the northern hemisphere, there are few race organisers left who dare to hold a big event or who have the permission of the authorities to do so. But we also need to start thinking about the future; hopefully, we can finish 2021 by combining classic presential races and virtual races: hybrid events or hybrid races.
Virtual races are currently the safest way to continue competitive sport without crowds. We have developed the best technology: Virtual Races by timingsense.
What features should you require in a virtual races App
Today, there are many options for timing a virtual race. This post explains why these are the features you should demand from a virtual races app. These have been our guide to developing Virtual Races by timingsense
A virtual race is not only about the App for the participant, that is only the tip of the iceberg. A virtual race begins with the registration: this registration must be connected to the timing software from which the app feeds. Thus, when registering, the user must be invited to download the APP and register for the event. If the registration platform is not connected to the results software, the user will not be able to register at this moment, thus creating unnecessary confusion.
A virtual running app and a live running app like Live App must be highly configurable and customizable in its design to accommodate as many brands as the race director would need. (link to new App document).
- Publishing results in real-time: in this century, an organiser cannot publish results once a day: the results must be instantly available, just as in a classical competition.
- Complete results: If you only offer an overall ranking, or segmented by gender, participants will be less motivated. With Copérnico you can instantly publish classifications by age category, as categorised as you like, team classifications, special classifications within a company, division… everything you want and shows it instantly in the APP
- Audios: it has been proved that playing audios in the APP at specific moments when something is happening, increases motivation and the number of participants who finish the race.
The other essential component in virtual races is the timing software and its incident management. You can save hours of work with powerful timing software. The participants will inevitably make mistakes, so you can save hours of work with powerful timing software in this aspect. Within the Timingsense ecosystem, We have developed Copérnico, the best timing software right now. This aspect can save you hours of work as it is inevitable that users will make mistakes. Designed with a very simple and intuitive interface, Copérnico has been created by and for timers. In addition to the typical interfaces for resolving issues, Copérnico has automatic rules: create your rules and solve incidences before they happen!
Copérnico is developed with the best technology from Amazon Web Services. It is an online timing software with an offline version in case there is no coverage. Copérnico’s best feature, besides its simplicity and power, is that you can add several modules for different tasks and manage everything in real-time from only one location. This allows you to offer a differential and more complete service with the same resources.
All these features can be found in timingsense ecosystem formed by Copérnico, Sportmaniacs and Live App at a very competitive price and with a 24 hours service during all your races.
We want you to be ready for this year 2021 and to face this difficult situation by offering you a technology that you will not only use today but will continue to use tomorrow when this whole situation is over. By combining Copernicus and Live you can prepare for tomorrow: hybrid races, a more than necessary companionship soon when we will be able to organise classic events again and which we explain in this other post.
