A race event website runners can plan their morning from
Runners read a race website three times: when deciding to enter, the night before, and the day after to find their time. Give them the route and entry details first, the race-morning logistics in one clear block, and a results page once the timing company has sent the file.
Deciding to enter
For a 5k, a 10k or a fun run, runners want the same short list before they pay: the date and start time, the distance and whether it's measured or approximate, the terrain (road, trail, laps of a park), how hilly it is, the entry fee and what it includes, any age limit, and whether it's chip timed. If there's a cause behind it, one paragraph on where the money goes.
The route
A route map is the most-viewed thing on most race sites. Export an image from the mapping tool you planned it in, with start, finish, water stations, kilometre or mile markers and toilets marked, and add it to the build. Describe it in the alt text ("two laps of Victoria Park, anticlockwise, start and finish by the bandstand, water at 2.5k"), which helps screen-reader users and anyone whose image doesn't load. Link to the interactive version on the mapping site for people who want to zoom; published Anticode pages run no scripts, so an embedded map won't work.
Add the elevation in words if it matters ("one short climb at 3k, otherwise flat") and say whether buggies, dogs or wheelchairs are welcome.
Taking entries through a payment link
Anticode sites take payment through a payment link from a provider you set up: Stripe Payment Links, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop. An account has one payment link, opened by every "Enter" button, so for several entry types (adult, junior, family) point it at a product list or a checkout with options at your provider. Race entries usually need more than a payment: name, date of birth or age category, gender category if you award by it, emergency contact, and sometimes a club name. Check which details your provider's checkout can collect. If it can't collect enough, follow payment with a short details form (a custom form tied to a site function can carry up to 30 plain-text fields), or use a dedicated race-entry platform and link to it from the site.
Race morning in one block
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Registration and number collection | From 8:00 at the café; closes 8:45 |
| Start times | Juniors 9:00, 5k 9:30, 10k 9:35 |
| Getting there | Nearest station, parking and its cost, bike racks |
| Bag drop and toilets | Where, and whether bags are supervised |
| Course closure | Cut-off time and the sweeper |
| Medical | First aid point and what to do if you feel unwell |
Hold the start times in a CMS collection if you run several waves, so a change the week before is one edit in the dashboard rather than a rebuild.
Results after the race
Anticode doesn't do live timing or pull results from a timing system. What works is to publish results as a page once you have them: a results collection with fields for position, name, category and time can be filled from the timing company's file, or you can link to the results on the timing company's own site. Either way, say on race day when results will appear ("by Monday evening") so you aren't answering emails about it. Add a few photos from the day, and check runners are happy to be shown before naming anyone in a picture.
Questions and volunteers
The contact form (name, email and message) catches questions and volunteer offers; each is saved in your dashboard and can be emailed to you. For a sign-up with marshal shifts, the volunteer sign-up guide covers the options.
Limits
- No live tracking or timing. Results are posted afterwards.
- No entry management. No start lists, bib allocation or transfers; your payment provider's records or a race platform do that.
- No embedded interactive map. Use an image and a link.
- No waivers or file uploads through the form.
Questions people ask
Can I send race information to entrants from Anticode?
No. Anticode doesn't email entrants; use your provider's buyer list or an email tool.
Can runners search the results?
The page has no search box because it runs no scripts, but a browser's find-in-page works on a results list.
How early should a race website go up?
Three to six months ahead for a local race, so clubs can add it to their calendars.