Racing & Competing
Once you’ve joined a Racery virtual race, here’s everything you need to know about competing, communicating with other racers, and making the most of your experience.
Joining a Race
You can join most races at any time — even after they’ve already started (unless the race sponsor says otherwise).
- Go to the virtual race page (check your email for the link)
- Open the About section
- Click the Join Now! button
- Confirm your device
If the race started before you joined, you can backdate your activities to the race start date.
Can I be in multiple races?
Yes! You’ll need to log miles separately in each race, though.
Can minors participate?
Yes, with parental permission and their own individual email address. Every racer needs a unique email and nickname.
Forgotten your race URL?
Click your avatar (top right) when logged in to see a list of your active races. You can also search for the Welcome Email you received when you registered.
Virtual Routes
You do not need to run the actual route shown on the race map. The race is virtual — you can exercise anywhere. Just log your miles or minutes and Racery places you on the virtual route.
As you progress along the route, you’ll see Google Street View images of your current location and any milestones the race organizer has set up.
Teams vs. Groups
Racery offers two ways to create sub-competitions within a race:
| Feature | Teams | Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Fixed size, set by sponsor | Unlimited, open to anyone |
| Captain | Each team has one | No formal captain |
| Private chat | Yes, on the message board | No |
| Membership | One team per racer | Multiple groups allowed |
| Awards | Team mileage & fundraising awards | Informal comparison only |
| Route avatar | Team or individual (sponsor choice) | Individual only |
Not every race uses both — it depends on how the sponsor configures the event.
If everyone on a team must join: it depends on the race. Some races allow solo racers alongside team participants. Check your race’s About section.
Communication & Chat
Team chat
Select the Team option in the race’s message board to send a message only your team can see. Team members get an email notification. Replies stay private automatically — use the chat icon below the initiating post to keep replies in-thread and avoid spamming inboxes.
Mentioning racers or teams
Use @nickname or @teamname in a log comment or on the message board. The mentioned person or team gets an email notification, and the message is visible to all race participants.
Finding yourself in a big race
If you’re logged in, open the Racers (or Teams) tab — you’ll see yourself or your team automatically highlighted.
Leaderboards
Every race has individual and (if applicable) team leaderboards showing total miles logged. Leaderboard position updates in real time as racers log activities.
Finishing & the Ultra Leaderboard
When you (or your team) complete the route distance, you’ll see a Google Street View of the finish line. But the race isn’t over — you can keep logging miles until the race period ends.
How the Ultra leaderboard works
After finishing the original distance and logging additional miles, you appear in the Ultra leaderboard below the main leaderboard. The Ultra board ranks by total miles over the full race duration.
The first-loop leaderboard preserves the order in which racers/teams finished that distance.
Looping races
If the race is set to loop, you’ll move into the Ultra board the next time you log miles after completing the first loop. Some races don’t loop — check with your sponsor.
Awards & Badges
Digital awards
At the end of the race, every participant receives a personalized digital award. Finishers in the top 50% see their rank out of total competitors; finishers in the bottom 50% see their total miles instead.
Badges
If your race sponsor enables badges, you can earn them for streaks, recruiting other participants, and other achievements. See Custom Badges for more.
Street View at the finish
When you cross the finish line, Racery shows the Google Street View at that exact point. If you’ve run past the finish, your activity log will show the Street View for your actual distance — which may be a different image.
Inviting Others
Share your race’s link via email, social media, or any other channel. To invite someone directly to your team, click your team’s avatar in the team leaderboard and share the resulting link.
Some races track referrals — find your personal referral link in the About tab after signing up.
Personal Tracking
Personal Tracking is your ongoing virtual journey across the United States — a personal race that accumulates all your running and walking miles across every Racery event.
How it works
- Miles from running/walking races automatically count toward your personal trek
- Miles from cycling-only or swimming-only races do not count
- When you’re not in an active race, you can log miles directly to Personal Tracking for free
- Some athletes have accumulated over 5,000 Racery miles!
Where to find it
Click your avatar (top right) and select Personal Tracking from the dropdown. Or visit racery.com/yournickname/personal-tracking/ directly.
Common Questions
How do you pronounce Racery?
Think bakery or brewery!
Why did you build Racery?
Two team members — one from Durham, North Carolina and the other from Budapest, Hungary — built Racery in 2014 to let coworkers race with each other virtually. The idea hasn’t stopped growing since.
Do you have an app?
Yes! Available for iPhone and Android.
Charity donations — what does Racery keep?
Racery keeps 0% of funds raised for charity. The payment processor (Stripe) charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit card processing. Racery pays its bills through racer entry fees.
Tax deductions
Check the bottom of the race’s About section or contact the charity directly for tax receipt information.
Contact support if you have questions.