What is it?

"If the response we have had is typical, this will soon become a major way of entering races..." --Ian Thorpe, Stockport 10

• We enable runners to enter your race by credit card on www.runnersworld.co.uk. We store all their details for you to download at any time, and we send you a batch payment every month.
• We promote the race in Runner's World magazine, on the website, and by email to over 145,000 runners. (More about this below)
• We take a commission on every entry, which can be charged to the runner or the organiser, or divided between the two. (More about this below)

Will it help my race?

"The race sold out for the first time, and the online allocation of 240 places was exhausted almost three weeks before the race." --Malcolm French, Serpentine New Year's Day 10K (More success stories)

• Every race that we dealt with in 2006 benefited from increased entries. We took over 115,000 entries, including: 5,200 for the Bristol Half-Marathon, 3,450 for the Cardiff Half-Marathon, 1,700 for the Asics Fleet Pre-London Half Marathon, 1,400 for the Sheffield Half-Marathon, 1,300 for the Swansea Bay 10K, 1,200 for the Great Eastern Run, and - in one day! - over 1,100 for Spring races.
• We promote every online entry race with:
  (1) An 'enter online' icon and an enhanced 'RW Says' listing in our online race diary (see example), which gets over 15,000 searches a day.
  (2) An enhanced listing in Runner's World, the UK's biggest running magazine - and the London Marathon's annual Essential Race Guide.
  (3) A preview and link in our popular Race Update email, which gets sent regionally to our 145,000+ website subscribers every month.
• Uniquely to runnersworld.co.uk, runners can discuss your race at the bottom of your race diary listing. Some races attract hundreds of discussion messages, and race organisers are free to join in. (If you're a registered member of the site, see the Brass Monkey Half-Marathon and the Puma Longleat 10K listings, for example, or click on any race in our race diary that has 'forum' next to it.)

What do race organisers think?

• "Very impressed" Andrew Taylor, Bath Half-Marathon
• "Fantastic" Paul Beaver, Stockport 10
• "Excellent" Stephen Ball, Woking TenTen

More organiser quotes

What do runners think?

• "A great idea and so much simpler"
• "Absolutely full marks"
• "Ideal, really simple to follow"

More runner quotes

How do I get the runners' details?

"Getting the data is a doddle." --John Schofield, Winter Warmer 10K

• You have your own private admin page on the website, from which you can see the entrant lists on screen, or download them in a spreadsheet-compatible (.csv) file.
• From your admin page, you can choose to be notified by email every time one, 10 or 50 runners enter, or when your chosen online entry limit is reached.
• We use a standard universal entry form as a template, to which you can add custom questions (eg 'Are you entering the Yorkshire Championships?', or 'What is your T-shirt size?')

Who sends out the race numbers?

• You do. We simply handle the payments. You won't receive an SAE from online entrants, but most organisers are perfectly happy with this - especially as you can use your entrant list to print out labels.

What does it cost, and how do I get paid?

"I was surprised that none of the 400+ forum messages even mentioned the £1.50 extra." --Malcolm French, Serpentine New Year's Day 10K

• We take a commission on every entry as follows:
  £1.50 per entry for entries costing up to £10;
  £2 per entry for entries costing £10.01 to £20;
  £3 per entry for entries costing £20.01 to £30, and so on.
• This commission can be charged to the runner or to the organiser, or split half and half between the two. (So, in the first case, an entry that was £8 by post would cost the runner £9.50, and we would send the organiser the full £8. In the second case, the runner would pay £8 online, and we would send the organiser £6.50. In the third case, the runner would pay £8.75 online, and we would send the organiser £7.25.)
• We pay straight into your race bank account once a month, and send you a statement. If you prefer, we can arrange a cheque.

How do I control it?

• You get your own private admin page on which you set up and control online entry. (See an example) Here, you decide the online entry limit and closing date, and specify your other online entry settings. You can change these settings at any time. Once the online entry limit is reached, runners will no longer be able to enter online unless you change the setting.

Great! How do I set up online entry?

• If you have already added your race to our online diary, click the main Events tab, then the grey 'Manage My Events' tab underneath it. (Or click this shortcut now.) On this page, click the name of your race, and on the next page, click 'Set up online entry'.
• If we added your race to our diary on your behalf, we need to give you admin rights so you can set up online entry. If you're a member of the site, simply email us, telling us the name of your race. If you're not a member, register here for free, then email us. (Click here to search for your race on the site.)
• If your race isn't in our online diary, add it here. (You need to register, if you're not a member of the site already.) When you confirm the details, you will be asked automatically whether you want to set up online entry.

What's the catch?

• You have to send out race packs without having SAEs from the runners.
• That's it!