Run marathons and half marathons end to end
Big-field entries, wave management, chip timing proven at up to 50,000 and live results, in one connected system.
Recognised bodies our marathon technology has supported
Barefoot runs marathons and half marathons end to end: big-field entries, predicted-time wave seeding, chip timing proven at events up to 50,000, live results and participant comms, all in one system.
Built by event organisers.
Trusted by race directors.
450+
Events delivered every year across Australia and New Zealand
50,000
Participants supported at a single event
75+
years
Combined event experience
2
countries
Australian and New Zealand owned, operated and on the ground
The marathon reality — what it takes to run these events
A marathon is a big-field logistics operation. Thousands of entries, waves seeded by predicted time, an expo and bib pickup, chip timing that has to be flawless across a huge field and a long course, results published fast, and comms running before, during and after. It’s exactly the scale at which stitching separate vendors together breaks down, because a re-keyed dataset or a timing gap at 50,000 people is a very public problem. Barefoot RFID is proven at that scale, on one system, with a local crew on the ground.
Why Barefoot runs
marathons end to end
Big-field entries with predicted-time wave seeding, on one connected system.
Chip timing proven at events up to 50,000, on European-engineered hardware.
Live results and tracking that families follow and sponsors can brand.
Local crew on the ground, not a distant call centre, at the scale it matters most.
Who it’s for?
Marathon and half-marathon organisers.
City races and large mass-participation events.
Organisers who need proven big-field reliability.
Features
Big-field entries and waves
Thousands of entries, predicted-time waves, expo and bib pickup. See Running Event Registration.
Timing proven at 50,000
Reliable chip timing across a huge field and long course. See Race Timing System.
Live results and engagement
Instant results, family tracking and sponsor-ready branding on the screens.
One accountable team
One system and a local crew, so there’s no vendor gap at the scale it matters.
Ready to Elevate
Your Event?
Let's connect and see how Barefoot Sport simplifies registrations and maximises participant experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you handle a 50,000-person race?
Yes. Barefoot RFID is proven at events up to 50,000 participants.
Do you seed waves by predicted time?
Yes. Big fields are seeded into waves from the entry data.
Is there a local crew on the day?
Yes. A local crew is on the ground, not a distant call centre.
How much does it cost to run entries and timing for a marathon?
Two costs sit side by side. Registration platforms mostly publish a per-entry charge of roughly 4–6% of the entry fee plus a fixed amount per transaction, so the cost scales with what you charge entrants. Timing is usually quoted per participant against a minimum fee, and climbs with extra split points, extra distances and remote start lines. Ask for both quoted together against your projected field.
How far in advance should we lock in registration and timing?
Open registration as early as you can, and book timing at the same time. Marathon entries commonly open six to twelve months out, because training cycles and travel plans are long and early entries fund your supplier deposits. Timing crews book by weekend, so popular autumn and spring dates go first. Council and police approvals run on their own clocks, with special-event road closures in some areas needing six weeks to six months’ notice.
Should registration and timing come from the same provider?
Not necessarily, but splitting them puts the join in your hands. Every entry, transfer, category change and late signup has to reach the timing system accurately before the gun, and that handover is where race-day result errors usually start. If you do use two providers, agree in writing who exports what, in what format, and how late a change can still be made.
Do we need chip timing for a marathon, or is manual timing enough?
Chip timing becomes hard to avoid once you have a few hundred starters, wave starts, or more than one distance sharing a course. Manual timing works for small fields crossing a single line in roughly the order they finish. A marathon rarely fits that: finishers arrive across four or five hours, often alongside a half and a 10km, and entrants expect splits as well as a finish time.
How late can we keep entries open before race day?
Usually later than organisers assume. Where registration feeds the timing system directly, entries can stay open into race week or race morning, with bibs assigned on the spot. Where the two systems are separate, the practical cut-off is whenever your timer needs the final start list, which is often several days out. Late entries are real revenue on a marathon, so the cut-off is worth negotiating rather than accepting.
Let’s make your next event your easiest yet.
Work with people who get the pace, pressure, and precision of endurance events and build platforms that match it.