Connected race

A connected race follows all the codes of a classic event: a set distance, a bib, sometimes even a finisher medal... 🥇 Except that on race day, it takes place wherever the runner wants, rather than on a set course. What makes the format unique is this complete freedom of place and time, which makes it possible to take part in an event without ever leaving your city, or even your neighborhood 🏘️.

In France 🇫🇷, the Harmonie Mutuelle 20 km de Paris has been offering for several editions a connected version that can be completed anywhere in the country, for runners who can’t travel to the capital on race day: all you need is a GPS watch or a tracking app to validate your time, wherever you are in France. In a very different vein, Faster than cancer, organized by the League Against Cancer, pushes the concept even further with a fully digital format: every stride recorded via the OuiLive app over two full weeks turns into points for your departmental committee, with no in-person meet-up required 💛.

The sensations change radically compared with a traditional race. No crowd to carry you through the effort, no competitor to overtake in the last kilometer: motivation has to come from within, or from the app’s counter ticking off the distance in real time. Some runners even admit they find this format more mentally demanding than an in-person race, for lack of external stimulation 🫣.

The conditions and specific features of this format mainly depend on the technology used. Connected watch, mobile geolocation app, sometimes just a smartphone slipped into an armband: the equipment is enough to turn any street or trail into an official starting line 🏁. Many organizers then ask for proof: screenshot, Strava link, or GPX export, to validate the performance ⌚️.

The format is especially appealing to charitable organizations, which can mobilize participants across the country without the logistical constraints of a major in-person gathering, while reducing the event’s environmental footprint ♻️.

After the effort comes comfort wherever you like, solo or with friends, without a finish-line village or a shared refreshment stand: everyone is free to celebrate their performance in their own way 🥳.

Feel like switching back to a more classic format, with people around you this time? Head to city races 🏘️ to rediscover the atmosphere of a real mass start.