Film your Race

Filming your course to turn into a race day simulation can be as simple or sophisticated as you wish. With the advent of today's smart and powerful cameras such as GoPro, you have the ability to create stellar content in one small package.

We have developed a simple, yet very effective rig, whose components you should be able to access from just about anywhere. While we recommend this approach for beginners, you may have a better approach to filming with drone technology, gimbels (let us know!)

For DIY, you will need a GoPro camera with a 64GB blank micro SD Card and a fully charged battery.

You can film your course in one of two ways, "Leader of the Pack" or "In the Mix." Depending on the size of the field, your preference, and course distance, you may be able to select which version works for your event.

Leader of the Pack is just as it sounds! You create a course simulation that will have the viewer leading the field and "winning" the race! It is suggested you begin 30-45 minutes ahead of the race start. This allows for maximum spectator attendance before the gun sounds, assuring the most excitement for the camera! For races longer than 10K in length, it is suggested to have additional Content Creators starting simultaneously at the race start and approximately every 4 miles on the course, finishing before the race gets underway.

In the Mix offers a unique perspective for the viewer, experiencing the course on race day from within the race! Smaller venues can allow the Content Creator to film with room around them to run in the pack. This adds a greater level of excitement for some runners, who love to run to lots of noise!

For the best experience possible for the viewer, we suggest filming at a height as close to six feet as possible. We also require filming to be at a steady 10:00/mile or 6 miles per hour, to accommodate speed changes in the video experience.

While we suggest a GoPro camera for the best image quality, many of today's newer phones can serve the same purpose. You will also need to provide the GPS data which will need to be recorded simultaneously while you are filming. This can be done with a GPS watch or your phone running an app like Strava or Garmin. Once you begin filming, it is best to keep the camera operational until the course is complete.

The following is a brief video overview of how to film in a first person perspective: