Races to enter and call for sponsors

Next Up this weekend - the REP Arundel Lido Tri

So a bit of a gap these past weeks as we get ourselves ready for events returning with something every weekend through to August from this Sunday. Suddenly everything is back to full speed.

The influx of events means some races have opportunities for sponsoring race photos. If you're a reader of this blog, you probably like your free race photos and we're working hard to keep up with our promise of free race downloads (or better - with Pic2Go technology) at the races we cover, along with our legendary coverage and quality - everyone is a winner.

I even made a groovy poster - using the 2019 start picture from the Basingstoke Half Marathon and 10k. That race used Pic2Go technology to share images on the day with participants - which meant we could measure the social media sharing directly, which as ever blew the roof of what they usually get for a social media campaign.

So if you think you know someone who might benefit from sponsoring race photos, or might be interested yourself - then just pick up the phone for a confidential conversation and we can see if we can help ! Just read the poster below - it's all true...

Why are you not sponsoring race photos ? ask your marketing manager at work !

 So, here's our list of future events that are coming up - and two more that need adding into this list - 

1. we are going to see you at the new UltraX race on the 22 of May, over near Haslemere, 

2. as well as the Oxford Town and Gown 10k on June the 27th. Go and have a look to see if entries are still open !!

Date	Event Website
Sun-25/04/2021	REP Bluebell - DONE ! GALLERY
Sun-16/05/2021	REP Arundel Tri
Sun-23/05/2021	3Forts
Sat-05/06/2021	Mighty Hike - South Coast
Sun-13/06/2021	Mid Sussex Tri
Sat-19/06/2021	Mighty Hike - Lake District
Sun-20/06/2021	Hampshire Hoppit
Sat-26/06/2021	Mighty Hike - Giants Causeway
Sat-26/06/2021	REP Arun Swim
Sat-03/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Yorkshire Dales
Sat-10/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Gower Peninsula
Sat-17/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Northumberland Coast
Sat-17/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Thames Path
Sat-24/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Peak District
Sun-25/07/2021	REP Dawn on the Downs
Sat-31/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Dedham Vale

Easier single image downloads

Also to make things more userfriendly on the gallery we have added the instant "download file" text link above an image if you've searched for it. This works perfectly on mobile phones - where ZIP files traditionally don't work. No logging in required on the free galleries ! but it is one image at a time.

It is still easier get all your free images and get them as a single ZIP download together by "selecting all" and ordering the free ones (just add the free product in your order basket and checkout) - but if you want a single image quickly and easily for use on your mobile phone so you can put it on facebook/instagram/twitter etc - it should make things super easy ! (and don't forget to add the #SSP to your post for us if you do, or tag us in with our full @uksportphoto !)

(NB if it's an old gallery that is not free to download - then it will ask you to log in or contact us, in which case you will have to order it)

New distribution mechanism

Other than that, this is the first test of the new blog distribution with follow.it instead of feedburner - so we will see how well that happens ! All previous subscriptions have been transferred (in a fully GDPR way) across, those 21,000 of you who had not double confirmed on the confirmation email were not transferred across (in line with GDPR double-opt-in policy), so that left just the 29,100 subscribers on the list - a bit of a big job, but we got there safely and securely.

Fingers crossed for that later then...

Otherwise this is almost the end of the old new normal, and welcome back to the new normal, (no hugging me yet during races, although I've had both jabs now) keep training, keep that mental health ticking over, and enjoy the slightly warmer evenings for that run !

until next time

Anthony

2021 and the Race to Normality... REP Bluebell gallery is now live

Bluebells on the REP Bluebell Trail

The REP Bluebell 10m and 10k FREE Race Gallery is here and ready for you to download your race memories - especially that big climb on the 10 mile route !

The Bluebell race results are here - http://sspimg.com/REPBluebell-race-results

Are you a event organiser ? Do you want more for your participants, Sponsors and Charities ? then apply for a quote today https://sspimg.com/give-memories

As the race back to normality begins - first off the line for us was the Raw Energy Pursuits Angmering Park Bluebell 10mile and 10k race. Supporting the RSPCA the event runs through the private Angmering Park Estate where some lovely bluebells can usually be seen as a carpet of blue in the woods. 

Flying over the valley view on the 10mile course

See the carpet of bluebells in the woods - just about!

At the moment it is more of a distant haze of blue as the colder nights and days drag on a bit and nothing has quite come to full bloom, but there were signs of them if you had a closer look. With the bright sun a glint of blue could be see across the woodland floor despite the harsh contrast shadows...

Good to see Burgess Hill Runners out as a team effort

Not a bad place to have a run

post-lockdown running shoe technology developments yet to be adopted

The fast ones

Sunny yet cold

Double thumbs up and a surrender !

Strong at the finish

Just the number will do

Keeping it chilled at the finish

Wave your arms in the air !

Full points to the REP team who put on a sensible socially distanced race in what are the most restrictive conditions to allow this sort of thing to go ahead. With about 20 people given a five minute slot to get going in groups of a socially distanced six - everything went pretty smoothly and it was rare out on the course to see more than a pair of individuals running together and within 20 meters of the next runners. Using an alphabetic sorting it also meant that family members were kept in the same time-window - so the option to run together was there (if they wanted it!).

yes - lovely bluebell woods

Getting air in the woods

Also getting air in the woods - chaotic running is the new parkour

Marshals were at a minimum on the course too, which then puts the responsibility back onto the runners to know the course and look for arrows and markers. I personally refined my "turn left and go through the gate" marshalling to "bear left onto the grass" - because guess what - everyone was looking straight up to the big gate 150m ahead, and just heard the last word "gate". Remember - it's not what you say, it's what they hear ! (the correct gate was 60m ahead on the grass to the left as they ran at it). (also turns out that if you did go straight on and then join the rest of the 10k route - you did actually end up doing 10 miles anyway! - that's a relief eh Debbie ?!)

Debbie had a wonderful run !

But honestly, it was just good to see some regular faces and people after a year and also more poignantly - still alive. For years and years the meeting up with the marshals at the veteran car run at the finish line was more of a Highlander gathering to see who had survived the year. It was always a very sombre occasion, and I think it would be right and proper to say we are sharply aware that this past year will have affected many of the people we see or usually see and our thoughts are there with all of you. 

Taking the no marshalling opportunity

As many of you will know the REP events have been fully paid up members of the "free photos for participants" event club for many many years. The high-end quality of their events has meant they have hosted national triathlon age group championships in the past, but have also managed to do most of these events at what many event organisers would consider small numbers of entrants. It's fair to say their sponsors and charity partners as well as participants have always benefitted from their professional and thoroughly well executed events over the past 15 or so years we have known them.

Next few months ahead

Here's our current list of confirmed events as we slowly expand out of the chrysalis of hibernation throughout the Covid-19 pandemic - all of these are Free Downloads, and all the Mighty Hikes are with the full live photos during the day Pic2Go.co.uk service - helping to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

It's clear that the best events at the moment for Covid secure fun is outdoor trail runs, away from built up urban areas without gathering spectators - which is how we end up with this list looking how it looks over the next three months and all of these are already sold out as far as we know ! I think I'll be sitting mostly in the countryside !.

Future Events

Date	Event Website
Sun-25/04/2021	REP Bluebell
Sun-16/05/2021	REP Arundel Tri
Sun-23/05/2021	3Forts
Sat-05/06/2021	Mighty Hike - South Coast
Sun-13/06/2021	Mid Sussex Tri
Sat-19/06/2021	Mighty Hike - Lake District
Sun-20/06/2021	Hampshire Hoppit
Sat-26/06/2021	Mighty Hike - Giants Causeway
Sat-26/06/2021	REP Arun Swim
Sat-03/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Yorkshire Dales
Sat-10/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Gower Peninsula
Sat-17/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Northumberland Coast
Sat-17/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Thames Path
Sat-24/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Peak District
Sun-25/07/2021	REP Dawn on the Downs
Sat-31/07/2021	Mighty Hike - Dedham Vale

Service Quality and what that means.

Lots of pictures, in focus, from different places you can tell a story with, and a search facility that gives you all your pictures and not someone else, and protects your online anonymity.

We've spent a lot of time working with events, participants, sponsors and charities to deliver the most comprehensive event photography service going in our part of the world. Keeping things simple and transparent and accurate is something we aspire to do, as well as ethically and digitally safe. Delivering 100% accurate galleries based on number alone to participants is the most straight forwards and simplest solution that works for everyone. 

As people become more aware of their online digital privacy, advertising tracking, (and even psychometric behaviour profiling) it is very important that whilst we are hosting over 24 million images of runners that we treat those images with the personal anonymity that we all want and expect when out in public, even if that public place is online, we all expect our faces to be kept anonymous and unnamed. A respect for privacy as anonymity even when in public is a standard that we should all expect from the companies we deal with. People can see you in public, but they don't and shouldn't know who you are - otherwise that's called being famous, something many people would very much like to avoid !

If you are an event organiser - and want to deliver an enhanced event for your participants, sponsors and charities in a clean, green and ethical way - then apply for a quote today https://sspimg.com/give-memories

Until next time, please more than ever - keep safe, and I'll get back to my Covid DIY projects.

Anthony