An Alternative to ChronoTrack Registration for Timers and Small Races
Ian Campbell | November 13, 2025
On November 13, 2025, ChronoTrack president Mike Milici sent an email announcing that Chronotrack will officially retire its Registration Software on March 31, 2026. This means that race directors and timers who relied on CT’s all-in-one ecosystem will be forced to make a change.
If you’re a race director or timer who built your operations around ChronoTrack hardware and its registration platform, you’re now facing a decision:Where do you go next — and what platform understands the needs of small and mid-sized races?
A lot of races are being pointed toward Let’s Do This, which is a rapidly growing company that has raised $80 million from Venture Capitalists. The Company has an impressive global footprint in big marathons and mass-participation endurance events. But it’s optimized for a different type of race— massive marathons with 10,000+ runners that attract tourists from around the globe to their destination events.
For community races (5Ks, charity walks, school events, fun runs) and for timers who depend on ChronoTrack hardware, that’s not always the best fit.
If you’re preparing for your next community event, here’s a helpful guide on how to organize a 5K race.
And that’s where Run The Day comes in.
Run The Day: A Proven Alternative to ChronoTrack Registration
If you’re looking for an alternative to ChronoTrack registration that fits community events, works seamlessly with CT timing hardware, and was built by race timers — we exist, and we’ve been here for a long time.
Run The Day has been around since 2003.
We’re a Philly-based team of timers, engineers, and race-day logistics professionals who have spent more than 20 years working with events across the country.
We didn’t build our registration platform in a vacuum. Coming out of the COVID pandemic, we built a next generation registration and fundraising platform that was informed by our 20+ years of learnings from our on the ground experience with races.
We built it the same way that timers operate on race day:
- quickly
- reliably
- without unnecessary complexity
- with clean data exports
- with real people observing and feeling pain when something went wrong
Our platform is focused on serving races up to ~5,000 participants — the exact segment that ChronoTrack Registration historically served well.
If you’re a ChronoTrack race or a timer who uses ChronoTrack hardware, you should know:
Run The Day is a proven alternative for registration, and we would be happy to help you transition smoothly.
Many organizers looking for the best race registration platform choose systems built specifically for small and midsize events rather than marathon-focused tools.
Why This Change Matters: ChronoTrack Registration Is Ending
ChronoTrack’s decision is logical from a business standpoint — their future is clearly centered on timing hardware, innovating with RFID technology and supporting high-quality race-day infrastructure. The registration business has been challenging post-pandemic, so the Life Time Subsidiary has chosen to focus on what they’ve always excelled at historically — timing hardware.
But this creates two real pain points in the market:
1. Timers need a registration platform that speaks “timer.”
You need clean exports, simple race-day flows, an easy to use bib assignment app and technology that does not break when a race director creates a coupon code for a flash sale 48 hours before race day.
You also need race timing software that integrates seamlessly with your workflow, supports accurate syncing, and doesn’t slow down volunteers on race day.
2. Races under 5,000 participants need software built for their reality.
This is the vast majority of events in North America — school 5Ks, local charities, Rotary Clubs, township events, church runs, and trail races.
Their needs are wildly different from the Philadelphia Marathon with more than 30,000-runners.
And yet, most of the recommended replacement platforms are built for 30,000-runner races.
Why Let’s Do This Is Not Always the Ideal Fit for Community Races
Let’s Do This (LDT) is an exciting company with many rich investors. For the right event — a large-scale marathon, a regional half marathon, a national series — they’re a great option.
But for most ChronoTrack customers, the fit isn’t perfect. Here’s why:
1. LDT is built for mass-participation marathons.
Their core strengths:
- marketplace discovery
- influencer marketing
- attracting out of town runners to destination races
- managing waitlists and lottery systems for high demand races
- CRM integrations for massive budgets
- data-driven marketing for 10,000–50,000 person races
If you’re a community 5K raising $10K–$100K for a school, charity, or local partner — you are not where their product roadmap is focused.
2. Many community events don’t want a marketplace with complicated features.
Smaller races typically want:
- simple signup flow
- fast check-in
- low cost
- clean reporting
- customized branding
- easy team setup
- no pressure to “upgrade” or enroll in add-on services
3. Timers often have friction with platforms built for big marathons.
When tools are built primarily for marketing teams or huge operations, timers become an afterthought.
Timers need:
- easy access to simple CSV exports
- clean data mapping to timing software
- bib assignment instructions that can be taught to volunteers in 30 seconds
- quick access to participant info
- a system that does not have complicated submenus with corral management, promotions and upsells
Let’s Do This isn’t wrong — it’s just designed for a different customer.
Run The Day Is Built for Races Under 5,000 (and the Timers Who Support Them)
Our philosophy is simple:
Most races have less than 5,000 runners, and those races deserve software built for them — not for mega-marathons.
Here’s how our platform aligns with ChronoTrack customers:
1. We Use ChronoTrack Hardware Ourselves
This is a big one.
Run The Day’s timing team uses:
- ChronoTrack MiniTrack
- Pro2
- Impinj antennas and flashpoints
- AeroTrack
We know exactly what the pressure feels like for timers on race day.
There is no guesswork. Run The Day’s platform was literally designed to reduce the anxiety that timers feel on race day.
2. Registration Built for Speed, Simplicity, and Reliability
We intentionally avoided “feature bloat.”
This approach helps keep the platform lightweight, making it ideal for anyone searching for dependable 5K race registration software that won’t overwhelm volunteers on race day.
The system:
- loads fast
- exports cleanly
- handles teams and fundraising
- supports unlimited price tiers
- full integration with a mobile app for shirts and bib assignments
- creates a streamlined race day check-in process and produces live results for age group awards
Most importantly:
Race-day reliability is Run The Day’s core.
Everything else is secondary.
3. Built by Timers — Not Just Software Engineers
Run The Day’s leadership team includes timers who have spent countless of our weekend mornings standing at finish lines producing fast and accurate results.
That means:
- we know how race directors communicate
- we know how volunteers behave
- we know what runners complain about
- we know how characters like apostrophes can confuse data integrations
- we understand race day chaos
- we know what to fix when things go sideways
It also means that when you call us, you’re talking to someone who’s been on a finish line at 5:30 AM in the rain — not someone in an office who’s never timed a race.
4. A Registration Platform Designed for Community Events
Run The Day is optimized for races that ChronoTrack served including:
- 5Ks
- 10Ks
- charity walks
- school fundraisers
- trail races
- half marathons
- local community events
- regional series
- new races trying to grow
We offer:
- custom email sending capabilities (like MailChimp or Constant Contact)
- fast team setup
- easy donation and fundraising tools
- free registration platform (we monetize via participant fees)
- clear reporting
- integrations with a mobile check-in app that don’t overwhelm volunteers
Whether you’re hosting an individual race or a 5K team event, the platform supports simple team creation, group fundraising, and stress-free participant management.
We have intentionally stayed focused on races with under 5,000 runners, because that’s where we believe we can have the biggest community impact on our communities.
5. Dedicated Support — Not Just a Help Center
When you work with us, you get:
- real humans
- in the USA
- available by phone and email
- including nights and weekends during race season
When your start gun is about to fire, waiting for a help desk ticket to be answered is not an option.
Timers need real-time support.
Races need calm, experienced people when something changes at 6 AM.
We built the company around that reality.
6. Simple Migration for Existing ChronoTrack Registration Customers
If you’re a race that previously used ChronoTrack’s registration platform, the migration path to Run The Day is straightforward:
- send us your historical participant data
- rebuild price tiers
- recreate discount codes
- configure teams and fundraising
- update access permissions for your team
We’ve recently onboarded races from:
- ChronoTrack
- RunSignUp
- Let’s Do This
- Race Roster
- Eventbrite
- EnMotive
- Custom fundraising systems
Transitioning is usually a matter of a few days — not months.
Comparing Your Options: Run The Day vs. Let’s Do This vs. “Patchwork” Solutions
Run The Day (Best for races with <5,000 participants)
- Built by timers
- Works seamlessly with ChronoTrack hardware
- Optimized for local races
- Fast onboarding
- Clean data exports
- Fully integrated bib assignment app
- Support from humans
- Transparent fees
- Designed for growth and community impact
Let’s Do This (Best for large marathons)
- Great marketplace for major events
- Strong marketing tools
- Big-race CRM capabilities
- Not built for small races
- Branding may feel commercial
- Not optimized for timers’ workflows
Patchwork (Eventbrite + Google Sheets + manual timing)
- Cheapest in the moment
- Most expensive in mistakes
- Maximum friction
- Zero timing alignment
- Unscalable beyond 50–100 runners
Who We Work Best With
We’re the best fit for:
- Timers using ChronoTrack hardware with SimpleClient
- Races under 5,000 participants
- Charity events
- Schools and PTOs
- Townships
- Nonprofits
- Community organizations
- Local running clubs
- First-time race directors
- Races that want to grow
- Race series looking for a plug and play platform
If your race wants personalized support, clean workflows, and a platform that stays out of your way — we’re built for you.
➡️ Tired of complicated software? See how Run The Day makes registration and check-in easy. Schedule a demo to experience simple software built for 5K races.
Why This Decision Matters for Timers and Directors
When a platform shuts down, there’s a risk of rushing into a migration without thinking about long-term fit.
If you’re a ChronoTrack race or timer, you don’t have to settle for software built for a completely different category of event.
You deserve a platform built around:
- race-day reality
- timing workflows
- community-race logistics
- fast support
- growth-focused tools like simple email sending
- a product roadmap aligned with your needs
That’s exactly why Run The Day exists.
A Message to Current ChronoTrack Registration Users
If you’ve been using ChronoTrack Registration for years, this transition may feel disruptive. You had a workflow that worked, and now you’re being asked to rebuild it in an ecosystem that may not prioritize your type of event.
Here’s the good news:
You have options.
And Run The Day was built for races exactly like yours.
We’re already timing races with ChronoTrack hardware.
We already understand your requirements.
We already serve hundreds of community events.
And we’re ready to help — without forcing you into a technology platform built for massive marathons.
Ready to Explore an Alternative?
We’re Here for You.
If you’re a race director or timer evaluating alternatives to ChronoTrack Registration, we’d love to talk.
We can help you:
- transition smoothly
- maintain your historical data
- simplify your race setup
- support your timing team
- grow your event
- avoid unnecessary complexity
Run The Day has served races since 2003.
We understand this industry because we live it.
Closing Thought
This change in the industry is big — but it’s also an opportunity.
Community races deserve a purpose-built platform.
Timers deserve technology that makes their workflows easier.
And the next generation of impactful events deserve technology that helps their race grow.
