Can you promise every runner a personal clip?

Before you tell runners or riders that each of them will get a personal clip, check whether a crew can really find and film every entrant. In most races it cannot, so the safest offer is a fair chance of a clip, not a certainty.

Why is a clip for every entrant hard to deliver?

A camera sees a person for a few seconds. In a race, many people pass at once, and many look alike in the same cap and bib.

Here is a simple example, for illustration only.

Suppose 1,000 runners pass one filming point over about an hour. On average, that is one runner every few seconds. A single camera operator who must frame, focus and note each bib will miss some runners, especially when groups pass together.

Adding more points or operators helps, but it also adds cost and planning. So we start with what you want to promise, then plan the cameras.

What decides what you can promise?

How should you word the offer?

Be careful with words such as “every”, “sure to get” and “your own personal video”. Better wording sets honest limits, for example: “Our crew will film at the start, the halfway point and the finish. If we capture you clearly, we will send you a clip. Some entrants may not appear.”

Also say how entrants can ask for a missing clip, and by when. A short reply process builds more trust than a big promise.

How are clips matched to the right person?

There are three common ways:

1. By bib number: the crew notes or the edit reads the bib. Works when bibs are visible.
2. By time: if you have timing data for each entrant at a point, the editor can find the moment in the footage. This needs timing data and a clock that matches the camera.
3. By request: entrants send their bib number and the time they passed, and we search the footage.

None of these is perfect. We suggest the method that fits your timing data and bibs, and tell you how many clips we can match.

What about privacy and consent?

Names, faces and bib numbers can identify a person. Tell entrants in the registration form that the event is filmed, and how clips will be shared: sent only to the entrant, or also posted publicly. The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 applies to personal data, so check the wording with a qualified adviser.

For entrants under 18, ask a parent or guardian. See permissions and responsible publication and the filming and publication responsibilities checklist.

What we confirm for your event

• How many filming points and camera operators suit your entrant count.
• How each entrant is identified, and the plan if a bib is hidden.
• How many personal clips can realistically be delivered, and by when.
• How entrants ask for a missing clip.
• What changes if weather or a route change moves the filming points.

Tell us the venue and date, and we confirm the crew and travel. Short social clips and same-day edits are available on request and confirmed for each event, and the number of filming points and clips moves the quote (see pricing).

Use the run-sheet filming planner to mark filming points against your race timetable. For the finish line and prizegiving, see prioritising race finishes and podium ceremonies. Our running and race-event videography page explains what we can cover.

For a legal question about entrant data, ask a qualified adviser.