About the Race

• Event Dates: September 14 and 15, 2024
• Type of Race: Trail run
• Number of Participants: 500
• Years Active: First one!
• Distance: 27k
• Elevation Gain: 4000+ feet
• Unique features of race: Runs on the historic Dipsea Trail

Introduction

Set in the Marin Headlands just north of San Francisco, the Headlands 27k is one of the most stunningly beautiful trail races in North America. Boasting 4,000 feet of elevation gain and descent, the looped course features many of the headland’s and Mt. Tam’s most historic trails. A nod to its unique and challenging format, for 2024 season, the race is part of the Golden Trail Series, which is an elite trail running competition, with iconic races across Asia, Europe, and North America. The series showcases the sport’s best, culminating in a grand finale where top runners vie for the title of world champion.

The proximity to San Francisco and being part of the Golden Trail Series presented a really exciting opportunity for Jeff Stern: Headlands will attract a diverse set of racers — the weekend warriors excited to run on their home turf and the elite athlete looking to earn the title of world champion. With this, Jeff knew that he had to choose an event partner that would celebrate the energy and magic of the Headlands 27k.

Movemint’s White Glove Service Made the Decision Easy

One of Jeff’s priorities when looking for an event partner was a product that is easy to use for himself, timers, and athletes, and could offer white glove service to capture the unique elements of the race. When he came across Movemint and reached out to Zack Isaacs, Movemint’s CEO and Co-Founder, he appreciated Movemint’s responsiveness and user-oriented approach to race management.

“The Movemint team has been extremely responsive to feature requests. Because they’re a start-up that are looking to take on the bigger fish in the industry, they know they need to be super customer focused and quick moving.” — Jeff Stern, Headlands 27k Race Director

Ultimately this responsiveness is what sold Jeff on Movemint. Since partnering with Jeff on the Headlands 27k, Movemint has created a number of category-defining features, including a Strava Routes integration that allows you to search through all your routes by name, customizable leaderboards, invite-only categories for pros, discounts, photo and video support, sponsors, merchandise, and much more. There are some small details to make everyone feel included, like different banner photos in the welcome email depending on the participant’s gender identity.

“Movemint’s look and feel is super intuitive and easy to use.”

At the end of the day, events are a business, and Movemint helps Jeff’s business get more registrations and donations. The registration flow is optimized and easy. Participants don’t need a Movemint account to register and they can use any payment method, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Movemint pays out event organizers daily by default, so Jeff doesn’t need to front as much event setup costs.

Ultimately, this partnership model is the key to the successful relationship between Movemint and race directors like Jeff. We’re thankful for our organizers and can’t wait to share what’s next.