Builder's notes · Lakes Entrance Trifecta Weekend
Talaria,
rebuilt.
Talaria already has the right features. I rebuilt how it looks and where it lives, so racers trust it on sight. It runs on the same Google Sheet, and I added a crew side to go with it.
talaria.ryanchoong.com
Ryan Choong, racing the Ultra on Sun 22 Nov
Concept on sample data. Not affiliated with Spartan.
Talaria todayWhat worksThe features are right. Credit to whoever built it.
One place for race day
Start time, pick-up, course map, rules, results and splits. Before Talaria, that was spread over five emails and the website.
Check-in code is locked
The QR only shows after a date-of-birth check, so a forwarded email can't get someone else into the corral.
Runs off a Google Sheet
The crew can change a wave time or a pick-up note without a developer. That's the right call for a small team.
So this isn't a rewrite. It's a pass on look and trust. The data, the logic and the sheet stay as they are.
Talaria todayWhat costs trustRacers are told not to type their email into a link like this.
A free host
It lives at spartan-talaria.netlify.app, with a "Powered by Netlify" badge on the sign-in screen. That's what a copycat site looks like too.
A stranger's email
The race guide came from checkoutsecure.net, and the preview text repeated "Meet Spartan Talaria" five times. Easy to bin as spam.
Mixed messages
The email says "Wave times are final", then two lines later says to change your start time in your account. Racers will email to ask which one is true.
None of this is the code. It's the address, the sender and the first screen, and each is cheap to fix.
The rebuildSame features, new skinSame data. It looks like Spartan now.
- Addressnetlify.app subdomain
- First screenA dark form and a host badge
- Start timeOne line among many
- Race morningSame screen as race week
- ResultsA list of numbers
- AddressA Spartan domain, sent from a Spartan email
- First screenSpartan type, red and black, a line on why the code is safe
- Start timeA race bib: the time huge, wave colour on top, QR below
- Race morningCounts down, then shows "check in by" and "on course"
- ResultsFinish time, three placings, splits, and the next race
Try itLive app, sample racersPick a racer. Move the clock.
This phone is the real app, not a picture. Tap around inside it, or use the buttons to jump between racers and moments in the weekend.
Sample date of birth: 1 Jan 1990
The addressThe cheapest fixMove it to a Spartan address. Nothing else has to change.
spartan-talaria.netlify.app
Free subdomain on someone else's brand, with their badge on screen.
talaria.au.spartan.com
One DNS record from whoever runs the Spartan domain. A .com.au you own works too.
race@au.spartan.com
Send the guide from a Spartan sender, so it lands next to the rest of your race emails.
The Apps Script, the sheet and the crew's workflow stay as they are. Racers just see a link they already trust.
Second actLive, sample dataTalaria shows racers the sheet. This lets the crew run it.
Race ControlWhat it catchesSmall gaps in the sheet become race-week emails.
Start-time requests
Each request is checked against wave capacity, team splits and your policy. Approve, or offer the nearest wave, in one click.
Weak waves, early
On race morning it compares check-ins to the usual curve, so a wave that's behind shows up while you can still release spots.
Racer inbox
It drafts replies from your published policies. A person sends every one. Medical, refunds and complaints always go to a person.
How it fitsNothing to migrateSame sheet in, same sheet out.
Ticketing export
Google Sheet + Apps Script
Talaria, rebuilt
Race Control
Ryan ChoongRacer, builder15 minutes to walk your team through it, on a copy of a real event sheet?
I build ops tools for small teams through Redpoint, and I'm racing the Ultra at Lakes Entrance on 22 Nov. I'll bring notes from the start line. If it's useful for your next event, I'd set it up on your sheet before then.