Form, spreadsheet or Canicompet?

To take entries for a race with dogs (canicross, canicross walking, bikejoring, sled dog racing…), organizers in practice use one of four approaches: a paper or email entry form, an online form feeding a spreadsheet, a generic sports registration platform, or a specialized platform such as Canicompet. None of them is right for every race: it depends on the number of entrants, the documents to check and how you collect payment.

What makes races with dogs different

A canicross or sled dog race is more than a list of runners. For each entry, the organizer usually has to check:

• the competitor’s licence or medical certificate;
• each dog’s identification (microchip) and vaccinations, sometimes with a minimum age;
• the number of dogs per race (one in canicross, two in scootering, four to eight or more in sled dog racing).

It is this document checking, more than the data entry itself, that takes volunteers’ time.

Paper or email entry form

A printable entry form, returned by post or email with a cheque, is still common. It costs nothing and everyone knows how to use it. On the other hand, every entry is typed in by hand, supporting documents arrive in all sorts of formats, reminders are manual and the start list is built by hand.

Good for: a very small race among members of one club.

Online form and spreadsheet

An online form (Google Forms or similar) feeding a spreadsheet avoids retyping. It is free, quick to set up and enough for many modest events. But the form knows nothing about dogs or documents: uploaded files must be opened one by one, payment happens separately, the waiting list and bibs are managed in the spreadsheet, and competitors fill everything in again for every race.

Good for: a race with a few dozen participants, no online payment and light document checks.

Generic sports registration platform

Generic platforms, designed for running, trail or cycling, handle online payment and custom fields well, and often start lists. They usually do not cater for dogs: no reusable dog profile, no vaccination check, no races by number of dogs. The organizer then adds extra fields and checks documents separately. Pricing varies by platform.

Good for: a mixed event where races with dogs are a small part.

Canicompet

Canicompet is a web and mobile platform for online registration and management of canicross, bikejoring, canicross walking and sled dog races in France and across Europe. Competitors store their dogs and documents once; organizers run the race from opening entries to publishing results: online checks of licences, certificates and vaccinations, online payment and/or cheque, cash or on-site payment, waiting list, start lists and bibs, free manual timing and published results. The app is available in 11 languages.

There is no subscription: fees apply to online payments only. For a tiny race with no online payment, a form may remain simpler.

Comparison table

Criterion	Paper / email	Form + spreadsheet	Generic platform	Canicompet
Dog documents and vaccinations	Manual check	Files opened one by one	Rarely supported	Reusable dog profile, online check with help to read vaccination records
Licences and medical certificates	Manual check	Manual check	Often supported	Checked online before the race
Payment	Cheque, cash	Separate (transfer, cheque)	Online	Online, and/or cheque, cash, on site
Waiting list	Manual	Manual in the spreadsheet	Depends on the platform	Built in, public or private
Start lists and bibs	Manual	Manual in the spreadsheet	Often supported	Waves, intervals, bib numbers
Timing and results	Separate	Separate	Depends on the platform	Free manual timing (Canichrono, Windows), CSV import, published results
Cost	Free (volunteer time)	Free (volunteer time)	Varies by platform	No subscription: €0.75 per cart ≤ €15, 5% above, on online payments only

How to choose

• Fewer than a few dozen entrants, no online payment, documents checked on site: a form and a spreadsheet are enough.
• Multi-sport event with a small dog race: a generic platform may work, with dog checks handled separately.
• Dog-focused race with document checks, online payment and a waiting list: a specialized platform saves the most time.

To try Canicompet, you can create your race without publishing it: it stays visible only to its managers until you open it. See also the Organizers and Pricing pages.