Dear friends and partners of mika:timing,

As the holiday season draws closer, I find myself thinking back to the conversations and connections of this past year and to the people who make our work meaningful. I want to say thank you for your trust, and for all the great races we were able to work on together!

Valuing the exchange with leaders across our industry, it was a pleasure to take part in events such as the Running USA in Louisville, Race Management Program hosted by the Chicago Marathon, the Running Conference by RIA, Mass Participation World in Ho Chi Minh City and the Business of Running Events Conference by RaceRoster in San Diego.
More on the conversations about the future of our industry in a moment.

I am more than happy to see that endurance events are more popular than ever and numbers of participants are at a record high. This had a positive impact on our business, and we are delighted to welcome several new partners to the mika:timing family, among them Autodrome Terramar Run Barcelona, Tjejmilen, Bath Half Marathon, Kretsloppet, Goethe Kultur Lauf Weimar, Varbergs Tunnellopp, Quirlsberg Treppenlauf Bergisch Gladbach, The Hybrid Games, Los Angeles Nike After Dark Tour, Execute Sälen, Citylauf Erkelenz, Düsseldorf Night Run, DBG Sponsorenlauf, Tryka Fit, München Marathon, Kläppen 90K, Malmö Marathon, …

How did our service portfolio expand?

This year, we have updated features and made improvements to our services in response to strong demand: 

We added color to our live bib printing service and made a full transition from laptop to iPad.

• We implemented creative solutions, like printing a small colored dot on the bibs that will help runners find their start wave more easily at the next Hamburg Marathon.

• And in Berlin, we linked a QR code on the bib to the app. By simply scanning the code, spectators could add the respective participant to their favorites in the app.

At the Berlin Marathon, participants could access their start passes with QR codes directly in the app, making package pickup much easier.

We are proud that we provide our adapted SportsPro-Software-Suite to the HYROX team including data management, expo services, timing and results as well as results presentation. One of my highlights was providing the custom app for the HYROX World Championships in Chicago. 

There is a steadily growing interest in our custom app and we are happy to create beautiful apps together with our customers. Of course, all tailored to their event-specific needs.

• Check out standout events such as Berlin Marathon, Stockholm Marathon, the Big Half, Göteborgsvarvet and Riga Marathon on the app store.

Trends we’re seeing across the endurance sports landscape

• Major running events are selling out earlier than ever, and participation numbers continue to rise across many distances and formats.

• Triathlon participation is growing again.

• Hybrid Fitness Racing continues to boom. The momentum sparked by HYROX is still going strong, and more athletes are discovering this mix of functional fitness and endurance.

• Sustainability is becoming a core priority. Sports brands are adopting more recycled and biodegradable materials, and race organizers are actively reducing their environmental impact. This ranges from solar-powered infrastructure to eco-friendly hydration solutions, and cup-return systems. Minimizing waste is shifting from a nice-to-have to a standard.

• Inclusive and accessible racing is becoming a focus. More races are making themselves accessible through tech solutions, enabling participation both on-site and remotely, regardless of physical location.

• Advanced wearables continue to evolve. Multi-sensor devices that combine heart rate, muscle oxygen and running power are giving athletes deeper insights and help them personalize their training in entirely new ways.

The past season took us across the globe, from Singapore to Australia, from Los Angeles to Chicago, Buenos Aires, and all over Europe. We’re already looking forward to a full calendar in 2026! See you out there.

With warm regards,
Harald and the mika:timing team