Racemappr

For millions of runners, cyclists and endurance athletes, the next event on their calendar is more than a date — it’s motivation.

But finding those races? Still surprisingly difficult. Racemappr had built a dedicated web platform that mapped global endurance events. Usage was strong. Community interest was growing. But the experience wasn’t yet where it needed to be for the next chapter: mobile, personal, and intentionally designed around athletes’ needs.

Racemappr represented something important to us: a chance to bring high-calibre product expertise to a fast-moving founder solving a real human need. We joined forces to turn Racemappr’s vision into a mobile-first MVP designed for traction, proof of value, and future growth.

Starting with user reality

Before designing anything, we set out to deeply understand what drives endurance athletes — and what stands in their way. Research, competitor analysis and conversations with runners, cyclists, and event organisers across multiple countries revealed a pattern: while their experience levels differ, the moments that matter most are surprisingly similar.

Whether someone is signing up for their very first 5K or preparing for their tenth triathlon, the next event is a milestone— a reason to train, stay motivated, and feel part of a community.

At the same time, athletes balance two opposing needs:routine that builds momentum and spontaneity that keeps the journey exciting. Existing tools fail to support either well — discovery feels fragmented, and planning becomes admin.

That understanding became the foundation for what came next.

To turn Racemappr’s instinct into a clear product vision, we ran a focused two-day workshop with the founder. Using empathy maps and personas based on our research, we traced how both newcomers and experienced athletes discover, plan, and prepare for races.

As we connected insights from research with real user behaviour, a clear pattern emerged: athletes thrive on momentum — once it’s lost, motivation fades. That understanding shaped the foundation of the MVP, defining Racemappr’s role in helping users stay engaged between events. The product had to make participation feel continuous — turning planning into progress and discovery into motivation.

Defining the MVP

Coming out of the workshop, we translated Racemappr’s vision into a clear MVP structure. We defined the core experiences that would make the first release meaningful for users.

We shaped these into three connected areas: helping athletes set up and personalise their journey, making their progress visible and shareable, and keeping discovery alive through a continuous, dynamic feed.

Each element supported the feeling that every action moves you forward. To keep the product focused, we turned these directions into user stories, prioritised them with the Racemappr team through an impact–effort lens, and outlined a roadmap that separated the MVP essentials from later growth opportunities.

Designing for continuous motivation

Early sketches and wireframes explored different ways to balance a core tension at the heart of the experience: athletes need structure to stay organised, but also inspiration to keep moving.

The solution emerged in the form of a dynamic feed — a single space where saved races, personalised recommendations, and updates from an athlete’s network come together. It turned planning into an ongoing sense of progress, where momentum is always visible.

To make decisions intuitive, event cards were refined to show only what truly matters — the nature of the event, its relevance, and the user’s connection to it. Subtle colour cues, icon shorthand, and motion guided attention without distraction.

The result was a high-fidelity prototype that merged clarity with energy, tested with users and ready for seamless handoff to development.

Design system as a growth engine

To support Racemappr’s next stage of growth, we built a modular design system that unified every element of the product — from individual components to complete user flows. It defined a clear visual language and interaction logic, documented for seamless handoff to developers.

This foundation gave the startup what it needed most: speed and consistency. The team could move straight into build without ambiguity, confident that every new feature would extend the same coherent system.

The result

The outcome was a mobile MVP built for traction — ready to attract users, invite iteration, and support Racemappr’s growth and conversations with investors.

The product now reflects the real habits and motivations of athletes, supported by a validated interaction model and a scalable design foundation that can evolve as the platform grows.

Most importantly, it gives athletes something every competitor overlooked: a reason to return — and keep moving.