Using these settings correctly helps you manage registrations effectively, particularly if your event includes multiple races or distances.
Understanding the Difference
Event Capacity
Event Capacity is the total number of participants your event can accommodate overall.
This represents the maximum number of people who can attend across all races within the event.
For example, your event may include a Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. While each race could accommodate up to 500 participants, your venue may only have capacity for 1,200 people in total (for example, due to parking limitations). In this case, you would set the Event Capacity to 1,200 and the Race Capacity for each distance to 500.
❕ Important
Event Capacity considers all available tickets within the event, including tickets that open for sale at a future date.
Race Capacity
Race Capacity allows you to set participant limits for individual races within your event.
This is part of our Dynamic Race Capacity feature, which automatically closes registrations for a race once its capacity has been reached.
This is particularly useful when:
Your event includes multiple races
Different races have different participant limits
You want greater control over registrations at race level
💡 Quick Rule of Thumb
One race? Set an Event Capacity.
Multiple races? Set an Event Capacity and Race Capacities.
Most organisers only need Race Capacity when managing multiple distances or participant limits within the same event.
When to Use Each Setting
If your event only includes one race, you only need to set an Event Capacity.
There is no need to configure a Race Capacity in this scenario.
For events with multiple races, you can combine both settings:
Set an overall Event Capacity
Divide that total across individual Race Capacities as needed
This ensures both your total event limit and individual race limits are managed correctly.
Where to Find Event Capacity
To set your Event Capacity:
Dashboard → Event → Basic Info → Advanced Options
How to Set Event Capacity
Open the Basic Info section of your event
Navigate to Advanced Options
Enter your Event Capacity
Click Save
We recommend configuring this during event setup, but it can be updated at any time.
Setting a Race Capacity
Navigate to:
Event → Setup → Races → Ticketing
Race Capacity is configured within the Ticketing section of each race.
Important Rule
Your Race Capacity cannot exceed your Event Capacity.
If you are unable to increase a Race Capacity, first check that your overall Event Capacity is high enough to accommodate the change.
Team Entries and Capacity
If your event allows team entries, the system counts the individual number of participants, not the team as a single entry.
For example:
A team of 4 counts as 4 participants
A team of 10 counts as 10 participants
This ensures your Event and Race Capacities accurately reflect the number of participants attending.
Summary
Event Capacity controls the total number of participants that can register across your entire event, while Race Capacity allows you to manage limits for individual races or distances.
For most single-race events, an Event Capacity is all that's required. If you're managing multiple races with different participant limits, use Race Capacities alongside your overall Event Capacity to maintain full control over registrations.