Digitising Macmillan's Annual Rowathon
The "Vaiie Kings" put their technicals skills to the test, digitising the annual Rowathon event. Real time results were updated to the online leaderboard giving this years competition a driven, ambitious edge.
After a triumphant victory in 2024, coming first place in the Macmillan Rowathon the "Vaiie Kings" set out to digitise the event bringing another level of efficiency and competitiveness to the race.
Joe Harvey, our Senior Developer and Reuben Rushton-Taylor our DevOps Engineer sought out to implement Concept2's ErgRace software to display real-time results digitally, reducing reliance on volunteers time, the risk of human error and increasing efficiency and engagement from teams and supporters alike with a live leader board and data visualisations. On the day of the race rowers and volunteers were able to see the live updates from the leader board giving the competition a boost of energy through a friendly competitive element!
Holding on to our fluke of a win in 2024 was never really in our sights and the team were relieved to secure a respectable 2nd place in the corporate category and 5th overall!
"Following last year’s Rowathon, Vaiie approached us with a fantastic offer—to automate our event’s timing process, reducing the need for volunteers and elevating the overall experience. Kev from our team worked closely with Joe and Reuben from Vaiie in the lead-up to the event, ensuring a seamless integration of Concept2 rowing machines with the same software used in top-tier indoor rowing competitions. Their dedication and expertise made all the difference.
On the day, the system worked fantastically. Participants appreciated the new timing format, and the live leaderboard added an exciting, competitive edge that truly modernised the event. Knowing that we no longer have to rely on volunteer availability to manually capture data,—and that results are now more accurate and instantly accessible—has been a game-changer for us.
The Vaiie team went above and beyond to make this a success, with Joe and Reuben even dedicating his own time to liaise with gyms and test the equipment beforehand. Their commitment and attention to detail ensured everything ran smoothly, and we are incredibly grateful for their support.
Thanks to Lee, Joe, Reuben and the entire team at Vaiie, we have been able to take the Rowathon into 2025, and we look forward to working with them again in the future."
Kevin Alway, Macmillan Jersey
It is an honour to work along side Macmillan helping their fundraisers and we look forward to support many more events in the future!
