Start2Finish Event Management

What Start2Finish Event Management does

Start 2 Finish Event Management is a full-service race timing and event production company specializing in endurance events across the US Southeast and Midwest. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company operates from five regional offices — Memphis, Charlotte, St. Louis, Atlanta (Marietta), and Fayetteville (NW Arkansas) — and serves over 400 events annually, ranging from small 5Ks and charity rides to large marathons and Gran Fondo series. Its primary customers are non-profit event organizers and race directors who outsource end-to-end event execution rather than build in-house capabilities.

The company's core technology is a disposable timing chip system integrated with customized bibs printed in-house, paired with a live results platform that delivers email and text notifications, finisher certificates, splits, ranks, and awards to participants. It integrates with RunScore timing software, MyLaps Bibtag hardware (via the Soteria partnership), and registration platforms Race Roster and RunSignup. Beyond timing, Start 2 Finish offers full-service race production (course certification, permits, water stops, setup/cleanup), cycling event management, virtual challenges with integrated fundraising tools, custom printing/embroidery, and medal procurement. Ancillary offerings include The Trailhead (a coworking space in Charlotte for event professionals) and the S2F Run Club Passport run club program.

Start 2 Finish monetizes primarily through professional services revenue — quote-based contracts for event management and timing billed per event, supplemented by sales of medals, apparel, and awards, and a recurring revenue component from virtual challenges. The go-to-market is regional and relationship-driven, with each office maintaining a dedicated regional contact for business development. Growth has come through acquisitions of ORION Racing (Atlanta, January 2023) and Fleet Feet Race Productions (St. Louis, March 2023), the formation of the Soteria alliance with HAL Sports, Race Day Events, and TimingHQ in February 2022, and a new Fayetteville office opened in July 2024. No external funding rounds, institutional investors, or disclosed revenue figures are present in the source data.

Name

Start2Finish Event Management

Legal name

Start 2 Finish, LLC

Website

https://s2fevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Start 2 Finish Event Management is a full-service race timing and event production company serving non-profit event organizers and race directors across the US Southeast and Midwest, operating from five regional offices and managing over 400 endurance events annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Race Timing and Event Management Services

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)

akta.pro primary industry

Road Running Events (Marathons, Half Marathons, 10K/5K) (MPAKAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cycling Events (Road Races, Gran Fondos, Sportives) (MPAKAIAC), Virtual & Hybrid Participation Events (App-Based, Remote/Hybrid Races) (MPAKAIAH)

Keywords

• Race timing services
• Endurance event management
• Running race production
• Cycling event logistics
• Virtual race challenges

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Management Services: Full-service race production including course certification, permits, course development and marking, water stops, race day setup and cleanup
2. Race Timing Services: Timing services using proprietary disposable timing chip technology, live results, and customized bib printing
3. Cycling Event Services: Registration setup, course design, on-site logistics, timing and results for cycling events from charity rides to gran fondos
4. Merchandise and Awards: Printing and embroidery services for custom apparel, medals and awards for race events
5. Virtual Challenges: Virtual race challenges with integrated fundraising tools for corporate clients, non-profits and organizations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Start 2 Finish is a full-service event management and race timing company specializing in endurance and fitness events. It produces races end-to-end — including course certification, permits, course development and marking, water stops, and race day setup/cleanup — and provides professional timing using disposable timing chips attached to in-house customized bibs, with live online results, finisher notifications, certificates, splits, and award tracking. The company also supports cycling events (charity rides to Gran Fondo series) and virtual challenges with integrated fundraising tools.

Product overview

Start 2 Finish Event Management is a full-service event management company specializing in endurance race timing and event production. The company's core offering consists of professional race timing services (using disposable timing chips and customized bibs with live online results), event management (course certification, permits, setup/cleanup), cycling events, and virtual challenges. Add-on services include custom printing/embroidery and medals/awards procurement. The company operates several regional offices (Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, NW Arkansas, St. Louis) and has grown through acquisitions of ORION Racing (Atlanta) and Fleet Feet Race Productions (St. Louis). Supporting offerings include The Trailhead coworking space in Charlotte for event professionals and the S2F Run Club Passport program in Charlotte. Start 2 Finish is also a founding member of Soteria, a national event management support company partnered with MyLaps timing technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Start 2 Finish Northwest Arkansas: Regional office serving the Northwest Arkansas market
• The Trailhead

Products and services

• Race Timing Professional race timing service using disposable timing chips attached to fully customized bibs printed in-house. Provides live online results, email and text notifications to each finisher, finisher certificates, split times, rankings, and award information for race directors and event organizers.
• Event Management Full-service race production for race directors and event organizers, including course certification, permits, course development and marking, water stops, and race day setup and cleanup, from small 5Ks to large marathons.
• Cycling Events Full-service cycling event management covering charity rides, short track events, and Gran Fondo series, including registration setup, course design, on-site logistics, timing, and results for cycling event organizers.
• Virtual Challenges Virtual race challenge platform for organizations to engage employees, members, or fans in exercise-focused challenges, featuring integrated fundraising tools to raise money for a chosen cause.
• Printing and Embroidery Custom apparel design and production for race events, with in-house artists creating original artwork or using client artwork to develop a unique event identity that promotes the event and boosts participation.
• Medals and Awards Finisher medal and award procurement service for race events, leveraging the company's purchasing volume to provide affordable medals and awards to event organizers.
• The Trailhead Coworking space in Charlotte, NC, purpose-built for event professionals, providing a community workspace for race directors, timers, and non-profit specialists.
• S2F Run Club Passport Annual run club challenge program in Charlotte that encourages participants to attend different run clubs throughout January, earning stickers and raffle tickets for prizes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 425 races timed in 2023 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Morgan Nick FoundationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 August 2024Morgan Nick Foundation partnered with Start 2 Finish for their 12th Annual Everyday Hero 5K/1 Mile event in May 2025, benefiting from real-time results directly to athletes.
• Fleet Feet Race Productions (St. Louis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2023Start 2 Finish acquired the Race Productions division of Fleet Feet St. Louis. Fleet Feet Race Productions is a premier event management and timing company with nearly 30 years of history in St. Louis.
• ORION RacingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2023Start 2 Finish acquired ORION Racing, a highly-regarded event management and timing company based in the Atlanta area. The acquisition expanded Start 2 Finish's reach in the southeast region.
• Soteria (HAL Sports, Race Day Events, TimingHQ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2022Start 2 Finish joined HAL Sports, Race Day Events, and TimingHQ to form Soteria, an event management support company and MyLaps timing technologies largest Bibtag Company in the western hemisphere. Soteria is headquartered in Denver with offices across the US, providing comprehensive services in event operations including timing, barricades, race day apps, shirts and medals.
• Unity Unlimited (Opal's Walk for Freedom)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStart 2 Finish provides timing and event management services as a national partner for Opal's Walk for Freedom, a Juneteenth observance featuring simultaneous walks across the US.
• Charlotte Running CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for the S2F Run Club Passport Challenge, with passport pickup available at Charlotte Running Company locations.
• Detroit Choice EventsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational partner for Opal's Walk for Freedom events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RunSignup: Major U.S. registration and timing platform serving endurance events. Directly comparable to Start 2 Finish as both a registration integration partner and a provider of race timing services to race directors across the same customer base.
• Race Roster: Registration platform used by Start 2 Finish's managed events. Operates in the same race-management technology stack as Start 2 Finish's timing and production services, serving overlapping race-director customers.
• HAL Sports: Race timing and event services company and co-founding partner of Soteria alongside Start 2 Finish. Operates in the same race-timing category and shares the Soteria/MyLaps Bibtag national service network.
• Race Day Events: Race timing and event management company that joined Start 2 Finish in forming Soteria. Directly comparable in service mix and customer base of race directors and endurance events.
• TimingHQ: Timing services company and Soteria co-founding partner with Start 2 Finish. Competes head-to-head in providing professional race timing solutions and shares MyLaps Bibtag technology.
• ATHLinks: Endurance results and timing platform serving race directors and participants. Comparable as a complementary service layer in the same race-timing ecosystem where Start 2 Finish operates.
• Leone Timing: U.S. race timing company providing timing and results services to endurance events. Closely comparable in service mix, customer base, and reliance on industry-standard timing chip technology.

Broad incumbents

• Ironman: Large global endurance event organizer producing triathlons, marathons, and other mass-participation events. Comparable as a major producer of endurance races, but operates at a much larger scale and broader portfolio than Start 2 Finish's regional service business.
• Rock 'n' Roll Running Series: National marathon and running event series producing branded road races across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable as a mass-participation race organizer, but owns its event IP rather than serving as a third-party timing and production vendor like Start 2 Finish.

Regional players

• Twin Cities in Motion: Regional endurance event organizer producing the Twin Cities Marathon and other races in the Upper Midwest. Comparable as a race producer with similar focus on community marathons, but operates regionally rather than as a multi-region service provider like Start 2 Finish.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/s2fevents
• Facebookfacebook.com/Start2FinishEvents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/start2finish-events

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Start2Finish Event Management