Where to find your race photos after the finish

You've crossed the line, had your banana and found your friends. Now you want the photos. Race photos can be in several places, and finding yourself in a gallery of thousands is quicker than it used to be. This article explains where to look, how to search and what to do if you can't find yourself.

Where race photos usually are

Most organised races have at least one of these:

• An official photo partner. The organiser books a photographer or photo company, and the results email, the event website or finish-area signs tell you where the gallery is. This is usually the most complete set, with the start, points on the course and the finish.
• Independent photographers. Freelancers often shoot popular courses and post galleries afterwards. Look at the comments on the organiser's posts, where photographers often share links.
• Clubs and volunteers. Running clubs and marshals take photos too, often shared free in a club group.
• Photo platforms. Galleries from many photographers end up on platforms you can search across. On Photohawk, every public gallery can be searched from one page: Find your photos, by event name, date and country.

Start with the results email. It's where most organisers put the official gallery link.

When will they be online?

Timing varies. Some galleries go live while the race is still going. A big event shot by a team can take longer to upload and sort.

Many galleries on Photohawk now go live on previews first: light previews go up quickly so you can search and buy, while the originals follow. Search works on the previews, so a gallery that's live is searchable. If a gallery was only just published, check again later in the day. Our article on how fast event photos go online explains why.

Search by bib number

Type your number exactly as it's printed: no extra letters, and no leading zeros unless they're on the bib. You'll get every photo in which your number was read.

Bib search is fast and precise, but your number has to be visible. It misses photos where the bib was covered by a hand, a jacket or another runner, twisted on a race belt or worn on your back. Our article on bib number search explains the reasons.

Search with a selfie

A selfie finds photos where your face is clear but your number isn't. For a good result:

• Face the screen in good, even light.
• Take off sunglasses and hats.
• Turn off filters and beauty modes.
• Make sure you're the only face in the selfie.

On Photohawk your selfie is used for that one search and then discarded. It isn't stored. More on how selfie search works.

Step by step on Photohawk

1. Open Find your photos and search for your event, or pick your country and browse by date.
2. Choose Find me in this gallery on the right gallery card.
3. Take or upload a selfie and/or type your bib number, then choose Find my photos.
4. Open the gallery to see your matches, buy or download the ones you want, and share the link with whoever ran with you.

In some countries there's also a Find my photos wizard on the same page. It asks when your event was, lets you pick the galleries that might have you in them, and searches them all at once. It's useful when you don't know who photographed your race.

Can't find yourself?

Work through this list before deciding you weren't photographed:

1. Check the gallery. Distance, wave and day can each have their own gallery, and numbers can repeat between them.
2. Give it time. Photos still uploading can't be found yet.
3. Run both searches. If you tried your number, try a selfie, and the other way round.
4. Try a different selfie. Better light, no glasses, facing the screen.
5. Browse where and when you were. Galleries are often split by location and ordered by time.
6. Ask. Use the contact details in the gallery. A photographer can often find you from a description and a rough time.

Not everyone is photographed at every point. A photographer at one bend sees you for a few seconds, and in a pack some faces are always hidden.

Free or paid?

Every Photohawk gallery is set by its owner either to sell photos or to share them as free downloads. In a selling gallery, you browse watermarked previews and get the original without the watermark when you buy. In a free-download gallery, you download the originals free, usually thanks to the organiser or a sponsor.

If you'd like to use a photo for more than your own memories and social posts, such as a sponsor's advert, ask the photographer first.

Your privacy

Selfie search is optional; you can always search by number or browse. The faces in a gallery's photos are turned into face data so they can be searched, and on Photohawk that face data is deleted automatically at the latest 12 months after each photo was uploaded. You can ask for your face data to be deleted at any time, in the gallery (selfie search, then Make a request) or by emailing support@photohawk.com. The rules are in our biometric data retention policy.

Ready to look? Head to Find your photos.