You sell the entry, mail the bib, and then hear nothing. Half your field signs up in a burst of motivation and quietly ghosts by week two, and the ones who do log times are running on the honor system, so your leaderboard is only as trustworthy as your least honest entrant. A finisher medal in the mail just isn't enough to pull someone off the couch on a cold morning.
- Sign-up spikes then commitment collapses — entrants pay, then never toe the virtual start line, and your completion rate quietly tanks.
- Self-reported times are unverifiable, so screenshots get faked, distances get inflated, and your podium loses all credibility.
- A digital finisher badge carries no real weight, giving mid-pack participants nothing to keep grinding for once the novelty fades.
- Results live in a spreadsheet nobody shares, so your race generates no social buzz and no organic pull for the next event.
How Cadoo solves it
Put real money on the finish line
Let entrants bet their own money on hitting the goal — a step target, a daily-workout streak, or a full challenge distance. When there's cash riding on the outcome instead of just a medal in the mail, the early-morning session actually happens. Finishers get their stake back plus a share of the pot from everyone who dropped out, so your field polices its own commitment and your completion rate climbs on its own.
Cheat-proof verification, not the honor system
Cadoo verifies the effort so your leaderboard means something. Bodyweight reps — pushups, squats, situps, pullups, dips, and plank holds — are counted and form-scored by AI straight from the phone camera, and daily steps read directly from Apple Health or Google Health Connect. No faked screenshots, no inflated distances, no manual review from your team. The podium reflects real work, so nobody can buy their way to the top.
Leagues, leaderboards, and shareable wins
Every race becomes a living competition with live leaderboards and promotion-and-relegation leagues that keep mid-pack runners chasing something all season. When a participant finishes, Cadoo turns their effort into a shareable, skinnable highlight clip they'll actually post — putting your race in front of their friends and feeding sign-ups for the next event without you spending a dollar on ads.
Frequently asked questions
How does Cadoo help Virtual Races?
Cadoo raises completion and credibility in one move. Participants bet real money on reaching the finish line, which converts motivated sign-ups into people who actually show up, and every qualifying workout is verified — reps counted and form-scored by AI from the phone camera, steps pulled from Apple Health or Google Health Connect — so your leaderboard is honest instead of honor-system. Leagues, live leaderboards, and shareable highlight clips then keep the field engaged and pull in the next wave of entrants.
How do you stop people from cheating a virtual race?
Verification is built into every result. Camera-based activities — pushups, squats, situps, pullups, dips, and plank holds — are counted and form-scored by AI on the participant's own phone, so partial reps and sloppy form don't count. Steps are read straight from Apple Health or Google Health Connect rather than typed in by hand. That means no faked screenshots and no self-reported distances, so your podium reflects real, verified effort.
How do we set up a virtual race on Cadoo?
You can spin up a race yourself through the Cadoo Upside Hub, where you set the goal, the stake, and the format. If you'd like help tailoring it to your event or a custom-branded experience, email Tim@cadoo.io and we'll get you set up.
Ready to launch a game for virtual race organizers?
Set up a branded, camera-verified fitness game through the Cadoo Upside Hub, or talk to us and we’ll build it with you.