How to buy a pre-event photo pass
Buying your race photos before race day, including at races that take registration somewhere else.
On this page 6
What a pre-event photo pass is
A pre-event photo pass is your race photos bought ahead of the race, usually for less than the same photos cost afterwards. It is one purchase, and eligible published photos matched to you join the pass as they arrive after the race.
The organizer decides whether to offer one and what it costs, so the price differs from race to race and some races do not offer it at all.
Where to find it
If you register on PodiumBase, the pass appears as an optional add-on during registration. It is unchecked by default and skipping it does not stop you buying photos later. See Registering for a race.
If the race takes registration somewhere else, you can still buy the pass from PodiumBase. The race's event page shows the pass with its price, and that link takes you to the pass on its own. Registering stays with the organizer, on their site, exactly as it was.
What you need first
You need to be signed in, because the pass attaches to your account so your photos can find it.
You also need photo matching set up, which means enrolling a selfie once. The pass page says Set up photo matching first and links you there when you have not done it, and it brings you back afterwards. See Enrolling a selfie and How face matching works.
After you buy
Nothing arrives straight away, because the photos do not exist yet. Your pass sits on your account, and eligible published matches of you unlock into your gallery as photographers deliver and the organizer publishes them.
The pass and its receipt are in your purchases, and the photos themselves appear in your owned photos once they unlock.
If a race is cancelled or you do not run
A pre-event pass is bought against a race that has not happened yet, so plans change. If you no longer need it, use the PodiumBase contact page and include your order ID from your receipt email. Do not send card numbers or other payment credentials.
Good to know
A pre-event pass is not the same as a free-photo race. Where an organizer or sponsor funds the gallery, eligible photos are free to download and there is nothing to buy. See What photos cost.
Find your race in Discover to see whether it offers a pass.