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Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how PaceMates ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you use our website, applications, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using PaceMates, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

PaceMates is operated from Ireland. Email: privacy@pacemates.ie

We are the "data controller" of your personal data for the purposes of applicable data protection laws (including the GDPR, where it applies).

2. Information we collect

We collect and process information in three main ways: information you provide, information collected automatically, and information from third parties.

2.1 Information you provide to us

When you create or use an account, you may provide:

  • Account details – Name, username, email address, password.
  • Profile information – Profile photo, bio, gender (optional), date of birth (optional), preferred paces/distances, running preferences, availability, home city/county.
  • Content and communications – Messages, posts, run descriptions, group or club descriptions, RSVPs, feedback or support requests, and any other content you choose to share.
  • Clubs, groups, and events – Information about clubs, groups, parkruns, or events you create, manage, or claim (including descriptions, schedules, locations, and contact details).
  • Training and coaching – Training goals, plan selections, session edits, and feedback.
  • Partner and advertiser information – If you are a partner or advertiser, we may collect business contact details, invoices, payment details (via our payment processor), and campaign settings.

2.2 Information we collect automatically

When you use the Service, we may automatically collect:

  • Usage data – Pages viewed, features used, buttons clicked, date/time of visits, referral URLs, approximate time spent, and similar analytics information.
  • Device and technical data – IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, language settings, and connection information.
  • Approximate location – Where allowed by your settings, we may infer approximate location (for example, from your selected city/county, IP‑based geolocation, or GPS coordinates you share). We use this to sort nearby runs and clubs and to display local content.
  • Cookies and similar technologies – We use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies to remember your preferences, keep you logged in, protect your account, and analyse how the Service is used.

2.3 GPS data and route information

If you upload GPS files or use location‑based features, we process:

  • Activity data – Distance, time, pace, elevation, timestamps, and other metrics derived from your device or file.
  • Route data – We process raw GPS points temporarily in memory to calculate metrics and create privacy‑trimmed routes.

We do not permanently store your raw home start/end coordinates. After processing, we store only privacy‑trimmed polylines and aggregated segments used for route popularity and mapping. Historical records have been scrubbed so we no longer retain prior home coordinates.

2.4 Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from:

  • Authentication or payment providers – For example, from our payment processor (such as Stripe) when you buy credits, and from email or verification tools we use.
  • Partners and organisers – If a club, group, event organiser, or parkrun contact provides your email or name (for example, when assigning you as a manager or inviting you).
  • Public sources – Publicly available information about clubs, parkruns, or events, which we use to populate community listings.

3. How we use your information

We process your personal data for the following purposes and legal bases:

3.1 To provide and maintain the Service

  • Create and manage your account.
  • Allow you to discover and join runs, parkruns, clubs, groups, and events.
  • Handle RSVPs, "Who's going" lists, training plans, messages, and notifications.
  • Provide organiser tools (for example, for club administrators, partners, advertisers).

Legal bases: performance of a contract, legitimate interests (running and improving our Service).

3.2 To personalise your experience

  • Show nearby and relevant runs, parkruns, clubs, and groups based on your approximate location and preferences.
  • Suggest training plans, events, or partners that may be useful.
  • Tailor content and recommendations.

Legal bases: legitimate interests, consent (where required).

3.3 To ensure safety, security, and integrity

  • Enforce our Terms and Safety Guidelines.
  • Detect and prevent spam, abuse, fraud, and other harmful activity.
  • Investigate reports, handle blocks and moderation actions.
  • Protect the rights, property, and safety of users, third parties, and PaceMates.

Legal bases: legitimate interests, compliance with legal obligations.

3.4 To communicate with you

  • Send transactional emails (verification, password resets, RSVP confirmations, important changes).
  • Notify you of relevant activity (messages, join requests, updates from clubs/groups you are part of).
  • Respond to support enquiries and feedback.

Legal bases: performance of a contract, legitimate interests.

You can manage many notification types in your account settings. Some essential emails (for example, about security, changes to terms, or critical service issues) cannot be opted out of.

3.5 For analytics and improvement

  • Monitor usage to understand which features are used and how the Service performs.
  • Debug issues, improve reliability, and develop new features.
  • Produce aggregated, anonymised statistics about the running community and platform usage.

Legal bases: legitimate interests (we have an interest in running an efficient, useful platform).

3.6 For payments, partners, and advertising

  • Process payments for advertiser credits or other paid features via third‑party processors.
  • Provide reporting and analytics to partners and advertisers in aggregated or pseudonymous form.
  • Ensure campaigns are delivered and billed correctly.

Legal bases: performance of a contract, legitimate interests, legal obligations (for accounting and tax).

4. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information in limited circumstances:

4.1 With other users

Depending on your activities and privacy settings:

  • Your profile (name, username, photo, approximate location, club/group membership, and running preferences) is visible to other users.
  • When you RSVP to runs or parkrun occurrences and choose to appear in "Who's going", your first name and selected details may be visible to others.
  • Organisers of clubs, groups, or events you join may see additional information (for example, your attendance and membership status).

You can control some of this visibility through privacy settings.

4.2 With organisers and partners

When you interact with clubs, groups, parkruns, events, or partners:

  • Relevant information (such as your name, email, or RSVP status) may be shared with the organisers so they can manage attendance and communication.
  • If you redeem a perk or partner offer, we may share limited information with the partner to validate eligibility and measure performance.

4.3 Service providers

We use trusted third‑party providers to help us operate the Service, such as:

  • Hosting and infrastructure providers.
  • Email delivery and communication tools.
  • Payment processors (for example, Stripe).
  • Analytics and logging services.
  • Storage providers for images and files (for example, S3‑compatible storage).

These providers only process your data on our instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards.

4.4 Legal and safety

We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with legal obligations, requests from public authorities, or court orders.
  • Protect the rights, property, or safety of PaceMates, our users, or the public.
  • Detect or address fraud, security, or technical issues.

4.5 Business transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections. We will notify you of any material change in control or ownership affecting your data.

5. International transfers

Your information may be processed and stored in countries outside your country of residence, including within and outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom. Where data is transferred outside the EEA/UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

  • Adequacy decisions by the European Commission or UK authorities; or
  • Standard contractual clauses and equivalent mechanisms.

6. Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law.

Examples:

  • Account data is retained while your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise personal data, subject to limited retention for legal, security, or legitimate business reasons.
  • Messages and content may be retained for a period to support safety, moderation, and legal obligations. We periodically purge older messages according to our retention policy.
  • Logs, analytics, and backups are kept for limited periods and then deleted or anonymised.

We may retain anonymised or aggregated data that does not identify you for longer periods.

7. Your rights

Depending on your location and applicable law (for example, under GDPR), you may have the following rights:

  • Access – Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Rectification – Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erasure – Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances ("right to be forgotten").
  • Restriction – Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
  • Portability – Receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine‑readable format and/or request that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.
  • Objection – Object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
  • Withdraw consent – Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

You can exercise many of these rights directly in the app (for example, profile editing, settings, and account deletion). For other requests, please contact us at privacy@pacemates.ie. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority, for example the Data Protection Commission in Ireland, if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

8. Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Keep you signed in and manage your session.
  • Remember your preferences (such as language, map settings, filters).
  • Protect your account and our Service (for example, preventing abuse).
  • Measure and improve the performance and usage of PaceMates.

You can control cookies through your browser settings and, where required by law, through consent banners or in‑app preferences. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Service.

9. Children's privacy

PaceMates is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction) without appropriate consent.

If you believe we have collected personal information from a child, please contact us so we can delete it or take appropriate action.

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • Encryption in transit (HTTPS).
  • Access controls and authentication mechanisms.
  • Regular updates and security monitoring.
  • Logical separation of environments and backups.

However, no system is completely secure. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for choosing a strong password. If you suspect any unauthorised access to your account, please contact us immediately.

11. Third‑party links and services

Our Service may contain links to third‑party websites, apps, and services, including parkrun, Athletics Ireland, partners, and advertisers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third‑party services you visit or use.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and may provide additional notice in‑app or by email.

Your continued use of PaceMates after any changes become effective means you accept the updated Policy.

13. Contact us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal data, please contact:

Email: privacy@pacemates.ie