If you’ve ever managed bib pickup or post-race cleanup, you already know—safety pins are a headache.

They’re everywhere. They take time to prep. They end up all over your course. And in most cases, they go straight to the landfill.

Now, there’s a growing push in the industry to move away from them entirely.

At scale, safety pins create real operational challenges:

And beyond logistics, there’s the environmental impact. Most pins are single-use and ultimately become waste.

A product called bibSNAPS, made by BibBoards, is quickly becoming a go-to replacement.

Instead of pins, runners use small snap fasteners to attach their bibs. No holes in shirts. No sharp edges. No cleanup.

What’s driving adoption:

From a race director’s perspective, the appeal is pretty straightforward: less prep, less cleanup, and fewer complaints from participants.

To accelerate the shift, BibBoards recently launched a Sustainable Racing Program—a free initiative designed specifically for events.

The goal is simple: make it easy for race directors to transition away from safety pins without adding complexity.

Events that participate receive:

And importantly, it’s not just for large events—local 5Ks to major destination races can all apply.

Race directors are under more pressure than ever to:

Eliminating safety pins checks all three boxes.

It’s one of those rare changes that:

This isn’t a massive operational overhaul—it’s a small switch with meaningful impact.

And as more runners become familiar with pin-free options, expectations are starting to shift.

The question isn’t if races will move away from safety pins…
It’s when your event decides to make the change.