If you see participants you don’t recognize (or who aren’t in your club) inside a Group/Club Challenge, the most common reason is that the challenge is joinable by non-members—for example via exploring your group in Pacer, a share link, QR code, or challenge code.

Pacer Group/Club Challenges are public to all Pacer users, and non–group members can join when they have a join path.  

What might be happening

Your Group/Club is Public and Discoverable 

If your group or club is set to public, all Pacer users have the ability to locate and explore your group or club's detail page through the Pacer platform, using methods such as the explore feature, shared links, QR codes, or group/club codes. 

Upon discovering your group or club, users can review the detail page to view the challenges hosted by your group or club. They may participate in these challenges by selecting the join button. 

The challenge is effectively “open” to non-members

Pacer Group/Club Challenges are accessible to all Pacer users. This means that even if your group or club is set to private, once the challenge join links are shared publicly by any member of your group or club, users who are not members of your group or club may still join your Group/Club Challenges through these shared links without being part of your group or club. 

Pacer explicitly supports inviting non group/club members via:

• Share link 
• QR code 
• Challenge code 

If you are the organizer/admin: how to prevent non-members from joining

1) Configure Your Group/Club to Private

If your group or club is set to public, it becomes discoverable; consequently, all Pacer users can locate, view your group or club's detail page, and join your group or club challenges.

By setting your group or club to private, users who are not members will be unable to join your group or club challenges by locating or exploring your group or club's detail page.

2) Cease Public Sharing of the Join Link/Code

If the join link or code is distributed in a public forum (such as social media platforms, public chat rooms, or forwarded newsletters), individuals who are not members may continue to gain access.

• Refrain from posting the join link or code for your group or club challenges in publicly accessible locations. 
• Remove any join links or codes that have already been shared publicly. 
• Additionally, request that group members refrain from sharing the join link or code in public domains.

3) Clarify “who should join” in the challenge description

Add a line like:

• “This challenge is intended for [Club Name] members only. If you joined by mistake, please leave.”

4) Purchase "Pacer for Teams" and Utilize the Organization Challenge Feature

If you require strict control over participant eligibility for your challenges, Pacer for Teams is the ideal solution.

Pacer for Teams is an advanced feature of Pacer designed specifically for organizations, groups, or teams. It includes an administrative dashboard for managing participants, teams, and challenges, emphasizing controlled participation:

• You retain complete authority over the individuals permitted to join your organization and participate in your challenges.
• You may distribute invitation links, organization codes, or QR codes directly to the intended participants.
• Administrators maintain real-time control over access permissions and can enforce signup policies associated with your organization.

For additional information about Pacer for Teams, please visit https://www.mypacer.com/teams.