Challenge message board
Challenge message board
When the organizer enables it, the Messages tab is a social feed for the challenge — participant posts, organizer announcements, comments, and likes.
Path: Challenge page → Messages (/challenges/<slug>/messages/)
If the tab is missing, the organizer disabled the message board. On public challenges, messages are off by default until the organizer turns them on. Visiting /messages/ directly redirects to the challenge home when the board is disabled.
Who can post #
| Who | What they see |
|---|---|
| Registered participant | Full feed, Add message button, comments, and likes |
| Signed-in non-participant | Feed is readable, but posting is locked — join the challenge first |
| Visitor | Same locked state if the challenge is public |
Read posts #
The feed shows newest posts first and loads more as you scroll (10 posts at a time). Each post may include:
- Text from a participant, the organizer, or DistantRace (system messages)
- One or more photos — thumbnails load on demand; tap to open full size
- Like count and comment count
Click a post to expand comments or see who liked it.
Create a post #
- Open Messages while logged in as a registered participant.
- Write your message (up to 5000 characters).
- Optionally attach multiple images.
- Submit — the post appears for other participants.
Empty messages are rejected.
Comment and like #
- Comment on a post to reply in a thread under that message.
- Like a post once — likes are visible to other participants. There is no unlike.
Posting messages, commenting, and posting images may count toward Step game daily tasks when the organizer configured those goal types.
Organizer posts #
Club staff can post as the organizer — these appear with the club name and logo on a highlighted header. Use the board for announcements, motivation, or Q&A.
When the feed is empty and you are a participant, you see a No messages yet prompt with the add button.