For the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology, their Race for the Future is about more than crossing a finish line. It is a critical source of funding for the future of their profession.
Since launching in 2014, the annual event has raised more than $900,000 for grants, scholarships, educational opportunities, and workforce development initiatives. Now in its third year of partnership with Cal Tri Events, the Foundation is finding new ways to turn race-day participation into meaningful support for its mission.
“This year marks our third year partnering with Cal Tri Events for our annual Race for the Future, and they have consistently gone above and beyond to support our organization’s mission,” the Foundation team says. “Their team has been flexible, responsive, and invested in helping us maximize our fundraising efforts.”
At the heart of that effort is the combination of two leaders in the U.S. endurance-event industry: Cal Tri Events, a national nonprofit race organizer focused on making multisport events accessible and athlete-friendly, and RunSignup, a leading U.S. event-technology platform powering registration, fundraising, marketing, and race-day management. RunSignup currently supports more than 30,000 events and 10 million annual registrants, while Cal Tri Events supports 10,000 registered athletes at 18 races across all four U.S. time zones in 2026.
Together, Cal Tri Events’ and RunSignup’s features offer the Foundation particular value: a way to connect the digital experience of registering and donating with the very human experience of showing up, racing, cheering, and getting involved.
“Endurance events have the ability to do tremendous good through fundraising,” notes the RunSignup team. “We’re thrilled to see Cal Tri Events and The Foundation implementing technology successfully to connect the on-site experience with the online fundraising opportunities”.
Bringing Technology and Race Day Together
Cal Tri Events handles the operational side of the Race for the Future, freeing the Foundation to focus on fundraising and participant engagements. And RunSignup offers the digital infrastructure that allows those fundraising opportunities to move through the participant journey.
The Foundation is listed as an official race charity in RunSignup, allowing athletes to make donations during registration. This year, the partnership expanded that opportunity with dedicated 5K and 10K registration links that include an additional charitable contribution. So supporting the Foundation happens with a few clicks, before an athlete ever arrives at the starting line.
The digital experience is only half the equation. On race day, Cal Tri Events creates opportunities to turn that online connection into face-to-face engagement.
“Cal Tri Events staff has been incredibly accommodating by allowing us to set up tents at the finish line, providing race-day announcements over the PA system, allowing us to have a 50/50 raffle onsite, and including information about the Foundation in email communications sent to race participants,” says the Foundation. “We greatly appreciate these opportunities to increase awareness of our mission and encourage engagement.”
More Than a Race
The partnership is about more than technology and logistics. The event format creates an environment where families, friends, volunteers, and supporters can stay connected throughout race day.
That will be particularly meaningful to the Foundation at 2026 Cal Tri DFW - 9.27.26, where the intimate venue allows supporters to see participants on the course, cheer them on, and celebrate together at the finish line.
And for the Foundation, that impact reaches well beyond race day.
“We are excited for the 2026 Cal Tri DFW - 9.27.26 and to continue building on the success of the Race for the Future,” the Foundation team adds. “We value our partnership with Cal Tri Events and appreciate their commitment to supporting charitable organizations like ours.”
Every registration, donation, raffle ticket, and conversation helps advance a larger goal: building a stronger future for dental laboratory technology.
With the right partners behind it, race day becomes more than a finish line. It becomes a starting point for what comes next.
About The Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology. Incorporated in 2008, the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that ensures the industry’s viability and advancement by creating access to dental laboratory technology education and providing grants and scholarships to assist with the cost of education and certification.
About Cal Tri Events. Cal Tri Events is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization on a mission to make triathlon safe, affordable, and accessible. With more than 10,000 registrations annually, the Optimism Cal Tri Events Series is the largest national fast-course triathlon series in the U.S., with multiple races in every time zone.
Cal Tri Events believes athletes deserve a great race experience that includes best-in-class athlete benefits. That means $85 all-in early-bird pricing, free race transfers, deferrals, and participant transfers as late as the day before the race, an industry-leading Divine Intervention Policy, and free pre-race swim and transition clinics to help athletes feel prepared and confident.