Using the Blocktober roster: help and frequently asked questions
Questions answered below
1. What is the roster for?
2. Can I use the roster on my phone?
3. Do I need to sign in to Google?
4. How do I find an activity and indicate that I plan to join it?
5. What do the different cell colours and links mean?
6. Where can I find the distance, duration and other activity details?
7. How do I get WhatsApp updates?
8. Which parts of the roster can I add to?
9. What happens if I cannot attend, or join without adding my name beforehand?
10. Who completes “Did it?”, and why?
11. Should I use the same name each time?
12. What conditions and privacy arrangements apply?
13. How do I register an organised group?
14. Do I need Strava, and should Strava users still use the roster?
15. How do I record my own activities outside the organised roster?
16. Where can I see our collective Blocktober progress?
17. Help for activity leads and their delegates
18. What should I do if I am still stuck?
1. What is the roster for?
The Blocktober 2026 activity roster is the shared list of organised Blocktober walks, runs, rides and swims during October. It lets you see what is happening, choose an activity, add your name, see how many people are joining and find the relevant WhatsApp group for updates.
Start on Overview, which brings the activities together in date order. It shows the sports, starting times, activities or routes, the number recorded as planning to join or having joined, and a Join link for you. You do not add your name on Overview itself. To join an activity, click on Join.
For more details on how to join the roster, see below : 4. How do I find an activity and note that I plan to join it?
Adding your name to the roster helps activity leads plan ahead, coordinate participation and support group safety. Recording who actually takes part also helps us show the collective effort behind Blocktober.
2. Can I use the roster on my phone?
Yes. Please first read Using the roster on your phone.
That page explains opening the roster in Google Sheets or a browser, Google’s app and sign-in prompts, using drop-down lists and links, and bringing the sheet tabs back after entering information. These phone controls matter throughout the roster, not only when you first open it.
The questions below explain what to do once the roster is open.
3. Do I need to sign in to Google?
There is no separate Blocktober account to create. The roster’s sharing settings allow anyone with the link to use the participant-entry cells without signing in to Google.
Nevertheless, we recommend signing in to Google when editing the roster, whether on a computer or a phone. On a phone, Google may also prompt you to open or install the Google Sheets app and sign in. This is about using Google Sheets, not registering with Blocktober.
4. How do I find an activity record that I aim to join it?
On Overview, choose the activity you would like to join and click or tap Join. On a phone swipe UP to see more activities;
Follow the link to the relevant Walk, Run, Cycle or Swim tab. Check the date, time and activity, and note the row number of that activity;
Move right along that same row to the first empty yellow Name cell. On a phone, swipe LEFT to reveal the columns to the right. Look for Names Start Here ↓, then continue past any names already entered;
Enter your name, nickname or alias. On a phone, tap ✓ in the left top corner when you have finished editing.
Clicking Join does not, by itself, register you. You still need to enter your name.
Put the name of one person in each Name cell, and do not overwrite someone else’s entry. Leave the neighbouring Did it? cell for the activity lead, which is done at the start or end of an actual activity.
If you have difficulty adding your name, email blocktober2025@gmail.com, giving your name, the activity you plan to join (walk, run, cycle or swim), and its date and starting time.
By adding your name, you confirm that you have read and accept the Conditions for Blocktober activities.
5. What do the different cell colours and links mean?
Yellow cells are places for typing information. Light-green cells contain drop-down choices. Light-blue cells are links, such as Join, WhatsApp, More help and Conditions.
On a phone, a link may need three taps: first tap the cell, then tap the link that appears. For a drop-down, tap the cell and then the arrow ▼. Then you may need to tap ✓ in the left top corner
Colour does not override editing permissions. Some input cells are reserved for activity leads or other authorised users.
6. Where can I find the distance, duration and other activity details?
On the sport tab (eg Walk, Run, Cycle or Swim on the bottom of the screen), find your activity and click or tap More → in the Activity info column.
This takes you to the additional details on the same tab: distance, duration, elevation gain and whether the activity is a Blockhouse ascent, where those details have been entered.
Use ← Back on that activity’s row to return to its main details.
7. How do I get WhatsApp updates?
Use the WhatsApp link on your activity’s row in the sport tab for updates and feedback.
Most activities use the general Blocktober WhatsApp group. Some use a dedicated group, such as the time trial on Tuesdays. The link on the activity’s row directs you to the relevant group.
Check WhatsApp before setting off for changes, practical arrangements and coordination. Adding your name to the roster does not automatically join you to a WhatsApp group.
8. Which parts of the roster may I add to?
As an individual participant, add or correct your own name in the appropriate yellow Name cell. You may also complete your optional entry on Roster Names, where you can check whether other participants have a similar name to yours.
Group organisers (such as the Saartjie Baartman group) use the intended input cells on Group Details and Group Roster.
Please do not change other people’s entries, activity details, or insert and delete spreadsheet rows or columns.
A protected-cell message may simply mean that the cell is reserved for an activity lead or administrator. If there is no empty Name cell, or Join displays Full, contact the activity lead rather than overwriting an entry. Alternatively, send an email to blocktober2025@gmail.com.
As indicated, Overview is a display page, not an entry page.
9. What happens if I cannot attend, or join without adding my name beforehand?
If you decide before the activity that you will not attend, you may remove your name from that activity’s row. Please also let the activity lead know.
After the activity, do not delete your name. The lead will record that you did not take part.
If you join without having entered your name, make yourself known to the activity lead so that your participation can be recorded.
10. Who completes “Did it?”, and why?
The activity lead or an authorised delegate completes the Did it? cell beside each name: Y for someone who participated and N for someone who did not.
Ordinary participants do not complete these cells themselves.
This distinguishes people who intended to join from those who actually participated. It supports roll-call and the participation figures; simply putting your name down is not a record of having completed the activity.
11. Should I use the same name each time?
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| Image of part of the roster - click the link on the left |
You can also add yourself once on the optional Roster Names tab. There you can enter your roster name, your Strava name if different, and whether you belong to a Blocktober Strava Club.
This helps us recognise repeat participants and match records without double-counting. An entry on Roster Names does not sign you up for individual activities: add your name to each session you intend to join.
12. What conditions and privacy arrangements apply?
Please read the Conditions for Blocktober activities before joining. Adding your name confirms acceptance. Group organisers must make the conditions known to their groups.
The roster is shared with anyone who has its link, so information entered in it should not be treated as confidential. You may use an alias rather than your full name.
Public contact details on the group and activity-lead pages are optional and should be included only with consent. A Google account email is, however, needed to assign an activity lead’s or delegate’s editing access.
13. How do I register an organised group?
An organised group can record a headcount instead of listing every participant individually.
First check Group Details. Add the group or operational unit once if it is not already listed;
Open Group Roster and use an empty entry row;
Complete the row from left to right: Date → Activity → Group / unit → Participants. Choose the date first, because the activity list depends on it;
Enter the expected headcount before the activity, then correct that same figure to the actual headcount afterwards.
Use a separate Group Roster entry whenever the group joins another session, but do not create a new Group Details entry each time.
Coordinate with the activity lead so that the same people are not counted both in the group total and as individual entries for that session.
14. Do I need Strava, and should Strava users still use the roster?
Strava is optional. You can participate in Blocktober without it. However using Strava and joining a Blocktober Strava Club is particularly valuable for your individual Blocktober activities in Octover, i.e. those not forming part of an organised group.
If you use Strava, we encourage you to join the appropriate Blocktober Strava Club and follow the Strava guide.
Strava users should still add their names when joining an organised roster activity. The roster tells the activity lead who intends to come; a Strava record serves a different purpose by recording the activity itself.
Using a consistent roster name and completing the optional Strava-matching details on Roster Names helps us reconcile the records.
15. How do I record my own activities outside the organised roster?
You can also take part through your own walks, runs, rides, swims or local equivalents.
If an activity is recorded on Strava and you belong to the relevant Blocktober Strava Club, it can be counted through Strava and does not need to be submitted again through the own-activity form. We encourage you to join a Blocktober Strava Club so these activities can be noted as part of your Blocktober effort.
For activities not counted through a Blocktober Strava Club, a short recording form is being prepared. The form link will be added here when it is ready.
Do not add a completed personal activity to a sport tab as though it were an organised session for others to join.
16. Where can I see our collective Blocktober progress?
Open the Progress tab.
It brings together measures such as participation, distance, elevation gain, time and Blockhouse ascents. It also shows patterns of repeat participation. It will only show numbers from 1 October, since it does not record planned participation.
Strava figures are added in reconciled updates, rather than appearing immediately after each activity. Figures remain provisional while records are checked and combined.
17. Help for activity leads
Activity leads and their delegates: please see the separate Help for activity leads for guidance on editing access, adding, changing or cancelling activities, completing roll-call, appointing delegates and updating WhatsApp links.
18. What should I do if I am still stuck?
For phone controls, first check Using the roster on your phone.
If you have difficulty adding your name, email blocktober2025@gmail.com, giving your name, the activity you plan to join (walk, run, cycle or swim), and its date and starting time.
For help with a particular activity, contact its activity lead through the linked WhatsApp group. For a general roster problem, ask in the general Blocktober WhatsApp group.
Explain which tab and activity you were using, whether you were on a phone or computer, and what happened. A screenshot can help, but avoid sharing other people’s personal information unnecessarily.
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