Waves, heats and track meets

When you need this

• Waves of one race. A multisport race sends its second wave ten minutes after the first so the start isn't crowded. Everyone still competes together.
• A mile day or track meet. Heat after heat all day, grouped by pace. Each heat is its own race with its own winners.
• Distances with their own start times. A 10K at 7:00 and a 5K at 7:15.

A race with one gun needs none of this. The Stopwatch works exactly as before: one Start, one clock.

Set it up before race day

1. Add your heats or distances

   For waves or heats, open Heats in your event's dashboard, turn on heats for the distance, and add one heat per wave or heat. Give each a clear name (like “Wave 1” or “Sub-6”), a start time, and a note if it helps (“Goal pace under 6:00”). Volunteers see those names and notes on the Stopwatch. For distances that start at different times, set each distance's Start time in Edit event.

2. Choose how the heats compete

   On the same Heats page, answer How do heats compete? Pick Heats race together for waves of one race (one set of places), or Each heat is its own race for a track meet (places and awards for each heat).

3. Put runners in their heats

   Let registrants choose their heat when they sign up, or assign them yourself: on the Registrations page, open a registration, click Manage registration, and use Change heat. Each runner is timed from their own heat's start.

4. Check your Stopwatch page

   The Starts card on your dashboard's Stopwatch page lists every start the Stopwatch will show. Every heat gets its own Start. Distances with the same start time share one Start, like one gun for the 5K and 10K. Not timing a distance, like a kids fun run? Turn it off there under Distances to time, and it gets no Start.

Starting each wave or heat

Volunteers open runthis.run/stopwatch and enter your code, like any race. Instead of one Start Race button, they see the list of starts.

1. Tap the heat to get it ready

   The heats that haven't started are big rows, easy to hit. Tap one and it's marked Ready. Before anything has started, the first planned start is already ready, so the first gun is one tap.

2. Press the big Start button when the gun goes

   One big button at the bottom starts the heat that's ready, and it names that heat so there's no doubt. The start time is taken the moment it's pressed.

3. Undo if it was a slip

   For 5 seconds after a start, an Undo button puts it back. After that, use Change (below).

• Any order. Heats don't have to go in the planned order. Tap whichever heat is actually on the line.
• Two heats at once. Tap Start heats together, tap each heat that goes on the same gun, then press Start once.
• Still running? Starting a heat while another heat of the same distance is still out asks whether to end that heat or keep both running. The start time was already taken at the press, so there's no rush.
• Every phone at once. A start pressed on one phone shows on every other phone timing the event within about a second, with the same clock.
• End heat. When a heat is done, tap End on it. Its clock stops, and a finish with no bib recorded after that counts for the heat still running. Ended one too soon? Tap Reopen.

Recording finishes

Tap Record a finish as each runner crosses, and add bibs the usual way. Each finish shows which wave or heat it counts for, and its time from that start. With one heat running, the list shows just that heat; switch Showing to see everything.

Record never waits for the network. A finish shows on your list the moment you tap, marked Saving… until it reaches Run This. On a weak signal it keeps trying on its own and keeps the time you tapped, so the next runner is never missed.

Signed up for (a heat)

The runner finished while a different heat of their distance was running, so they're timed from that heat. That's usually right (they moved heats on the day). If not, tap the finish and pick their heat.

Which start?

Two waves were out and this finish has no bib yet, so the Stopwatch can't tell which start it counts from. Add the bib, or tap the finish and pick the start.

Before its start

The finish was tapped before its heat was started. Tap it to pick the right start or fix the time.

Fixing mistakes

Started the wrong heat

Tap Change on the running heat, pick the heat that really started, and confirm. The start and every finish timed from it move to the right heat. Nothing needs to be re-recorded.

One runner in the wrong heat

Tap their finish, pick their heat or wave, and save. Their time is worked out again from that start.

Heats changing on the day

Add, rename or re-time heats on the Heats page even during the event: every phone picks up the change within a couple of seconds, no reload needed. A runner you move to another heat on the Registrations page reaches the phones within about 30 seconds. A heat that already started keeps its start.

Sending to Race Results

On your Stopwatch page, press Send finishes to Race Results whenever you like, for example after every heat.

• Results you already sent stay. Each send adds the new finishes.
• A result you fix in its edit popup on the Race Results page keeps your changes, and one you delete there stays deleted, even when you send again.
• Places come from each runner's time, not from the order they were tapped.
• A finish that still needs a start picked is left out and counted in the message after sending. Pick its start on the Stopwatch and send again.

Results and awards

Heats race together

One set of places for the whole distance. The results page lets people look at one heat at a time, or all of them.

Each heat is its own race

Every heat has its own 1st, 2nd and 3rd, its own age-group places, and its own award winners. The results page shows one tab per heat, and a runner's finisher card names their heat and counts their place within it ("1st in heat").

On race day, the Awards (live) board on your Stopwatch page ranks runners by their time from their own start. For a distance whose heats are separate races, pick the heat to see its winners. After the race, Show award winners on the Race Results page does the same with the heat you pick.