If you're new to RaceSplitter, you should watch the following 3-minute video, to get an overview of the product, and its relation to the online services at RaceSplitter.com.
RaceSplitter is primarily for three groups:
Race organizers. RaceSplitter is a complete “do it yourself” race timing system for races in which finishers can be timed manually—by typing bib numbers into RaceSplitter, and tapping “record”. It’s perfect for most endurance races. Given the cost savings, even organizers of large, fast races, such as local 5km runs, are adapting their races to be able to use RaceSplitter. These organizers are corralling their finishers into single-file chutes, in which they must get timed before exiting. In this way, they have a guaranteed correct finish order.
Coaches. Particularly in interval-start races, it was previously difficult for coaches to know how their individual racers were doing with respect to the competition. With RaceSplitter, coaches can time their racers (and key competitors) and have up-to-date race standings (including time-from-leader)—i.e. competitive information they can give to their racers.
Parents. Parents are also using RaceSplitter to time their kids, giving them up-to-date standings during races, and then exporting the data back home for study and analysis.
In addition, many race judges also use RaceSplitter, to replace their manual control of racers at checkpoints.
Since timing with RaceSplitter involves typing in bib numbers and tapping "Record", the app is more suitable to certain types of races than others.
RaceSplitter is perfect for:
Here are some examples of race types that are regularly timed with RaceSplitter.
With some slight adaptations, even short and fast events, in which large groups finish together, can be timed with RaceSplitter. One city council organizing a 500 person 5K run, and motivated by the tremendous cost savings, arranged a single-file chute at the finish line, into which all finishers entered, but didn't leave until timed with RaceSplitter.
In this case, they recorded the finish order perfectly, while trading off slight finish-time accuracy — on the order of a few seconds — on some racers (when groups finished together). Using RaceSplitter, in this context, worked perfectly.
RaceSplitter will run on any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch which has the iOS operating system version 4.0, or higher.
Does RaceSplitter run on Android or Windows Phone?
RaceSplitter is only available for the iOS platform — i.e. for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. At this time, we do not have plans for creating a version of RaceSplitter for Android or Windows Phone.
Many race organizers and coaches who have Android or Windows phones, have purchased a used iPod Touch (on eBay, etc.) in order to use RaceSplitter, since the combined cost of RaceSplitter and the device is still far below that of the available alternatives.
With a single purchase, you can install RaceSplitter on all devices associated with the iTunes account used to make the purchase. (In my own case, I have RaceSplitter installed on my iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and 3, and my iPod Touch).
The current version of RaceSplitter is 1.4.
Version 1.4 (May 25, 2012)
Version 1.3.6 (Mar 12, 2012)
Version 1.3.5 (Feb 17, 2012)
Version 1.3.4 (Jan 10, 2012)
Version 1.3.2 (Nov 22, 2011)
Version 1.3.0 (Oct 3, 2011))
Version 1.2 (Jun 3, 2011)
Version 1.1 (Apr 21, 2011)
Version 1.0.2
Version 1.0.1
Version 1.0 (Jan 26, 2011)
Here's how a race organizer would typically use RaceSplitter to time his event:
Here's how a coach (or parent) would typically use RaceSplitter to help her athletes (or monitor her kids) during a race:
In this way, she can give her athletes split times and relative race standings quickly, accurately, and without fumbling with pencils and stopwatches!
RaceSplitter is one of the most powerful, yet easy to use race timing products on the market. This five-minute tutorial provides an overview of how to use the product.
If you’ll be taking advantage of the online companion services, like live results publishing, or post-race editing of results, you’ll want to create an account here at RaceSplitter.com, and then link the app to your account.
You can create races in the app, or import races created online. Races created online are sent to your iPhone or iPad by email, ready for import by tapping the email’s attachment.
Here’s what’s important:
Once you’ve created a race, you can add a start list — specifying for each racer their name, bib number, and optionally a “group”.
Since results published at RaceSplitter.com can be filtered by any combination of “groups”, race organizers support a wide variety of event types through creative definition of categories (groups).
If you created your race online at RaceSplitter.com, you can create your start list in one go, by uploading a CSV file exported from Excel, and then import the race in RaceSplitter. (For first-times, you can download a starter-kit of Excel and CSV templates.)
Easily make race-day additions in the app itself, or to the race online for re-import.
Once the race timer has been started, you can begin timing racers.
Tap “Publish & Share” from the “Race Details” screen to instantly publish the results at RaceSplitter.com, in a convenient browseable and printable format.
Live results publishing! With RaceSplitter version 1.4 (currently awaiting approval by Apple) you can publish your results at any time during the race itself! Watch this video to see how it works.
RaceSplitter offers a variety of ways to work with your results.
The use of RaceSplitter.com is presently free. In the future, we’ll be grouping a set of these services together in an affordable “Pro” package.
If you’ve not yet watched our 3-minute intro video—which shows all this in action—be sure to watch it now!
Feel free to email us if you have questions, suggestions or any other feedback, using the contact form on this page. We’re here to help!
Connect RaceSplitter to your account at RaceSplitter.com to download your start lists, and publish your results online.
That’s it. There is no need to login each time you open the app; RaceSplitter will remaining logged into your account until you tap “Logout”.
This article describes how the app RaceSplitter, works together with the web service at RaceSplitter.com.
Beyond the basic features of the app, the web service provides the following additional benefits:
How do RaceSplitter & RaceSplitter.com work together?
Here’s the basic procedure:
How do I download a race from RaceSplitter.com onto my device?
There are two ways to do this:
Via email. While viewing your race at RaceSplitter.com, you can click the “Download Race” button, and our website will email you a copy of the race file, ready for import. Viewing that email in the Mail app on the device with RaceSplitter, tap the attached race file, and click “Open in RaceSplitter”. (Important: You must be viewing the email message using the Mail app. For example, it won’t work if you’re viewing the message in a Gmail reader.)
Direct import. Using Safari on your mobile device, visit your race page (while you’re logged intoRaceSplitter.com) and tap, “Download Race”. The race will download directly into RaceSplitter, without any emailing needed.
How do I avoid problems?
Practice timing a test race beforehand. Be sure to simulate and practice your race at least once, before the actual event, to make sure you fully understand how everything works (especially how to make edits -- like deleting timing entries, correcting mis-typed bib numbers, adding missed timing entries online, etc.)
People who practice timing their race beforehand almost never have problems. People who try to figure everything out for the first time on race day, often have problems!
You do not need an internet connection to time a race. An internet connection is only required to:
For all other functions, RaceSplitter does not need an internet connection.
When we time races in areas without cell/mobile coverage, we:
This article discusses the use of multiple devices in the timing of a race, and answers the following questions:
Can I use multiple devices to time multiple checkpoints in my race?
Yes! — as a mobile solution, this functionality is a big advantage to RaceSplitter.
We ourselves often time mountain trail running races, and will time runners both on a mountain peak, and the finish line. After the race, we'll publish results from both checkpoints back to RaceSplitter.com — where they are combined into a single results set, containing two splits, which we'll rename to, "Pike's Peak" and "Finish Line". Participants love to be able to see the evolution of their performance over the course of the event, "Look, I was 5th on top of the mountain, and ended up finishing 3rd!"
Here are some things to note:
If you decide to use a single device to time multipe checkpoints you need to be aware of the following: Say you missed timing racer 167 the first time they passed you, but you did time them the second. RaceSplitter will insert that time entry into "Split 1", instead of "Split 2". You will need to manually correct such entries, by tapping on them (either during or after the race) and changing the lap number from 1 to 2.
How many licenses will I need?
With a single purchase of RaceSplitter, you can install the app on any devices which are connected to the same iTunes account (which is different from your RaceSplitter.com account.) We are not aware if Apple place any restrictions on the number of devices. In our own case, we have RaceSplitter installed on at least five devices, with a single iTunes purchase.
Can I time the race with a second device, as a backup?
Yes, just download the same race to both devices, so that the start list data is consistent. Note that only one of the devices should publish its results back to RaceSplitter.com, as the website will treat each set of received data, as a separate checkpoint on the course.
Can I share the work of timing at the finish line, between two devices?
RaceSplitter doesn't natively support the notion of sharing the timing of any given checkpoint (like the finish line) for a single race, with multiple devices. If you do decide to do this, please note the following:
Note that this refers to timing of a single race at the finish line, with multiple devices. Of course, if you have multiple races happening in parallel (say a 5k, 10k and half-marathon), and you plan to have three devices at the finish line, each timing a different race, then that’s perfectly fine.
Each time that a given bib number is timed, RaceSplitter will add an additional split (lap) on the race. This ability to "auto-split" is a key benefit of RaceSplitter for coaches of sports like nordic skiing, where the race course consists of multiple laps.
For organizers of simple mass start races, however, this feature can present difficulties. Here's why.
The problem
Imagine a trail running race with 300 competitors. At some point, racer 123 comes across the finish line and the timer accidentally mistypes the bib, recording an entry for bib number 132.
Half an hour later, the real racer 132 comes across the line, and the timer records an entry for 132. Since this is the second time RaceSplitter has recorded bib 132, it assumes we have a multi-lap race and creates a second split/lap on the race.
When the last racer crosses the line, the RaceSplitter clock is stopped. The race organizer looks at the result, and is surprised to see only one finisher—racer 132—and all other participants listed as DNF (Did Not Finish)!
How did this happen? Since RaceSplitter only timed one person in Lap 2, it has to assume that nobody else finished the race.
The solution: disable auto-split mode
To help organizers of mass-start races avoid this problem, RaceSplitter‘s auto-split mode setting can be disabled, thereby disallowing additional splits to be automatically created while timing the race.
When a given bib number is recorded multiple times while auto-split mode is disabled, RaceSplitter will assign subsequent timing entries according to a particular number scheme that allows the organizer to later identify and correct them.
Example: multiple timing of the bib 132
As you can see, RaceSplitter will assign subsequent timings of a given bib to a five-digit number, in which the entered bib can be identified by the last digits (132, in this case).
After the race, the organizer still has to identify these entries, and correct the bib numbers, but at least he doesn‘t face the potentially confusing situation of multiple (unintentional) splits.
Important note: Disabling auto-split mode doesn't prevent the race from having multiple splits! It just disallows a given device to time multiple splits. So if a trail running organizer has three people timing the race at different locations, all with auto-split mode disabled, each will be able to time a single split.
When the results are published to RaceSplitter.com, however, the website will automatically correctly create additional splits on the race.
We know how to use RaceSplitter to time individually arriving racers. But what do we do when racers are arriving in groups?
In another support article, we describe the use of rapid fire timing of bib-less timing entries (and a work-around for when that's no possible).
The video below demonstrates how to use the timing bar feature of RaceSplitter, as another alternative to dealig with the timing of multiple racers.
Sometimes racers are passing by so quickly, that you need to record a timing entry without having seen the participant's bib number. How this is handled depends on whether auto-split mode is enabled or disabled.
Auto-split mode disabled
In mass-start races, when auto-split mode is disabled, the "Record" button will remain permanently highlighted, allowing the recording of bib-less timing entries—or rapid fire timing.
Whenever a bib-less timing entry is recorded, RaceSplitter will create an entry assigned to a five-digit number beginning with 90001, e.g.:
In this way, rapid-fire entries can easily be identified and corrected after the race.
Of course, to correct the entries later would require that you've had someone manually writing down bib numbers to capture the finish order, so be sure to plan for this if you intend to use this feature.
Auto-split mode enabled
When auto-split mode is enabled, RaceSplitter doesn't allow you to create bib-less timing entries, because it couldn‘t know in which lap/split to place the entries. However, there is a work-around that's sufficient for most people — and that is, to time a bib number that's not present in the start list (for example, you could time the bib number, "0") and then correct those entries later.
Important note: Subsequent timing of a given bib number will result in RaceSplitter adding an additional lap to the race. For this reason, you need to correct or delete all such entries after the race, so that these placeholder entries don't cause the RaceSplitter results to contain more than the correct number of laps or splits.
RaceSplitter supports interval-start races, in which individuals or waves start at regular intervals—like every 30 seconds. What do you do when you need to start your racers manually?
In conjunction with the services at RaceSplitter.com, you can now use RaceSplitter to time variable-start races.
Here's how it works:
RaceSplitter.com will then treat the Split 1 times as the race start for each racer, adjusting and updating all other times and finishing positions accordingly.
Watch this two-minute video to see variable-start support in action.
Notes:
If you're starting waves of racers together, simply add their bibs to the timing bar and time them all at once.
You can time the race start and finish with the same, or different devices.
RaceSplitter supports the recording, tracking and editing of multiple split and lap times.
The following video demonstrates this features, and discusses a number of interesting scenarios that can be supported as a result, including nordic ski coaches providing feedback to their racers, supporting multiple intermediate times (in races that don't have laps), as well as supporting variable start races.
Important note: This video was recorded with an earlier version of RaceSplitter, which had a slightly different user interface. The principals, however, remain unchanged.
In this video, we present two techniques for handling the challenging situation of timing multiple races in parallel.
The RaceSplitter app supports a flat "Group" list in which race participants can be categorized, and can filter the race standings on any entry in that list, for example:
While this works for many races, some race organizers need additional flexibility. For example, say an organizer defines the following categories:
How could this organizer view and print the men's overall standings? This functionality is provided by RaceSplitter, when used in conjunction with RaceSplitter.com.
When RaceSplitter publishes race results at RaceSplitter.com, the results web page can filter its display on any combination of categories. In this example, the organizer could select and filter on all the men's categories, to display (and print) a "men's overall" standings.
Watch the following video to see this in action. Race organizers are going to love this feature!
This video demonstrates how to use RaceSplitter in the timing of adaptive or handicap sports. Due to its support of adaptive sports, RaceSplitter was used in the 2011 Paralympics.
There are several situations in which you may need to edit your results:
Most, but not all, of these scenarios are supported in the app itself. All of them, however, are supported for results published online.
All of the above are supported in the app, with the exception of:
All of the above editing scenarios are supported online.
A customer emailed us with the following scenario, which serves as a good example for others:
In our race, we'll have a mass start of approximately 80 racers on a 10-mile lap, for 40 miles. We'll later release a wave of teams/duo who race the same course for 40 miles. Later, we release a wave of racers racing the same 10-mile lap for 20 miles (two laps). Here's the schedule:How can we time this race with RaceSplitter?
- 9:30am—40 mile solo men, duo men and solo women
- 10:00am—40 mile duo women, duo coed, duo team
- 11:00am—20 mile solo women, duo coed
- 11:30am—20 mile solo men, duo men
And here was our response:
Inconsistent wave start
We notice that your waves aren't evenly spaced in time; you have 30 minutes separating the first, but then an hour between the second and third. RaceSplitter requires the same time between each wave. You can work around this by creating a wave race with 30 minutes between waves and leaving the third wave empty, i.e.
Timing teams
We notice that you'll have duos and teams participating. Each member of a given team should have the same bib number, so that RaceSplitter sees them as a single unit for the purpose of timing.
Whether to time with multiple devices
You asked whether to setup the event as a single race, and time with a single device, or whether to set it up as multiple races. And if you set it up as multiple races, would that require multiple devices?
Ideally use two devices
Ideally, you would use two devices, and setup and time a distinct race on each:
Note that as long as each device is logged into the same iTunes account, you can download RaceSplitter without having to make an additional purchase.
Single device, multiple races
In theory, you can run multiple races in parallel in RaceSplitter. If racers between the various races will be arriving together, this mode of operation would be error prone, as you'd have to frequently switch between races.
If you did choose this direction, you'd need colored bibs, or some other way for the timer to distinguish which race a given participant belongs to.
Single device, single race
If you wish to operate a single race in RaceSplitter on a single device you can do this with creative definition of your categories, i.e.
In this case, if you want to see the results within a particular category, you just switch to that category in RaceSplitter.
The RaceSplitter app can only show the results of one category at a time. If you wanted to see general results of the 40 mile race, you can do that by publishing results to RaceSplitter.com, since our website lets you sort by combinations of categories.
Potential gotchas
In your particular race, there are two potential gotchas to watch out for:
Missed laps
In each of your races, you'll be timing participants multiple times as they circle the 10 mile loop. Note that if you happen to miss a particular racer on, say, Lap 1, and then you time them on Lap 2, RaceSplitter will insert that time in Lap 1.
If this happens, you can correct such timing entries either during the race, or after.
Wrong wave start
It's very important that each racer begins in the wave in which they are assigned. If a racer assigned to wave 5 actually runs in wave 2, then when they are timed by RaceSplitter you could have a situation in which RaceSplitter would calculate a negative time — since it subtracts their start delay from their recorded time based on the wave in which RaceSplitter believes they started.
Since negative times can't exist in the real world, RaceSplitter can only assume you started the race clock at the wrong time, and will adjust the race start time so that the racer's negative time becomes zero. This will then shift the recorded times of all other racers.
So if by chance in your race it seems like RaceSplitter has mysteriously added, say, 45 minutes to all racers's times, it would be because somebody ran in a wave different than that which was specified in the start list.
Practice makes perfect!
We strongly encourage race organizers like yourself to practice/simulate your race at least once before the real race, so that you are familiar with everything—timing, correcting mistakes, publishing results live to RaceSplitter.com, printing results, etc.
When organizers practice at least once beforehand, problems are rarely experienced!
Bien venido a RaceSplitter, uno de los productos mas potentes, y a la vez mas sencillos de usar, para hacer su propio cronometraje de eventos deportivos.
RaceSplitter es una solución completa para organizadores queriendo hacer su propio cronometraje, y para entrenadores queriendo dar información y situación actual de carrera a sus atletas durante el evento.
Esta introducción es breve; se puede leer en unos 5 minutos. Para cualquier duda, no dude en escribirnos (incluso en Español) a support@racesplitter.com. Estamos aqui para ayudar.
Puede crear y configurar una carrera directamente en el mismo RaceSplitter. Lo más importante a tener en cuenta:
En cuanto ha creado su carrera, puede empezar añadiendo participantes a la lista de salida. Se necesita para cada uno: Nombre ("First name"), apellido ("Last name"), numero de dorsal ("Bib number"), y opcionalmente grupo ("Group") (categoria, equipo, etc.)
Si va a crear una carrera con bastante participantes, es mucho mas fácil hacerlo en RaceSplitter.com, donde se pueden subir datos de Excel.
Después de empezar el crono en RaceSplitter, se puede empezar a marcar los tiempos de los corredores.
RaceSplitter le ofrece dos opciones para publicar o exportar resultados.
RaceSplitter le ofrece algunas prestaciones avanzadas.
RaceSplitter.com mejora RaceSplitter con un conjunto de servicios online:
Actualmente, el uso de RaceSplitter.com es gratis. En el futuro, tenemos la intención de agrupar unos servicios de RaceSplitter.com en un paquete "PRO", con un precio asequible.
Para cualquier pregunta, no dude en escribirnos usadando el formulario en esta pagina.