Event Information

This Timer Tip Tuesday covers Practice Scenarios in RaceDay Scoring where we provided a guided way to build hands-on experience with provided participants and reads so you can get acquainted with various setups and features without the pressure of a live event. Whether you’re training new staff or working through scenarios you don’t come across regularly, this session will help you to learn and troubleshoot with confidence.

We’ll cover:

• Practice Scenarios and how to get started with provided participant and read data
• How the guided prompts walk you through setups and example issues step by step
• Using Practice Scenarios to train new team members on RaceDay Scoring features

If you’ve ever wished you could practice a tricky setup before race day, this session is for you.

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Summary of Webinar

Overview

The practice scenarios are part of the Timer Utilities ecosystem — a set of community-built tools that extend RunSignup results into new applications like result displays, receipt printing, award tracking, and timing support. The scenarios are housed within the Timer Utilities member organization on RunSignup and are available now at runsignup.com/utilities.

Note: Timer Utilities are not official RunSignup products. They are built and maintained by Saurin Larson, Dave Hunt, and Roger’s Race Director Utilities using RunSignup’s APIs. As of the time of this webinar, they have been used at over 75 races in 2026.

What You’ll Learn

• What the Timer Utilities are and where to find them
• What practice scenarios are, who they are for, and how they differ from the RaceDay Scoring certification
• The four scenarios currently available and how to approach them
• How to get started, work through prompts, and submit for grading
• How the Stream Playback utility enhances the practice experience
• What scenarios are planned for the future
• Where to find support and certification resources

What Are the Practice Scenarios?

The RaceDay Scoring certification is a great entry point — it walks you through the platform step by step in a guided format. Practice scenarios are the next step. They are designed for timers who want to work through more complex setups in a less guided, more real-world format.

Instead of telling you exactly what to click, the scenarios put a problem in your hands and let you solve it. There are multiple valid ways to reach the right answer, and the goal is to build the kind of problem-solving confidence that translates directly to race day.

Who they are for:

• Timers preparing for a race type they haven’t set up before
• Timing companies training new staff with real data instead of basic simulations
• Anyone looking to extend their RaceDay Scoring skills beyond the certification

The Four Available Scenarios

All scenarios use real timing reads, real ages, and real performances. Participant names are fictional. Reads have been lightly curated to remove excessive noise while still including unknowns and unused reads — keeping things realistic without burying you in garbage data.

1. Universal Start Finish The most common scenario and the recommended starting point after completing the certification. Covers fundamentals like swapped bibs, unassigned bibs, and participants running the wrong event. A good bridge between the guided certification and more complex setups.

2. Full Marathon / Half Marathon A complex, high-volume scenario with nearly 10,000 participants, multiple splits across the course, and detailed reporting requirements. One of the more time-consuming scenarios to build out.

3. Triathlon / Duathlon Covers both sprint and Olympic distances for tri and du formats. Includes multi-sport specific workflows like swim check reports and transition handling. After completing this one, your setup can be exported and used as a starter template for future triathlon events — saving significant build time.

4. Basic Lap Race A different setup from typical road races and a useful practice run for timers who have not worked with lap race formats before.

Recommended order: Universal Start Finish → Basic Lap Race → Full Marathon/Half Marathon → Triathlon/Duathlon. Not required, but the progression makes sense.

How to Use the Scenarios

Getting Started

Navigate to the scenario card at runsignup.com/utilities and click through to the initial prompt page. There you will find:

• A Google Drive folder with the race folder (for applicable scenarios) or instructions to create a new race (Universal Start Finish)
• All file streams needed to get read data into RaceDay Scoring
• Instructions for setting up reads using the MyLaps read file format (the same method used in the RaceDay Scoring certification)

Setting up the locations and streams is part of the challenge — that is intentional. Use the RaceDay Scoring solutions guide, Google, and support if needed. Treat these like real races.

The Prompts

Each scenario opens with an email from Ron (your fictional race director — a nod to the retired RunSignup mascot) who gives you everything you need for the initial build: locations, age groups, and any special requirements. From there, you click Begin Activity and work through a series of prompts that simulate real race day situations:

• Notes from packet pickup staff reporting a bib handoff that wasn’t logged
• Emails from runners who swapped bibs (sometimes with a LOL included)
• Late requests from Ron who forgot to ask for a DQ report or a special age group

Prompts are roughly chronological but can be completed in any order. Mark them done as you go to track your progress. Each scenario also includes an extra credit prompt — optional, more open-ended, and worth attempting.

Submitting for Grading

When you are done, submit the scenario for review using the Get Help function from within the race in RaceDay Scoring — the same way you would submit a real race for support review. In the ticket name, include the scenario name and note that it is a practice scenario so it can be prioritized correctly and not confused with a live race.

Include your name and timing company in the submission. Scenarios are graded against a rubric, and anything marked incorrect comes back with the correct answer and notes explaining how to get there. You can resubmit and be regraded as many times as needed.

Important: Support grades these submissions, but live race support always takes priority. Please do not submit practice scenarios on race weekends.

Stream Playback Utility

The Stream Playback utility is a companion tool available at runsignup.com/utilities that takes a file type stream and plays it out in real time, at half speed, or at a custom multiplier — dripping reads into a folder just as they would arrive during a live race.

This lets you simulate being at a race as it unfolds rather than having all the data available at once. It can also be used with reads from your own past races to practice or to simulate an announcer line setup. Currently supports most file formats; Trident and IPCO playback output one read at a time without time-of-day spacing.

Future Scenarios

Scenarios in consideration for future development include a complex lap race with multiple lap distances and timing points, a second triathlon/duathlon scenario with bike course splits, combo events (e.g., a 5K + 1-mile combined time, or a Friday 5K paired with a Saturday half marathon), and a stair climb. Series scoring is also on the longer-term radar as the RaceDay Scoring series feature matures.

To request a scenario, join the Timer Utilities member organization on RunSignup or email racedayATrunsignup.com.

Certifications and Support Resources

Certifications are associated with individuals — if someone at your timing company is certified, that certification counts toward the timing company as well. One certified individual is enough for the company badge, but the certification stays with the person, not the company.

Key Takeaways

• Practice scenarios are a next step after the RaceDay Scoring certification — less guided, more real-world
• Four scenarios are available now: Universal Start Finish, Full Marathon/Half Marathon, Triathlon/Duathlon, and Basic Lap Race
• All scenarios use real timing reads with fictional participants and are graded with full rubrics and written feedback
• The Stream Playback utility lets you simulate a live race environment by dripping reads in over time
• Scenarios are a particularly useful training tool for onboarding new staff at timing companies
• Submit scenario reviews through the Get Help function in RaceDay Scoring — never on a race weekend
• Future scenarios are in development; feedback and requests are welcome