Event Information

This session will walk through how RaceDay Scoring handles the complexities of triathlon scoring to deliver accurate, real-time results for and across swim, bike, and run segments.

• Learn how to configure RaceDay Scoring to manage the unique demands of triathlon scoring
• Discover how to set up and track transitions effectively, giving critical split data in real time
• Explore real-time data flow from multiple timing locations to deliver accurate progress updates throughout the race
• See how RaceDay Scoring integrates with RaceJoy to provide comprehensive participant tracking across all three disciplines of the event
• Walk away with best practices for managing multi-sport event timing and delivering a seamless experience

Who should attend: Timers using or considering RaceDay Scoring for triathlon events

View Slides

Summary of Webinar

Overview

Multisport events are among the most complex setups for timers — more moving parts, more equipment, and less frequency than weekly road races. This session covers start time configuration, corral and wave setup, relay team scoring, top finisher categories, report formatting, USAT submissions, and live tracking integration — all updated with current best practices.

Start Times and Corral Setup

RaceDay Scoring supports three start time options: scored event level (the fallback for anyone not in a corral), corral/wave start times, and chip start times.

A few key rules to know:

• Always set a scored event start time even if everyone is assigned to a corral — use the first wave start time as the default
• Corral start times override scored event start times for assigned participants
• Chip start reads that occur before a participant’s assigned start time are ignored by default — enable the “allow pre-gun corral start times” setting only when you have a confirmed valid early chip start
• For pool/time trial starts, set scoring to chip time, require chip start, and exclude clock time from default reports. Note: changing this setting does not update reports you have already created

Auto Assignment Rules in corral setup are more powerful than what RunSignup can do natively. You can create multi-condition rules to assign participants into waves based on any combination of data — age, gender, category (Clydesdale, elite, etc.) — and multiple rules can apply to one corral. Manual overrides are also supported and won’t be reversed by the auto rules.

To set start times on race day, use the Set Start Times function in the dashboard. Select the events or corrals going off and hit Start Now, or enter a fixed time. You can also import a CSV of start times and bib numbers via the start location Actions menu — use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to reformat date/time columns to the required format if needed.

Gunshot marker auto-starts are supported by many chip systems. Set up mappings under Timing Locations > Marker Reads to tell the system which occurrence maps to which scored event or corral. The default setting now prompts for confirmation before writing the start time — you can switch to fully automatic if you trust your hardware and operators.

Course Setup: Streams, Locations, and Segments

• Streams — the raw data feed from a single reader
• Timing Locations — group one or more streams together and define valid time ranges and expected occurrence counts
• Segments — define how a time is calculated (start read to end read, by occurrence and location)

Every race has a full race segment by default. Add bike legs, transitions, T1, T2, and run legs as needed. When building these, a few important settings:

• “Once this segment is completed, do not use later reads to complete earlier segments” — prevents negative times on out-and-back courses where a missed outbound read gets picked up on the return pass. Use on later segments in the course if you’re seeing negative times, but check your read rate first.
• “Require previous segment” — prevents a segment from completing unless the prior segment has a valid read. Useful for enforcing order, but use with caution if any reader is unreliable.
• Rest segments — do NOT use for triathlon transitions, which should count toward total time. A good use case: subtract time for participants held up at a railroad crossing by placing readers on both sides and using a rest segment.
• Pace type — set appropriately per segment (miles per hour for bike, min/mile for run, no pace for transitions). Note: some swim pace formats won’t display correctly in RunSignup reports.
• Minimum allowed segment times — look at previous years’ data and set reasonable minimums to block bad reads. Also functions as an event-level gap factor override when the same timing location is used across different distance events.
• Segment copying — use the copy function to duplicate segments between events rather than building from scratch.
• Hide cumulative columns — for multisport, edit your split column settings to hide all cumulative times. Athletes want to know their bike leg time, not their elapsed time to the end of the bike. A “Hide All Cumulative” button is now available. Consider also adding a splits-with-place column instead of pace, which multisport athletes often find more meaningful.

Relay Teams

• Relays must have their own separate registration event on RunSignup — do not mix relay and individual participants in the same event
• Group type setup: the simplest approach is creating a separate group type for each relay category (co-ed, all-male, all-female, 2-person, 4-person, etc.). This keeps registration clean and avoids confusion. The more advanced single-group-type-with-gender-restrictions option is supported but will create three split team types in RaceDay Scoring.
• Set up team scoring for each relay scored event — select “Relay” as the type. A new indicator will flag in red if team scoring appears to be missing for an event with relay in the name.
• Choose whether team members share a bib number or have individual bibs. Leg-by-leg individual credit is not currently supported — all reads bubble up to the team.
• Reports: the default relay report combines all team types. You will almost always need to split these out into separate reports by team type (one for all-male, one for all-female, etc.). Use the duplicate function under Actions to speed this up.
• When renewing a race, always verify that group types at RunSignup haven’t changed — adding or removing a team type affects your reports, corral assignment rules, and top finisher categories.

Top Finisher Categories and Age Groups

• If your race uses custom questions for special categories (Clydesdale, Athena, elite, etc.), make sure they are set up as a radio button or select menu — not a checkbox. Checkbox selections are not supported for scoring.
• Build top finisher categories using participant filters. For Clydesdale/Athena categories, set the number of winners to a large number (e.g., 99999) so everyone qualifying for that division is included.
• Use the new participant filters for age groups panel to exclude certain categories (elites, Clydesdales) from appearing in age group results. This prevents double-counting across divisions.
• For award printouts, enable “show award winners only” and remove splits from age group reports — keeps the ceremony handout clean and readable.

USAT Submissions

• Submit USAT exports as soon as possible after the race — do not wait
• When creating the export, you are responsible for filtering the data correctly using participant scoring filters before selecting the category
• Critical: if RunSignup renews the race before you create the export, participant membership numbers may be lost from the database. Create your submission exports on race day or the Monday after at the latest.

Live Tracking with RaceJoy

You already have timing equipment placed at transitions — connecting it to RaceJoy takes minimal extra effort and significantly elevates the spectator and participant experience.

Two levels of timing-integrated tracking:

Level 1 — Timing Alerts Only No extra equipment needed beyond your standard transition readers. Spectators receive alerts when participants hit each timing point and get estimated arrival times at the next point. Participants can review their splits and results in the app afterward.

Level 2 — Predictive Map Tracking Requires at least one intermediate timing point on the bike segment and one on the run. With two data points per segment, RaceJoy can estimate and display everyone’s position on the live map — including participants not carrying a phone. A single piece of equipment reused on an out-and-back course can provide two data points per segment with no added cost.

Setup is straightforward: once your segments are configured in RaceDay Scoring, map each timing location and occurrence to a RaceJoy timing point. That’s the entire integration.

Configuration tips for RaceJoy:

• Set pace type consistently per segment — this is what defines the segment type in RaceJoy (bike = mph, run = min/mile, etc.)
• Use meaningful spoken location names — these become the text of the alerts participants and spectators receive (“Bike Mile 5,” “Run Mile 2,” etc.)
• The swim segment is optional — many timers skip it and start tracking from the swim exit
• Cumulative distances in RaceDay Scoring should reflect official measured distances, not GPS measurements — this keeps alerts accurate
• GPS phone tracking (no timing integration) is also available with no extra equipment from the timer

RaceJoy requires a certified timer partner. For events using RunSignup registration, the platform integration is included at no additional cost. For non-RunSignup events, there is a $750 fee.

Key Takeaways

• Always set both scored event and corral start times, even when everyone is assigned to a corral
• Use gunshot marker mappings to automate wave starts — the new confirmation prompt prevents accidental overwrites
• Relay teams require their own registration event and split-out reports by team type
• Hide cumulative split columns for all multisport reports — athletes want individual segment times
• Get USAT submissions created and filed immediately after the race, before RunSignup renews
• Connecting your existing transition equipment to RaceJoy requires minimal extra setup and provides a significantly better experience for spectators and participants alike
• Adding even one intermediate point per segment enables full predictive map tracking for everyone on course