Event Information

Learn how to efficiently set up event renewals in RaceDay Scoring. We’ll walk through the step-by-step process to copy settings from previous years, update race details, and prepare your timing system for returning events. This practical session will help you save time on setup and ensure consistent configuration year over year.

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Webinar Summary

What this session covered

This Timer Tip Tuesday walked timers through how to renew a RaceDay Scoring file for a new year, including:

• the traditional renewal workflow

• a new “renew from the cloud” workflow

• what does/doesn’t carry forward

• best practices + a renewal checklist

• how to test your setup before race week

Attendees will receive the recording and slides after the webinar.

What “Renewal” means in RaceDay Scoring

Renewal lets you take a previously scored race and copy its scoring setup (timing locations, streams, segments, reports, awards/age groups, filters, etc.) into the new year’s event so you don’t rebuild everything from scratch.

Key requirement:

• The race must already be renewed in RunSignup registration first. RaceDay Scoring renewal depends on that renewed event existing.

Two ways to renew:

1) Traditional renewal (existing scoring file approach)

If you have last year’s scoring file (or can import it):

• Import the previous race file (locally or from a cloud backup)
• Select the renewed event/year
• Click Renew
• Confirm and complete field mapping as needed

Helpful note: importing older races by adjusting the date range is also useful for practice, backfilling, or reviewing prior setups.

2) New: Renew directly from the cloud (newer workflow)

If the race has an existing cloud backup tied to your timer account, when you import the renewed race you’ll see a new prompt:

• Renew Race (recommended)

• Start Fresh

If you choose Renew Race, you’ll:

• select which cloud backup to renew from (usually the most recent)

• optionally import the old backup alongside the renewed version for reference

This new flow eliminates the old requirement of already having last year’s race file loaded on your computer.

What carries over (and what doesn’t)

Most setup components do carry over, including:

• timing locations/streams

• segments

• reports

• age groups / awards

• top finishers and many scoring definitions

What does not carry over:

• participants

• reads (timing data)

Also important: anything that changes year-to-year may require mapping or review (see below).

Common renewal “gotchas” to verify

Variable field mapping

You may need to remap anything that can change year-over-year, such as:

• corrals

• team types

• custom questions

• event naming (“5K” vs. “5K presented by…”)

Old questions can linger

After renewal, old custom questions may still appear in the sync area even if removed from this year’s registration.

• Use the Use Field checkbox to disable older/unwanted questions

• IDs are sequential, which helps identify older versions

RaceJoy renewal notes

• RaceJoy course/maps copy only if course names match year over year.

• If a course used Alternate Processing, you must re-enable that.

• All maps must be recertified after renewal.

• Timing integration for RaceJoy does not map automatically and must be set up again.

Best-practice renewal checklist (high level)

The speaker’s recommended approach: review the left-side tabs top-to-bottom like a checklist.

Key areas to double-check:

• Sync settings: custom questions used in reports/filters (Clydesdale/Athena, special categories, etc.)

• Participants/Teams: bib↔chip relationships

• Equipment/Timing: charges, cleared reads, time zones

• Locations: course changes, start/finish logic, announcer line, crossing counts, hidden mats

• Scoring rules: gun vs chip, combined events, team scoring

• Corrals: start times, early starters

• Segments: public vs internal segments, notifications

• Age groups/awards: filters, overall removal rules

• Reports: formats, templates, permission to share (photographers/organizers)

• Data actions & data checks: confirm conditions still match this year’s setup

Reports: use templates if you repeat work

If you generate the same report repeatedly, consider creating a Report Template (portable/exportable within the company). Build templates using a “robust” event so you have access to more fields.

Examples of common report needs beyond defaults:

• specific group results (filtered by custom question/corral)

• USAT / special categories

• DNS/DQ lists

• medal engraving purchases who didn’t finish

• participants who switched distances

Data Actions vs Data Checks (quick refresher)

• Data Actions: automatically perform an action when conditions are met

• Data Checks: generate a list of participants meeting conditions (manual review)

Renewal is a great time to verify non-default checks/actions still make sense for the new year.

RaceJoy options discussed (3 “tracks”)

1. Phone Tracking (no scoring integration required; runners must carry phones)

2. Bib Tracking Integration (RaceDay Scoring becomes the timing “source of truth” for split notifications)

3. Predictive Pace (newest): requires estimated pace (corral management), minimum splits/hardware (e.g., 2–3 for half, 3+ for marathon), and enablement help from RunSignup; recommended only after successfully doing bib tracking a few times.

Certification is required to offer RaceJoy.

Testing your renewed setup

Testing should go beyond “does the report render” and include scenarios like:

• missed split

• missed start

• exceptions and edge cases

Suggested testing approaches:

• Use a sandbox race with the same setup

• Generate small sets of test reads (more useful than huge volumes)

• Use AI (like ChatGPT) to generate mock read data files (given correct formats)

If you don’t have bibs assigned yet, you can temporarily:

• disable sync

• assign a few bibs

• add test reads

• then unassign / delete unsynced changes

• re-enable sync

Also: “Get Help” support can review setups during race week to make race morning easier.

Q&A highlights

• Renew vs Restore: both are workflow choices; renewal is the goal either way, with cloud backups becoming the easiest path.

• Series + bib switches: backups are helpful; RunSignup registration renewal is separate from renewing multiple scoring setups.

• RunSignup renewal vs RaceDay renewal: registration renewal creates the new year’s event; scoring renewal copies scoring configuration. They don’t change each other.

• Using another timing company’s backup: not automatically—backups are tied to the timer account for ownership reasons; you’d need to request the file directly from the previous timer.