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Result Investigation and Corrections

This section describes the most common issues that arise during an event and the steps to identify and resolve them.

Typical Cases

Problems are usually discovered when someone reports missing results, discrepancies, or when the timer themselves notices something is not quite right in the results. Here we’ll look at the most typical cases and how to address them.

Incorrect Data (Race, Category, Gender, etc.)

  1. Find the participant.
  2. Correct the incorrect data.

Changing a participant’s race, category, or gender (or, less commonly, other fields) can affect results. However, simply correcting the data is enough, as results will be recalculated automatically.

No Result

  1. Find the participant.
  2. Make sure the distance and category are correct.
  3. Open the participant’s timing view.
  4. Check if the start time is set correctly.
  5. Check if there is a measurement at the relevant checkpoint/trackpoint:
    • If there is no measurement, add it based on backup devices (e.g., video).
    • If there is a measurement but it is not being used, check whether the run/moving limits for the distance or any splits are too strict.

Timer Sees Participant Finish, but No Result Appears

This is the same as the “No Result” case (see above).

Participant Believes They Finished Ahead of Another, but Results Show Otherwise

First, determine whether this is a close finish (photo finish case), which is the responsibility of the judges, or whether the time gap is significantly larger, indicating a problem with the recorded and selected measurements.

Very close times (photo finish):

  1. Judges use their video equipment or other means to check who was faster.
  2. If participants need to be swapped, go to the checkpoint data view.
  3. Search by one of the participant’s numbers and select the finish time. The table will automatically scroll to the relevant spot. The problematic participants should be right next to each other.
  4. Use the arrow to swap their places (or, if the exact time is critical, adjust each participant’s time as needed).

Noticeable time gap:

  1. Find the participant.
  2. Open the Participant Timing View.
  3. Use the timing data to try to understand where and why the discrepancy occurred.
  4. If needed, adjust the time.

If one participant’s data is correct, the issue may be with the other participant. Repeat the process for them.

The Time in the Results Does Not Match the Participant’s Own Recorded Time

The participant believes they completed the distance faster than shown in the results. There are usually three main reasons for this:

  • A measurement was not recorded.
  • There is a time offset between the start and finish (or relevant checkpoint) timing devices.
  • The result is actually correct, but the participant is mistaken.

In both cases, the process is the same:

  1. Find the participant.
  2. Open the Participant Timing View.
  3. Use the timing data to try to understand where and why the discrepancy occurred.

If you find that the offset is systematic—i.e., it affects all participants between certain checkpoints—you can correct it by going to the relevant checkpoint, opening the data subscription, and applying a time correction (Gap). Be careful: the time correction will be applied to all data coming from the cloud, but not to manual edits (including swapped entries, etc.). If you really need to apply this gap and manual corrections have already been made, the best approach is to delete all data for the relevant checkpoint (cloud data will be re-imported automatically, so only data with Origin = USER will actually be deleted), and then redo all manual corrections for that checkpoint.

It’s best to avoid this by synchronizing the timing device clocks before timing capture begins. However, if the timing has already taken place and the offset is not too significant, it’s usually enough to explain that this offset affects everyone. If further calculations (e.g., points for overall standings) are based on these results and use a proportional approach (e.g., points = winner’s result / participant’s result), then to avoid incorrect calculations due to faulty data, a proper time correction should be applied at the checkpoint level.

Unexpected Results Before the Leaders

The most common reasons are:

The participant has withdrawn or taken the wrong course.

  1. Go to referee decisions and set the appropriate status (e.g., DNF or DSQ) for the relevant participant.

If the track configuration is such that it passes close to, but not through, a checkpoint, the timing device at that checkpoint may accidentally record an extra reading. In such cases:

  1. Find the participant.
  2. Open the participant’s measurement view.
  3. Mark the extra reading at the checkpoint as “ignore.”

Unassigned Numbers (under development)

This view shows bib numbers that are not assigned to participants but have appeared at least once at a checkpoint. If numbers are not assigned to participants, they should not have been issued and therefore should not appear in timing device measurements.

There are various reasons why such unassigned numbers might appear. The most common reason is that a participant who registered on site was not entered into the system. These participants need to be added to the system. In manual timing, it is also possible that an incorrect number was entered. Try to determine the correct number, focusing especially on those who are missing a time at the relevant checkpoint.