Checkpoints
Checkpoint concepts and usage
Checkpoints are key control points placed along the course that help you run a race that is accurate, fair, and safe. They allow you to record when participants pass specific locations, generate split times and rankings, and ensure everyone follows the official route. Checkpoints also give you visibility into where athletes are on the course, helping you monitor race progress, enforce cut-off times, manage incidents, and support participant safety. In short, checkpoints give you the data and control you need to manage the race smoothly, deliver reliable results, and improve the overall experience for both athletes and staff.
RaceTime app specific usage for checkpoints includes:
Record when participants pass specific points on the course.
Provides split times and intermediate results (in development)
Enable accurate overall ranking for staff on checkpoints and finish.
Define and manage lap-based races.
Help to make sure that participants follow the official course.
The app is designed for staff-assisted checkpoints, where race staff or volunteers record participant passages at each checkpoint. It also supports automated timing through integration API. This allows check-in by external timing systems when available.
Staff members who will operate checkpoints must first be invited through the Staff screen of the app. Once invited, they can be assigned to specific checkpoints.
It is important to understand that each time a participant passes a checkpoint, their rank (position) in the participant list is automatically updated based on their performance. Faster participants move toward the top of the list for the next checkpoint or the finish, while slower participants move down. This dynamic reordering makes timing—especially at the finish—significantly easier and more reliable for staff. In general, if your race involves many participants, we strongly recommend setting up at least one checkpoint, even if intermediate control is not strictly required.
Planning the route
If your race uses checkpoints, make sure the entire team is running app version 5.12.0 or higher.
Open the event Route screen. This is a map view where you can upload GPX track(s) and place checkpoints along the course. While the exact positioning of tracks and checkpoints does not affect the app’s timing logic—you can omit tracks and place checkpoints anywhere and RaceTime will still function correctly—it is crucial for your team, participants, and spectators to clearly understand the route and its key points.
You should assign one or more users with role Timekeeper to the checkpoints. At the race time, timekeeper will see only those participants who are approaching the checkpoint he is assigned too. Once checked in the participant disappear from the list and appears for timekeepers assigned to the next checkpoint, and so on. If participant did not pass a previous checkpoint he does not appear to the next and this is how we enforce the race rules and fair competition.
A backdoor is still available: users with the Manager role can bypass the normal flow and start or finish any participant. However, managers cannot be assigned to intermediate checkpoints. The app is designed to give you flexibility—while it provides control, it also assumes that users will act responsibly and not misuse these privileges.
Let’s get familiar with the key UI elements for managing checkpoints.
Menu:
Edit checkpoints - Switches the UI to edit mode. In edit mode, you can add, edit or delete checkpoints.
Upload track (GPX) - Upload GPX files to display tracks on the map.
Clear - Remove all uploaded tracks and/or checkpoints.
Edit mode toolbar: A small toolbar appears at the bottom in edit mode. It lets you add a new checkpoint or exit edit mode.
Red marker shows where the next checkpoint will be placed. Move the map to position it accuratelly, then click Set.
Checkpoints appear as markers with symbols indicating their type:
S - Start
F - Finish
Number - Sequence number for intermediate checkpoints
Click on a checkpoint to edit its settings.
Create a checkpoint
Enter edit mode and click Set. You will see a bottom sheet on mobile devices (as shown in the screenshot below) or a dialog window on desktops.
First, choose the type of checkpoint. A route can have only one Start and one Finish, while the number of intermediate checkpoints is unlimited. The Start checkpoint is optional—it can be used to mark the beginning of the course for informational purposes, but the app does not use it for timing. Any user with the Manager role can start participants. The Finish checkpoint has a special feature: on circular courses, it can act as a lap checkpoint, requiring participants to complete multiple laps before finishing. If used this way, you must specify the number of laps.
The Name field is optional and appears for timekeepers in timing mode. Keep it short, as space is limited.
One important distinction is between creating and updating a checkpoint. Once a checkpoint is created (whether intermediate or finish), open it by tapping on it. You will see the Assigned staff option, where you can assign one or more users with the Timekeeper role to manage that specific checkpoint.
Laps
The Finish checkpoint with the lap flag is a special case and requires some additional explanation.
First, you can have intermediate checkpoints alongside a lapped finish, but these are ignored for timing and may exist only for informational purposes. Only laps matter.
Second, there is a difference in how participants are reordered when checked in. For example, imagine a race with 2 laps. Each time a participant is checked in at the lapped Finish checkpoint, they are moved to the bottom of the list, and the number of laps they have completed is displayed. This process repeats until the participant completes the required number of laps. The next check-in after the final lap is recorded as the official Finish..
Progress indicator
It’s helpful to know a participant’s position in the race, and for events with checkpoints, the app provides a special indicator to show this.
See the screenshot. For races with laps, this number shows the laps completed. For other races, it shows the last checkpoint passed, essentially indicating the number of legs completed.
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