Video Tutorials
Watch step-by-step walkthroughs covering timing basics, start list imports, Share Live with co-timers, and more.
View All on YouTube1. Split Timing (On-Course Timing)
The simplest timing model — stand anywhere on the course and record times as athletes pass. No start list required.
-
Open the app
Launch NordicRaceTrace on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure "Split Timing" is selected in Settings.
-
Verify start interval
The default is 30 seconds. Toggle to mass start (0s) or 15/20-second intervals in Settings if needed.
-
Record splits as athletes pass
There's no separate "start" step in Split Timing — splits are calculated relative to each athlete's interval start automatically. As athletes pass, enter the bib number and tap to record. If you don't know the bib, just tap — it saves as "Unknown" and you can assign it later.
-
View & export results
Tap the Results tab at the bottom of the screen to view, edit, and export your splits. Save the event for later access.
Entry Modes
Number Pad
Type the bib number, then tap the timer button. Best for random arrival order when you can't predict who's coming next.
Bib Press
With a start list loaded, tap each athlete's bib button (athlete name shown on the card) to instantly record the split. In Team Time Trial mode, name buttons are shown instead. Best when you can anticipate arrivals.
Advanced Features
- Lap Tracking: Tap the same bib number multiple times to record laps. The results screen shows individual lap times and cumulative totals.
- Custom Start Times: Import a start list CSV with staggered start times. The app calculates net time relative to each athlete's individual start.
- Edit & Reassign: Tap any result to change the time, reassign to a different bib, or delete it.
- Share Live: Tap the radio icon to publish a live results link and (optionally) let a second phone time the race as a co-timer.
- Team Highlighting: Add your team name(s) in Settings so your athletes stand out in the results list.
- Athlete Highlighting: Select up to 5 individual athletes to track for focused coaching feedback.
2. Race Timing (Finish Line Timing)
For timing at the finish line with a single start time for all athletes.
-
Switch to Race Timing
Select "Race Timing" in Settings. Note: switching modes resets any active session, so save first.
-
Upload a start list (optional)
Import a CSV file for athlete names and teams, or time by bib number only.
-
Set up the start
Enter the first racer's bib number and verify the start interval (0s for mass start, or 15/30s for intervals).
-
Press Start
Hit the Start button at the exact moment the first racer departs or the mass start gun fires.
-
Time finishers (Impulse vs Post + Impulse)
Impulse alone: Tap Impulse the instant an athlete crosses — the time saves as "Unknown" and you assign the bib afterward from the Results tab. Best for fast-paced finishes.
Post + Impulse: When you're sure of the next athlete, type the bib then tap Post to anchor it. The next Impulse tap automatically records that bib's finish time. Best when you can predict the order. Save and export when complete.
Advanced Features
- Unknown Entries: Tap Impulse without a bib to capture the time. Assign bibs later from the results screen — the time is preserved.
- DNF / DNS / DSQ: Long-press an athlete on the timer screen to mark a status, and long-press again to clear it. Nothing is permanent.
- Custom Start Times: Upload a CSV with individual start times for staggered or wave starts. Net times are calculated automatically.
- Bib Press Mode: With a start list loaded, tap each athlete's bib button (name shown on the card) for instant recording — no numpad needed.
- Export: Share results as text via message or email, or save to your Events list.
- Stopping a race: Stop offers Save & Stop or Discard. Discarding asks a second time and tells you exactly how many times are about to be deleted.
- Screen stays awake for as long as a race is running.
- Tied times are ranked as a tie, in the app and on the website.
The Start Sequence
- With a start interval or custom start times, the app sounds the FIS start sequence out loud — a beep on each of the last five seconds and a distinct tone on the gun.
- It counts whichever athlete is next to start, so it keeps up through a field of interval starts on its own.
- Needs Sound switched on in Settings. A mass start has a single start, which the Pre-Start screen counts down instead.
3. Team Time Trial Timing
Designed specifically for coaches running timed practice sessions. No bibs needed — athletes are identified by name.
-
Select Team Time Trial
Choose "Team Time Trial" in Settings.
-
Pick a door
If you are signed in with one team, the app loads your roster and offers three choices: Build start list, Load start list (one you prepared on the website, which keeps its order and bibs), or Join another timer already running a trial. Building a list, drag athletes into their expected finish order.
-
Filter by gender (optional)
Use the gender filter to run boys and girls separately without rebuilding the list.
-
Start timing
Tap Start — you'll be prompted for the start configuration. Then tap each athlete's name button as they cross the finish.
-
Save results
When the trial ends, tap Stop and choose Save or Discard. Save stores the trial under Events and puts it on your team page; you can rename it first. Discarding asks a second time and says how many times it is about to delete.
Advanced Features
- No Bibs: Athletes are identified by name, not bib number. Perfect for practice — no bibs to hand out.
- Drag to Reorder: Arrange athletes in expected finish order before starting. Makes it easy to tap names quickly as they come in.
- Recurring Events (website-only): On nordicracetrace.com, create a recurring event (e.g., "Weekly 5K Time Trial") and link your saved sessions to it. Track progress with all-time standings and personal bests.
- Position Numbers: Each athlete shows their position. Numbers update automatically after reordering.
- Gender Filter: Time boys and girls separately without rebuilding your start list.
- Guests: Time someone who is not on your roster. Add them in the start-list builder, in the app or on the website, and their result is saved under their own name.
- Start Intervals: 0s, 15s, 20s or 30s, or set your own wave starts.
- Two phones: Pair a second phone with the Co-timer Code. Each keeps its own times and saves its own set of results to the team.
- Editing a session: Rename a trial or change its date, including a single occasion of a recurring series, without disturbing the rest.
4. Start Lists & Rosters
How to get athlete data into the app for faster, smarter timing.
Four Ways In
Tap the Download icon at the top of the timer screen. There are four sources:
- NordicRaceTrace.com — public race start lists, browsable by year and event. Signed in, you can also pick from start lists you uploaded yourself.
- CSV File — flexible about format. Columns like Bib, Name (or First/Last), Team and Start Time are matched automatically.
- Take a Photo — photograph a printed start list and it is read for you. Needs an internet connection.
- Manual Input — type or paste names and bibs.
Drag-to-reorder is available in the Team Time Trial start list builder.
Pre-Made Start Lists
- Check nordicracetrace.com/csv-start-lists for pre-made CSV files from Bullitt Timing for Eastern Cup and EISA races.
- For other races, convert PDF start lists using the website's converter tool or an AI tool like Claude.
Website Rosters (for Team Time Trials)
- Create a team account on nordicracetrace.com and build your roster there.
- Add athletes with name, gender, and graduation year.
- Log in to the app from Settings — your roster syncs automatically.
- In Team Time Trial mode, your website roster becomes your start list.
- Build a start list on the website — set the order and the bibs, add guests who are not on the roster — and load it in the app exactly as you left it.
5. Website Features
The website complements the app with team management, result history, and sharing tools.
Creating a Team
-
Sign in
Go to nordicracetrace.com and sign in with Google or Apple.
-
Create your team
Create a new team with your team or club name.
-
Build your roster
Add athletes with name, gender, and graduation year. This roster syncs to the app.
Managing Results
- View all saved time trial results on your team page.
- Import historical results from CSV files if you have past data.
- Create recurring events to group multiple sessions of the same time trial.
- Each recurring event shows: All-Time Standings (best times across all sessions), Per-Date Results (each session), and Personal Bests.
Recurring Events
- Create a recurring event with a name and optional distance (e.g., "Weekly 5K Time Trial").
- Each time you run the time trial, add a new instance with that session's results.
- All-Time Standings ranks athletes by their best-ever time across all sessions.
- Personal Bests shows each athlete's best performance.
- Per-Date view shows results from each individual session.
Sharing Results
- Generate unique shareable links for your full team results, any recurring event series, or any single time trial.
- Click the share icon next to any event or use "Share All" in the results header.
- Anyone with the link can view results — no login required.
- Links are unique and unguessable — only people you share with can access them.
- Share via text, email, social media, or post anywhere.
Start List Converter
- Upload a PDF or HTML race start list from any race organizer.
- The tool extracts athlete data and lets you map columns to fields (bib, name, team, start time). Awkward layouts get an AI pass, which is particularly good at Scandinavian start lists.
- Preview and adjust the data, then import directly to the app.
6. Share Live & Co-timers
Publish your results in real time so anyone can follow along, and (optionally) let a second phone time the race alongside yours. Times from both phones merge automatically.
-
Tap Share Live
On the timer screen, tap the radio icon and choose Share Live Results. The app creates a public live-results link and a private Co-timer Code.
-
Share the public link
Send the live link to parents, athletes, and fans so they can follow results from any phone or computer — no login, no refresh needed.
-
(Optional) Add a second phone as a co-timer
On the second phone, open NordicRaceTrace and tap Share Live → Join as Co-timer. Enter the Co-timer Code from the primary phone. Both phones now record times to the same race and merge automatically.
-
Review & Publish when the race ends
After stopping the race the app offers a Review & Publish link. That opens the merge page on the website where you can combine times from multiple phones, assign unmatched bibs, edit times, and publish final results.
Knowing your times are getting through
- The radio button turns green while you are broadcasting.
- If times stop reaching the server it shows a warning triangle — amber after one failed attempt, red after three.
- Tap it to see how long it has been since anything got through. Your times are safe on the phone and go up when the connection returns.
Why run two phones?
- A safety net at the finish line — if one phone misses a bib, the other catches it.
- Split finish-line and split-point timing across two people.
- Merging happens automatically; any conflicts are easy to resolve on the web merge page.
7. Settings & Customization
Fine-tune the app to match your timing workflow.
Timing Mode
- Split Timing: For on-course timing with interval starts.
- Race Timing: For finish-line timing with a single start.
- Team Time Trial: For practice sessions with your team roster.
Entry Mode
- Number Pad: Type bib numbers manually. Default mode.
- Bib Press: Tap athlete name buttons to record instantly. Requires a start list.
Start Interval
- 0 seconds: Mass start — all athletes start together.
- 15 seconds: 15-second interval starts.
- 20 seconds: 20-second interval starts.
- 30 seconds: 30-second intervals (most common for Nordic).
- Custom: Upload a start list with individual start times for non-standard formats.
Sound & Haptics
- Choose Click, Beep, or None for timing confirmation sounds.
- Choose Light, Medium, Heavy, or None for haptic feedback.
- Both provide tactile/audio confirmation when you record a time.
Team & Athlete Highlighting
- Add team names to highlight your athletes in race results with color coding.
- Select up to 5 individual athletes for focused tracking during timing.
Coach Account
- Sign in with Google or Apple to connect to your website team.
- Your roster syncs from the website to the app automatically.
- Required for Team Time Trial mode with a website roster.
Bib Press Confirmation
- When enabled, a confirmation popup appears after each bib press tap to prevent accidental entries.
- Disable in Settings if you prefer faster entry without confirmation.
8. Hardware Timers Beta
NordicRaceTrace can read impulses from a Summit timer over Bluetooth, so the box's times and the phone's agree to the hundredth.
How it works
- Race Timing only. Open Pre-Start and expand the "Hardware timer" row at the bottom to scan and connect.
- Start the race from the timer itself for an exact clock lock. Starting from the phone aligns the clocks from the first impulse instead — close, but not exact.
- Nothing is lost if the link drops. The phone keeps timing either way, and the Summit keeps its own record.
- Times carry the timer's own tape numbers, so a phone record and a paper tape can be matched line by line afterwards.
The Technical Manual (Part IV) covers the hardware in depth: the parts list and exact cable, pinouts, the Summit's serial protocol, Bluetooth details, clock calibration, a race-day procedure and troubleshooting.
9. Subscription (Pro)
NordicRaceTrace is free to try, with a Pro subscription unlocking the full coach and team workflow.
Free
- Typing bibs on the numpad to time a race.
- Starting a race and recording splits and finishes.
- Viewing in-app results.
- The Live tab, for following other people's broadcasts.
- Save to Events.
- Settings, Restore Purchases, app guide.
Pro (annual subscription with 7-day free trial)
- Importing start lists — from NordicRaceTrace.com, a CSV file, a photo, or by typing it in.
- Creating new Events from the Events tab.
- Team Time Trials using your team roster.
- Share Live — broadcasting your race to a public live-results link, and pairing a second phone as a co-timer.
The paywall appears as soon as you open one of those: tapping the Download icon or + Event, or opening the start-list builder or the Share Live sheet.
10. Tips & Tricks
Get the most out of NordicRaceTrace with these power-user tips.
- Tap any result to edit the time, reassign to a different bib, or delete it.
- Export results as text to quickly share via message or email right from the results screen.
- Save events after every session — they're stored locally and available anytime from the Events tab.
- Build your roster on the website once, then it's always available in the app via coach login.
- Use recurring events on the website to track athlete improvement over the season.
- Share results links with parents after each practice — it builds engagement and keeps athletes motivated.
- Tap Share Live to publish a live results link and let parents, fans, and co-timers follow or time with you in real time.
- Use the "Restart Welcome Tour" button in app Settings to replay the intro walkthrough.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions.
- I accidentally tapped the wrong bib. How do I fix it?
- Tap the result to open the action menu. You can reassign it to the correct bib, edit the time, or delete it.
- I missed entering a bib number but got the time. What do I do?
- Just tap without entering a bib. It saves as "Unknown." Go to results later and assign the correct bib — the time is preserved.
- My start list isn't showing athlete names.
- Make sure your CSV has headers like "Bib", "Name" (or "First"/"Last"), and "Team." The app auto-detects common header names.
- How do I switch between timing modes?
- Settings, or the mode switcher on the Timer screen before you start. Switching modes clears the active timing session, so save your results first.
- Share Live isn't working.
- Check your internet connection — Share Live needs one to publish. While you are broadcasting, the radio button tells you where you stand: green means times are getting through, amber means one attempt failed, red means three have. Tap it to see how long it has been since anything reached the server. Your times are never lost; they are held on the phone and go up when the connection returns.
- My roster isn't showing in the app.
- Make sure you're logged in via Settings > Coach Account. Your roster syncs from the website when you sign in.
- Can I time multiple checkpoints on the same course?
- Yes! Have a timer at each checkpoint, each running their own instance of the app. Results can be combined afterward.
- My finish times all look shifted by a few seconds.
- Check whether your phone's clock changed during the race. The race clock is measured against device system time, so an automatic time sync mid-race shifts every time recorded after it. Turn off iOS Settings → General → Date & Time → Set Automatically for the duration of a race. The Pre-Start checklist in the app carries the reminder.
- Does the app work offline?
- Yes — all timing works offline. Results are stored locally on your device. Live sharing and roster sync require an internet connection.