Finish timing cheat sheet

Three people make the finish work: the Results Coordinator, the Timer and the Tag Volunteer. Find your role below. It takes two minutes to read.

Results coordinator

Sets up the phone, starts the early clock, hands the phone to the Timer, then takes it back to end the timing and save and send the results.

Timer

Holds the phone during the race. Taps the big gold Finisher button as each person crosses the line.

Tag volunteer

Hands each finisher the next numbered tag, in order, as they cross.

How the day runs

Results Coordinator opens the stopwatch page, ticks the checklist, and taps Early Start if anyone is starting early.
Results Coordinator hands the phone to the Timer.
Timer records any early finishers, then taps Start Timing at the gun.
Timer taps Finisher for everyone who crosses. Tag Volunteer hands out tags in order. Every 5 finishers, they check their numbers match.
When the last finisher is in, Timer hands the phone back.
Results Coordinator ends the timing, then saves and sends the results.

The check, every 5 finishers: the phone shows a big number. That is the number the next tag should have. The Tag Volunteer says their next tag number. Same? Confirm it. Different? Fix it using the steps below.

Role 1

Results coordinator

You set the phone up, hand it over, and take it back at the end to save and send the results.

Before the start

Open the stopwatch page. Tick the pre-race checklist box and tap Continue.
Any early starters? Tap Early Start at the moment they set off. The early clock runs from there. If nobody is starting early, skip this step.
Hand the phone to the Timer, still open on the stopwatch page. Remind them it must stay on this page with the screen on.

The pre-race checklist with the box ticked and the Continue button active — Tick the checklist, then tap Continue.

The start screen showing the Early Start and Start Timing buttons — The start screen. Early Start is for runners setting off ahead of the main group.

At the end

Take the phone back from the Timer once the last finisher is in.
Tap ⚙ → End Timing, then End Timing. The clock stops and the results are kept. A reminder pops up to restore the phone’s settings.
Tap ⚙ → Export Results, then Download CSV and/or Copy for Email. Save and send the results.
Only use ⚙ → Reset All Data once the results are safely saved and sent. It can’t be undone.

Don’t use “Cancel Session (Wipe)” unless the race is abandoned. It erases every result recorded.

The End Timing prompt offering End Timing or Cancel Session (Wipe) — Choose **End Timing** to keep the results.

The export screen with Download CSV and Copy for Email buttons and a tag discrepancies card — The export screen. Any tag discrepancies are listed at the top.

Checking the results

Early finishers are marked before gun, and their place numbers carry on into the main group.
Entries marked ADDED (red in the app) were added during a tag check. Their times are approximate, so check them against the tags.
The Tag Discrepancies section lists the places between tag checks where a mismatch was found.
Collect any tags the Tag Volunteer took out.
There’s no undo for a mis-tap. The Timer will tell you the place number if it happened.

Screenshots on this page use sample times, not real results.

Role 2

Timer (the phone)

You hold the phone for the race and tap for every finisher. The Results Coordinator takes it back at the end.

Taking over the phone

The coordinator hands you the phone already open on the stopwatch page. If there are early starters, the early clock is already running.
Keep the phone on this page, in the foreground, for the whole event. The screen is kept awake automatically. Don’t switch to other apps.
Early starters finishing before the main group starts? Tap Record Early Finisher as each one crosses. They get place numbers like everyone else. The button disappears at the gun.

The start screen with the early start running, the Record Early Finisher button and Start Timing button — With an early start running, the Record Early Finisher button appears.

At the start

Tap Start Timing at the gun. The early-finisher button disappears and the clock starts.

Every finisher

Tap Finisher the moment each person crosses the line. You’ll get a beep, and the result appears at the top of the list.
The order you tap is the order of places. If several finish together, tap once for each.
Never wait. A tag check can wait. A finisher can’t.

The running screen with the clock, the big gold Finisher button and a list of three results — Tap the big gold button for every finisher.

Every 5 finishers: the tag check

A panel appears at the bottom with a big number, like 6. That’s the number the next finisher’s tag should have.
Ask the Tag Volunteer: “What’s your next tag number?”
Same? Tap Confirmed — Matches.
Different? See the next section.

The tag check panel at the bottom of the screen showing the big number 6 and a Confirmed button — The tag check panel. The Finisher button stays live above it.

Keep tapping Finisher while the panel is up. The big number keeps counting up as more finishers come in, so you can compare at any moment.

When the numbers don’t match

▲ Tag number is HIGHER

The Tag Volunteer is ahead of the phone, so some finishers weren’t tapped.

Tap ▲ Tag number is higher.
Tap Add Missing Finisher once for each missing finisher, until the big number matches the Tag Volunteer’s number.
Tap Done — Log & Close.

Added entries show in red in the results. Their time is the moment you tapped, not their real finish time.

The higher mismatch panel with the Add Missing Finisher button and two red added entries in the list — Two missing finishers added. The big number now reads 13.

▼ Tag number is LOWER

The Tag Volunteer is behind the phone.

Tap ▼ Tag number is lower.
The Tag Volunteer takes out tags so that the numbers match (see their role below).
Tap Done — Log & Close.

The lower mismatch panel telling the volunteer to take out tags so the numbers match — The panel tells the Tag Volunteer what to do.

Every mismatch is logged with the places covered since the last check (for example P16–P20), so the error can be tracked down after the event. The Finisher button stays live the whole time.

At the end

When the last finisher is in, hand the phone back to the Results Coordinator.

Don’t tap End Timing, Cancel Session or Reset yourself. The Results Coordinator ends the timing and saves the results.

Role 3

Tag volunteer

You hand out the numbered finish tags. You don’t need the phone, but you’ll be talking to the Timer.

As people finish

Hand each finisher the next tag, in number order: 1, 2, 3 and so on. One tag per finisher.
Early starters who finish before the main group starts get tags too. The numbering carries straight on from them.

Every 5 finishers

The Timer will ask for your next tag number. Tell them the number on the next tag you’ll hand out.
If it matches their number, there’s nothing more to do. Carry on.

If your number doesn’t match

▲ Yours is HIGHER than the phone

Tell the Timer. They add the missing finishers on the phone until it matches your number. Carry on handing out tags as normal.

▼ Yours is LOWER than the phone

Take out tags so that the numbers match. Keep those tags and hand them to the results coordinator at the end of the event. Let the Timer know it’s done.

Don’t stop the line to sort out a mismatch. Keep handing out tags and tell the Timer, who logs it and keeps recording.

Reference

What each button does

Early Start

CoordinatorBefore the gun. Starts the early clock for runners setting off ahead of the main group.

Record Early Finisher

TimerBefore the gun only. Tap for each early starter who finishes before the main group starts. Disappears at the gun.

Start Timing

TimerTap at the gun.

Finisher

TimerTap for every person who crosses the line. Never wait to tap.

Confirmed — Matches

TimerThe tag number and the phone’s number agree.

▲ Tag number is higher

TimerThe Tag Volunteer is ahead of the phone. Some finishers weren’t tapped.

▼ Tag number is lower

TimerThe Tag Volunteer is behind the phone. Tags need to be taken out.

Add Missing Finisher

TimerOnly after choosing ▲ higher. Tap once for each missing finisher.

Done — Log & Close

TimerRecords the mismatch and closes the panel.

⚙ → End Timing

CoordinatorStops the clock and keeps the results.

⚙ → Export Results

CoordinatorDownload CSV or Copy for Email, to save and send the results.

⚙ → Reset All Data

CoordinatorErases everything. Only after the results are saved and sent.

⚙ → Sound, View Results, How to Use

Beep on or off · jump to the results list · a short guide inside the app.

The settings menu open, listing Export Results, View Results, How to Use, Sound, End Timing and Reset All Data — The ⚙ menu, top right of the app.

Remember

Five golden rules

Never stop tapping. A check can wait. A finisher can’t.

Screen on, stay on the page. Don’t switch apps while timing.

Early finishers get tags and places too. The numbering carries straight on after them.

There’s no undo yet. If you mis-tap, note the place number and tell the Results Coordinator.

The Results Coordinator ends the timing. They save and send the results before anything is reset.

Help

If something goes wrong

Page refreshed or closed by accident: reopen the page. The clock, results and any open tag check come back.
Screen locked: unlock and carry on. Times come from the phone’s clock, so no time is lost, but finishers can only be tapped while the screen is on.
Phone getting hot: dim the screen, keep it out of direct sun and take the case off.
Back button does nothing: that’s deliberate while timing. The Results Coordinator ends the timing from the ⚙ menu.
Beep too loud or quiet: ⚙ → Sound turns it off or on.
Need a reminder mid-event: ⚙ → How to Use opens a short guide inside the app. The clock keeps running while you read it, so close it before the next finisher.

Masters Athletics Western Australia · Finish timing cheat sheet · Updated 13 November 2026