Why create a Missing Start check?
Missing Chip Start times can have big impacts on both a participant’s time and the race’s Age Group awards. Knowing how many missed reads you have on the Start line of a race can help prepare for these potential scenarios. A Missing Start Check can also be useful for a number of other scenarios, such as determining if a participant jumped on the course late or if your timing hardware needs troubleshooting.
What is the difference between DNS and a Missing Start?
It’s important to note that the state of DNS, or Did Not Start, for a participant is different from missing a start read. Once RaceDay Scoring sees a read for a participant on the course or finish line, it knows that the participant has indeed started the race, and so Did Not Start will be false. Missing a start read does not mean the participant didn’t start, however it does mean they will be assigned their Scored Event’s start time (or Corral start time, if applicable). Participants will be marked as DNS until a finish or segment read is seen for them.
What is a Data Check?
A Data Check is a type of report that allows the Timer to view participants based on a set of participant data or raw read filters so that they can assess and then change participant registration data. Data Checks are similar to Data Actions, but rather than acting on the participant data automatically Data Checks allow the timer to select which, if any, of the participants that meet the criteria set by the search filters will have registration data changed.
Why use a Data Check?
Data Checks are able to operate across multiple Scored Events, which make them more flexible than normal reporting. They also allow the Timer to make changes to registration data to some or all participants that meet the search and raw read criteria of the report. Finally, they’re much safer than data actions, as data actions take place instantly. Data checks allow you to verify what is being changed before it happens.
Creating a Data Check
To create a Missing Start Check, first go to Data Actions, then select the Data Checks tab:
Create a New Data Check Report:
Name your report, and select which Participant Fields to show on the output - it is worth noting that participants in this report will not have a Chip Time that is different from Clock Time, so those are not useful fields to display for assessment purposes.
Set the Standard Participant Search Filters; in this case we are looking for a participant whose 5K Entire Race Chip Start Time of Day is Null. When you need to show runners that are participating, yet do not have a start time, use the parameter of "Did not Start == NO". It is also useful to add the parameter of Bib Is Not Null, as participants who do not have a bib assigned are not set to Did Not Start and should be eliminated from the Missing Start check with this filter.
One of the more useful features of the Data Check is the ability to consider multiple Scored Events in the same report - by adding a filter that also shows any participant whose 10K Entire Race Chip Start Time of Day is Null we are able to see both the 5K and 10K participants who missed a start read.
At this point, the Data Check can either be saved to run at a later time, or the Search function can be used to see what is output by the report based on the current parameters:
For the example setup in a test environment, this is the output of the Data Check:
It may be useful to mark these participants as DNQ, or Did Not Qualify, so that they are ineligible for Age Group Awards and are more likely to reach out to an official to correct their results.
In the output of the Data Check, check the box under “Update Row” for the participants you wish to perform the Data Change operation on. “Check All” or “Un-Check All” can be used to select/deselect participants in bulk. Once participants are selected, click Update Selected Participants to apply the Data Change. Note that if the change in Participant Data performed causes a participant to no longer meet the criteria set for the Data Check, they will not show in the output after this happens.
If a change is made to participant data from the Data Check, it will be viewable in the Audit Log/Edits section of a participant’s entry. The Data Check’s name will display as the Source and can be clicked to navigate directly to that Data Check.
Limitations
There are some limitations to be aware of when using a Missing Start check:
Missing Start checks can only indicate that there is not a valid start read for a participant
Missing Start checks cannot tell you if there is not a valid Chip Start Time of Day for a participant because they ran in the wrong race
Missing Start checks cannot tell you why a participant does not have a start read
Missing Start checks cannot tell you if a participant started earlier or later than permitted