HOW TO USE RACE TRACKER

A guide to every option on the race tracker website.

This walkthrough covers each option on Race Tracker, the free online competition tracker. Whether you want an online stopwatch race, a single or double elimination race bracket, or a shareable spectator view, the section you need is in the outline below.

1. Getting started

Open racetrackers.app in any browser. There's no download and no account required — the race tracker website loads straight into the main menu. From here you choose what kind of event you're running.

2. Choosing a mode: Timed Trials vs. Bracket

The menu offers two modes. Pick whichever matches your event:

Timed Trials — an online stopwatch race. Use it when racers compete against the clock: 5Ks, time trials, swim heats, anything ranked by finish time.
Bracket — a head-to-head race bracket. Use it when competitors face off in rounds and winners advance toward a champion.

You can run as many of each as you like, and they're saved separately so a day of online stopwatch races and a bracket tournament don't get tangled.

3. Timed Trials — the online stopwatch for races

Timed Trials turns the page into a precise online stopwatch with a live leaderboard.

Add your racers

Type each racer's name into Add participant. Tap Click to add photo to attach a picture, and use the description field to add details spectators will see (course, category, sponsor — whatever helps).

Start the clock & record finishes

Start the master stopwatch and tap each racer as they cross the line to lock in their finish time. The live leaderboard re-sorts instantly so the current standings are always on top.

Lap splits & best lap

Record lap splits during the race to capture intermediate times, and the tracker automatically flags each racer's best lap — handy for multi-lap online stopwatch races.

Export results

Hit ⬇ CSV to download every finish time and split into a spreadsheet for awards or records.

4. Brackets — building a race bracket

Bracket mode builds a knockout race bracket and walks it round by round to a champion.

Pick single or double elimination

Choose single elimination (one loss and you're out) or double elimination (a losers bracket plus a grand final gives everyone a second chance). The chart is generated automatically from your entrants.

Add participants

Enter each competitor by name — with an optional photo — and the bracket seeds and pairs them into the first round for you.

Advance winners

Tap the winner of each matchup and they move up the bracket. In double elimination, the loser drops to the losers bracket instead of being eliminated, all the way to the grand final.

Export the bracket

Use ⬇ CSV to export the full bracket and its outcomes when the tournament wraps.

5. Sharing a spectator link

Every race and bracket has a spectator link. Tap Copy spectator link, or use Share via system share sheet to send it through messages, email, or social apps.

Spectators see a live, read-only view — no account, no app, nothing to install.
It updates as you record results, so families and fans follow along in real time.
Turn it into a QR code at the registration desk to get your whole audience watching in seconds.

6. Saving races & My Races

Your work is saved as you go:

Without signing in — the race is stored locally on your device as a Local race or Local bracket, so a reload or an accidental tab close won't lose your progress.
Signed in — races are saved to your account under My Races, so you can open them from any device, anytime.

7. Signing in (optional)

Signing in is entirely optional. The free online competition tracker works fully without an account — Sign In only unlocks cloud-saved My Races across devices. You can start anonymously and sign in later; your in-progress race carries over. Use Sign Out at any time.

8. Marking complete & deleting

Mark as complete — flags a race or bracket as Finished so spectators see final, locked results.
Delete — removes a race or bracket you no longer need. (This can't be undone, so export to CSV first if you want a record.)

9. Using the race tracker app on your phone

Race Tracker is built phone-first, so it doubles as a race tracker app without any download:

Add the website to your home screen to launch it full-screen like a native app.
The layout respects safe-area insets, so buttons never hide behind the notch.
The system share sheet makes sending the spectator link a single tap.

10. Tips for race day

Set auto-lock to "never" before the first heat so the online stopwatch doesn't sleep mid-race.
Pin the spectator link early — print a QR code at the registration table.
Use names, not lane numbers, so the announcer can call winners cleanly.
Split the jobs — one device times trials, another runs the bracket.
Save after each heat, not just at the end of the day.

Whether it's race tracker for running events, a bracket tournament, or a string of online stopwatch races, that's the whole toolkit. Questions left over? Check the FAQ.

Start a race →