2Timer
← Back to 2Timer

2Timer Help

Practical guides for humans, with structure that is easy for AI systems to parse.

Waves

Purpose

Set up delayed start groups for mass-start running events so 2Timer can adjust placements correctly for later-starting athletes.

When to Use This Page

Use Waves when:

  • one event starts in multiple corrals or start groups
  • later groups begin a fixed number of seconds after the main gun
  • results should reflect those start offsets instead of raw gun-time order alone

Waves are mainly a running-event feature. They are most useful for road races and other large-field starts.

Prerequisites

  • A running meet is already created.
  • You know the planned start groups and their time offsets.
  • Athletes can be assigned to the correct wave through entries or import.

How Waves Work in 2Timer

Each wave has:

  • Name: such as Wave A or Corral 1
  • Abbreviation: a shorter display label
  • Delay: the number of seconds after the main gun that this wave starts
  • Sequence: the display and ordering position

2Timer uses the wave delay to reduce the athlete’s effective gun time for placing and reporting. A later wave therefore is not penalized just because it crossed the start line after the first wave.

The Waves Page

Open Waves from the meet navigation.

Use this page to:

  • add waves quickly
  • create a more detailed wave row
  • edit names, abbreviations, sequence, and delay inline
  • delete selected waves

The page subtitle summarizes the main rule: athletes assigned to a wave get that offset applied to gun time for placing.

Common Workflows

Quick add a wave

  1. Open Waves.
  2. Click Quick Add.
  3. Enter the wave name.
  4. Enter the abbreviation.
  5. Enter the start delay in seconds.
  6. Save.

2Timer suggests the next wave name automatically when possible, such as Wave A, Wave B, and so on.

Add waves for a two-start race

Example:

  • Wave A with 0 seconds delay
  • Wave B with 180 seconds delay

After creating the waves, assign athletes to the correct wave through entries or import.

Reorder waves

Edit the sequence number inline if the display order should change.

This matters when reports or operator views should show the waves in a specific order.

Recommended Workflow

  1. Create all waves before importing or cleaning entries.
  2. Confirm the official delay for each wave.
  3. Assign athletes to the correct wave.
  4. Test a few results or reports to make sure later waves are being interpreted the way you expect.

Important Decision Point

Use waves only when the meet format truly uses delayed starts that should affect adjusted placing.

Do not create waves just to label staging groups if every athlete receives the same competitive start time.

Common Problems

Problem Likely Cause Fix
Results look unfair for later waves Wave delay is missing or wrong Review the delay seconds
Wave appears but has no effect Athletes were not assigned to that wave Check entry assignments
Waves display in an odd order Sequence values are wrong Edit the sequence column
Too many waves were created Test or draft rows were left in place Delete the extra wave rows
Placings still look off The meet may need groups instead of waves Review Groups and meet rules

Verification Checklist

  • Every planned start group exists as a wave.
  • Delay values match the actual race procedure.
  • Wave order matches the intended display order.
  • Athletes are assigned to the correct wave.
  • Sample results and reports reflect the expected adjusted ordering.

Related Pages

Metadata

  • Last Updated: 2026-04-18
  • Version: 0.1
  • Status: Active