How to time multiple runners at practice

Decide what you actually need to record

Before choosing a method, decide what the session needs. Timing everything for everyone is rarely necessary.

• Finish times only: enough for most interval sessions.
• Splits: useful for longer reps (600m and up), pacing practice, and race-specific work.
• Selected athletes: on some days, timing the group leader and spot-checking a few others is plenty.

Method 1: One shared clock, read finish times aloud

Start everyone together and call out the running time as each athlete finishes. Athletes remember their own time and report it, or an assistant writes them down. It's fast and needs no equipment, but it breaks down when finishes are close together or athletes misremember.

Best for: small groups, short reps, and days when approximate times are enough.

Method 2: Rolling starts on one clock

Send groups off at fixed intervals, for example every 10 or 15 seconds, while one clock keeps running. Each athlete's time is their finish reading minus their start offset. A rolling start spreads out the finishes so you can actually see each one, and it keeps faster groups from running into slower ones.

Best for: big groups with a wide range of paces, and staggered pace groups (see setting individual paces).

Method 3: Split points around the track

For longer reps, decide on split points before the session, like every 200m for an 800m. Stand where you can see both the split mark and the finish, or put an assistant at the split. Call splits out loud so athletes can adjust in the moment; that's the real reason to take them.

Method 4: Split the timing between coaches

If you have assistants, give each one a group, not a lane or a split point. One coach owning one group's times avoids duplicate or missing entries. Agree before practice on how times will be written down and who collects them.

Cross-country practice

On a loop or a course, finishes are spread out, but athletes are out of sight for most of the rep. A rolling start with a single clock works well. Pick one or two checkpoints where you can see athletes pass, and call splits there. For long tempo runs, timing every mile is usually enough.

Don't lose the times after practice

The most common failure isn't timing; it's what happens next. Scribbled times on a clipboard turn into a spreadsheet chore that slips to the weekend, or never happens. A few habits help:

• Record times next to each athlete's target, so misses are obvious.
• Enter times the same day while you still remember what happened.
• Note anything unusual, like a stumble, a short rep, or a cut-down, so the number makes sense later.
• Correct mistakes right away instead of keeping a wrong time in the record.

Using an app instead of a stopwatch

Phone stopwatches handle one runner at a time. A team timing app runs several athletes on one clock and saves times as you go. In PaceCommand, you add athletes to a heat, choose a shared or rolling start, set split points, and tap each athlete as they pass. A lock mode prevents accidental taps, times can be corrected, and if the connection drops at the track, the times are kept on the device until it reconnects. Times save straight to each athlete's workout, next to their target.