General Information on RACEAID
RACEAID is a program that I developed a number of years ago. After completing the program, I got very busy with my work at the university and really never had much of a chance of getting the word out. But those folks who heard about it, and managed to get a copy of the program, were quite happy with it.
RACEAID is a freeware program. It's available to individuals, schools, clubs and other organizations at no cost. If you voluntarily want to send a small registration fee for the software, I won't turn it away, but it's otherwise completely free. The only thing I ask is that you drop me line if you end up using it. It's just nice to know when someone has found it useful.
The program helps race officials compile and quickly print the results of their events. It is designed to support many different types of racing events including the following:
 Fun Runs - Road Races
- Marathons
- Cross-country Running Meets
- Triathlons
- Duathlons
- Cycling Events (Including Stage Races)
- Cross-country Ski Races
- Interval Start Events
- Mountain Bike Races
- Endurance Runs
- Special Team Events Where Times of Team Members Are Accumulated
RaceAid is a DOS program (I told you it was old!), but there are quite a number of people out there using it because it's reliable - and it's free. There are no advertisements, no adware. I'm simply donating it to those who can use it.
If you have Microsoft Vista or Windows 7, 8 or 10 you need to use it with a free program called DosBox which allows you to run DOS programs. More about that here.
Because it is a DOS program, you won't be able to use a mouse with it, but most folks don't find the lack of mouse support much of problem. When you use RaceAid, you'll be using it primarily for data entry, and whenever you need to do a lot of data entry, the keyboard is, by far, the quickest and most efficient way to do it.
It has a simple approach. You begin by telling RaceAid what type of race it is: How long is the event? Is it made up of teams? Does the race have a normal or interval start? Do you wish to have split times calculated? What categories are in your race, i.e. men, women, juniors, etc. RaceAid then creates a form (or a spreadsheet) which appears on the computer screen. It's just a matter of filling out the blanks on the form (or columns in the spreadsheet).
 You can fill out names, bib numbers, etc. before the race begins, or do it while the race is in progress. When you start entering times, a special feature allows you to enter the bib number and the time, and the program takes care of matching the bib number with the appropriate racer.
Among its functions, it will separate and place individuals into respective categories, score teams and individual team members, figure elapsed time in interval start events, calculate split and pacing times. The program will provide print-outs of the race results, including over-all placing, team placing (if it's a team event), category results, or event placings (if it's a multi-event race).
It includes an export feature which allows you to move the results into other programs.
A well written and illustrated manual is available: Manual
RaceAid Sample Screen Displays
Some sample screen displays from RaceAid are available here: Screen Displays
Download The Program
RACEAID works under DOS, Windows 3.0-3.1, and Windows 95, 98, Me, XP. It also works under Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10 but you'll need a small, free program called DOS Box (See note below).
You can download a copy by clicking here: Download RaceAid
When downloading, select the "Save As" option. You will be downloading the zip file ("raceaid.zip") which is the latest version and contains all of the files to run the program. Once you save it to your computer, you can unzip it which is described in more detail below.
Vista and Windows 7 / 8 / 10 Users (DosBox) . . .
Windows 7 / 8 / 10 Users: If you are using the program on Windows 7, 8 or 10, you'll need to download DosBox. It's free.
You can download it from here: DosBox Download.
Note that when downloading, you'll have lots of choices, but you want to download the "Windows - Win32 Installer."
Before installing DosBox, make you have installed RaceAid as described in the section below. Then install DosBox and start it.
To start Racaid from DoxBox, you need to type in "Mount C C:\RaceAid." Press Enter. Then type in "C:". Press Enter. Then Type in "RaceAid." Press Enter. (Leave out the quotes when typing in the commands above.)
While in DosBox, if you want to go into full screen mode, press ALT+ENTER.
Make it easy . . . DosBox has a way of automating things so that you can start up RaceAid as soon as DosBox opens.
To do that, find the following directory: "C:\Program Files\DosBox." (DosBox will have some sort of suffix like "DosBox0.74," but I'm using "DosBox" to keep it simple).
You see "DosBox Options" listed as one of the files. Double click on "DosBox Options" to start it. A configuration file will appear. There's a lot of stuff there, but look for [autoexec] at the very bottom.
Add the following three commands, each on a separate line, just under [autoexec] :
mount C C:\RaceAid
C:
raceaid
Save the the configuration file by selecting File >> Save. Now start DosBox and RaceAid will  automatically load.
Information on zip files / How to install the program:
RaceAid comes bundled in a ZIP file. Most computers now come with a zip program, but if you don't have one, there are many free zip programs available on the web.
Once you have downloaded the Raceaid.zip file (from the link above), create a new directory on your computer. Use "RaceAid" as the directory name unless you have another name you want to use. Now un-zip the zip file to the RaceAid directory. This will place all of RACEAID program files together in one directory which is where you want them.
If you are using DosBox, use the procedure above. If you are using an older Windows operating system, click on "Start" and "Run." Then click on the "Browse" button. Locate the RACEAID directory, and select the "Raceaid.exe" file and click "Open". Finally, select "OK" and the program will start.
Comments About RaceAid
"We ran our triathlon for kids today. It was our first triathlon and we had 78 kids, 22 of whom registered today. RaceAid was easy to use and gave us results within 1/2 hour of the last finisher. We had interval starts and chose to adjust the start time for each heat instead of having multiple timers getting actual start times for each one. RaceAid made it feasible for us to have volunteers do the timing and saved us a minimum of $500 to hire a timing service. And we really looked professional with our computer set up and having printed results. It added credibility to our results. Thank you for making the program available. "
- Eleanor Flannery, Penn Township 150th Anniversary Triathlon for Kids, Harrison City, PA
"After I entered all the results and pushed the Final placements key – it was just amazing – there in front of my eyes were the results!!! I can’t explain how beautiful that was. The previous year was so ugly. I was sorting out results for days. I had to down grade awards (give 1st place 2nd etc) and that’s tough for anyone but to do to kids is the worst. I was literally at the point of not doing awards anymore. I couldn’t get accurate results in the time people were willing to wait after a race. But when I came across your program and it was solid and easy to use I had to try one more year. It saved us. I can’t thank you enough. I truly appreciate people like yourself who do things not to make a buck but to help others."
-- Mary Picard, Race Director, Patuxent River Tri Club Kids Triathlon, California, MD
RACEAID Manual
Brief help messages can be accessed from most of the screen displays in RaceAid. The help messages within the program, however, are quite brief, and I'd really recommend the RaceAid Manual.
It's a comprehensive 120-page manual with lots of illustrations. You'll find it very helpful.
I'm afraid I can't give the manuals away free since I had to pay to have them printed.
The cost is $35.00. To order the manual, just click the "Buy Now" button below. (The purchase is safely handled by PayPal's secure server. You do not need to have a PayPal account. You can use your own credit card -- or use a Pay Pal account if you have one.)
Our company name is the Great Rift Co. ) Or, you may call us at 208.232.6857, or drop us a line at wattron@isu.edu.
System Requirements for RACEAID
Hardware:
- Pretty much any computer running Windows
- A hard disk with 1.5 MB of available disk space
Operating Systems:
- Pretty much any Windows Operating System, including:
- DOS (3.2 or later)
- Windows 3.0 or 3.1*
- Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista & Win 7, 8 or 10*
* In the Windows Operating System, RaceAid runs in a DOS window. I've had no problem running it in Windows 98, 2000 and XP, but with Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10, you will need the free program DosBox (see information on downloading the program on how to run it with DosBox).
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