I didn't finish the race but got an SMS anyway

Our finish-line SMS fires the second your chip crosses the finish mat — there's no human checking whether you really ran. If your chip pinged the mat (or someone else carried it across, or you cut the course), the message goes out. The fix is to contact your race timer; they can update your status to DNF (Did Not Finish) and your results page will reflect that.

Why this happens

Common reasons a finish SMS goes out when you didn't actually run the full course:

• You DNFed but the chip stayed on. If you stopped running but were taken to the finish area (e.g., by sweep vehicle, medical, or just walking through the chute), your chip might still have read at the finish mat.
• Someone else carried your bib. A friend, a sweep vehicle, or another runner accidentally took your chip across the mat.
• Course-cut. If you missed intermediate timing points and only the finish was caught, you may still be in our system as a finisher. Your timer's DQ process catches this in the day or two after the race.
• Chip ricochet. Sometimes a chip near the mat (someone holding a runner's bag, for example) gets read even without the runner crossing.

How to fix it

Your race timer is the only one who can update your status — they own the timing data; SplitKit reads it from them. To request the correction:

1. Open your results page (the link in the SMS).
2. Scroll to the bottom and click Need help?
3. Choose Question about your result. The pre-filled email goes to your timer with your event, bib, and name already included.
4. Tell them you didn't finish — and where on the course you stopped if you can remember. They'll update your status to DNF.

Once the timer marks you DNF, your results page updates automatically within a few minutes. The hero section flips to "Did not finish" and the Finisher's Pack purchase option goes away (if you'd already bought it, contact us for a refund — see How do I get a refund?).

What if I get an SMS for a race I didn't even enter?

That means someone else registered using your phone number — by accident or otherwise. Email support@splitkit.freshdesk.com with the SMS and the event name, and we'll flag it to the race organizer. Also reply STOP to the SMS so we don't send anything further to that number.