GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Does the lap board show the laps remaining for every runner when some athletes have been lapped?
No. Under the retained rule, the main display is leader-based. Athletes who have been or are about to be lapped need an appropriate manual indication, and the final lap must be signalled to each athlete, usually with a bell.
For Distance-race viewers, athletes and new lap-scoring volunteers interpreting a crowded track race. · Updated
The shared display follows the leader
Lap scoring keeps a record for each athlete in races longer than 1,500 metres. The main display communicates the leader’s laps remaining; it does not promise the same count applies to every runner when the field is spread out.
A lapped runner may need a separate indication
When athletes have been lapped, or are about to be lapped, the rule calls for an appropriate manual indication so they can understand their own remaining distance. That individual indication is different from the leader-based board.
The final lap must also be signalled to each athlete, usually by a bell. In a crowded race, simply hearing a bell does not identify which runner it concerns.
One leader, two lap counts
In a fictional race, the leader is about to begin the last lap while a runner who has been lapped still has two laps to run. The shared display follows the leader. A manual indication communicates the lapped runner’s count, and that runner later receives an individual final-lap signal. This example does not infer an actual lap count or finish from video.
Related questions
Does the lap board tell a lapped runner when their last lap begins?
The main display is leader-based. The rule separately calls for a manual indication to an athlete who has been or is about to be lapped, and for the final lap to be signalled to each athlete.
Does one bell mean every runner has one lap left?
No. A bell is usually used to signal an individual athlete’s final lap. Its sound alone does not tell a viewer which athlete the signal concerns.
Sources and further reading
- Competition Rules & Technical Rules (C1.1 & C2.1), retained 2026 text checked 2026-10-15 — CR24.1-24.2, Lap Scorers, printed Competition Rules p.19 (PDF p.23)..
- Competition and Technical Rule Amendments July 2026 — cover and page 2, CR32 change table; the retained sheet lists a CR32 U20 5000m Race Walk change only and does not amend the event rule discussed here.