Contoura.

Race Preparation

Creating a Preparation from a Start List

How to create a race preparation by importing your start time and details from an o-l.ch start list.

Overview

There are two ways to create a preparation: importing a start list from o-l.ch (which auto-fills your event details, start time, and bib number), or entering the details manually. This article covers the start list import. For the manual option, see "Creating a Preparation Manually".

New Preparation page showing the Import Start List / Enter Manually toggle
When creating a new preparation, choose between importing a start list or entering details manually.

Relay start lists cannot be imported — relay start lists use a non-standard format that is not compatible with the IOF XML standard Contoura relies on.

Step 1 — Find the start list URL on o-l.ch

  1. 1Go to o-l.ch and open the event.
  2. 2Click "Start list" and select your class.
  3. 3Copy the full URL from your browser.

The URL should look like this:

  • https://www.o-l.ch/cgi-bin/results?type=start&year=2026&result_event_id=...&kat=...

Make sure the URL contains "type=start" — this identifies it as a start list, not a results page.

Step 2 — Fetch the start list and select your name

  1. 1Go to Preparation in the sidebar and click "New preparation".
  2. 2Paste the start list URL into the "Start list URL (o-l.ch)" field.
  3. 3Click "Fetch start list".
  4. 4Select your name from the list — it shows your start time and bib number.
  5. 5Click "Next".
Athlete selection list after fetching the start list, showing names, start times, and bib numbers
Select your name from the list. Each entry shows the athlete's start time and bib number.

Step 3 — Add goals and course notes

After selecting your name, the preparation moves to the goals and notes step. Here you can write your race strategy and any notes about the map or terrain before saving.

Goals and Map & Course Notes fields after athlete selection
Fill in your goals and map/course notes, then click "Save preparation".

Linking to a race result

When you later import the race result from the same event, Contoura automatically links the preparation to the result — matching by event ID and class. You can then view your pre-race goals alongside the actual performance on the race analysis page under the "Preparation" tab.

If the automatic link did not happen, you can link manually. See "Linking a Preparation to a Race Result".