---
title: Merging duplicate participants
description: Find and merge duplicate registrations on the start list
order: 4
---

# Merging duplicate participants

Duplicate registrations (same person entered twice with slightly different details) can be merged from the competition start list.

**Path:** Open competition → **Start list** → **Merge**

## When to merge

Common causes:

- Participant registered twice with different emails
- Import overlapped with online registration
- Manual entry duplicated an existing racer

## Merge workflow

1. Start list → **Merge** — DistantRace suggests likely duplicates
2. Review pairs side by side (name, email, bib, payment)
3. Confirm merge — data from both entries combines into one participant record
4. Re-check bib numbers and results after merging

## Automatic merge

**Start list → Merge → Auto merge** queues a background job that finds likely duplicate pairs and merges them without stepping through each suggestion manually.

| Option | Behavior |
|--------|----------|
| **Auto merge (suggested pairs only)** | Merges high-confidence duplicates from the suggestion list |
| **Auto merge all** | Runs a broader scan across the full start list (use after large imports) |

Review bib numbers and results after a batch auto-merge — the job runs asynchronously and may take a few minutes on large events.

Bib number pre-assignment can optionally run merge before assigning numbers (competition setting).

## Related

- [Managing the start list](../running-events/managing-the-start-list.md)
- [CSV importer](csv-importer.md)