To use the Marathon Kids Connect app you need to do four key steps:

Customize your Tracks and Activities
1. All effort is assigned and credited to each participant through the tracks and activities in your account.
2. Your tracks and activities play a role when you add minutes/miles manually, pull a report, and when scanning participant ID cards.
Rostered participants
1. You must add participants before using the scanner app.
Print Participant ID cards
1. ID cards with personalized OR codes auto-generate once you add participants to your account.
Download the Marathon Kids Connect Scanner App

Downloading the Scanner App

The Marathon Kids Connect mobile scanner app is compatible with: iOS phones and iPads Android mobile devices and tablets; including Chromebooks.
iOS Go to the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. Search for Marathon Kids Connect to find our app.
Android Go to the Google Play store on your smartphone or tablet. Type in Marathon Kids Connect to find our app.

How to update the Scanner App

How to manually update apps on your iPhone or iPad
1. Open the App Store.
2. Tap your profile icon at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll to see pending updates and release notes. Tap Update next to an app to update only that app, or tap Update All.
How to update an Android app
1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. At the top right, tap the profile icon.
3. Tap Manage apps & device. Apps with an update available are labeled "Update available."
4. Tap Update.

What if the scans fail to sync?

Scans that fail to sync are stored in your Log History on your device.
- These can be resubmitted if your device has cellular data or WiFi
See the Troubleshooting Scanner App to learn how to resubmit.

Do I have to scan ID cards?

There are three ways participants can receive mileage.

Scanning ID cards
- Scan for laps and heart-pumping activities completed. Be sure to customize your tracks and activities.
Add Manual feature
- This allows you to manually give participants credit for laps and/or minutes of heart-pumping activity.
Parents submitting miles
- If you included parent information when you rostered participants and those parents created their account to follow their child's progress, they can also submit miles completed at home to you through the platform for you to approve. We call those submissions.

Who can help me scan ID cards?

Any additional Supporters you've added with the Coach or Assistant Coach's permission can help you scan.
- Supporters must create their accounts and log in to app.marathonkids.org to accept their permission access in order to use the scanner app.
- Supporters can scan anyone in your club with a participant ID card.
Anyone who downloads the Scanner app can help you scan as well by using the Join a Live Session feature
- This works great for volunteers, substitutes, additional devices, and other sporadic helpers.

Important Things to Know About the Mobile Scanner App

You can have multiple devices starting a live session at one time.
- Participants can go to any device to be scanned.
  - In order for participants to see their total number of laps and the distance, they need to go to the same device to be scanned.
You only need WiFi when logging in to use the scanner app, have others or other devices Join Live or Ongoing Session, and sync scans.
- If you sync without WiFi, you will get a "No Internet" failed message but that's okay! You can resubmit those scans from your Log History once you have WiFi or cellular service.

Keep your device software up to date.
1. iOS Instructions
  1. Go to Settings
  2. General
  3. Software Update
  4. Tap Automatic Updates
  5. Turn on Download iOS Updates
  6. Turn on Install iOS Updates.
  7. Your device will automatically update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
2. Android Instructions
  1. Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi.
  2. Open Settings.
  3. Select About Phone.
  4. Tap Check for Updates. If an update is available, an Update button will appear. Tap it.
  5. Install. Depending on the OS, you'll see Install Now, Reboot and install, or Install System Software. Tap it.
Set the Scanner app to automatically update.
- In order to have the latest improvements and fixes to the app, set your app to automatically update.
  1. iOS Instructions
    Go to Settings
    App Store
    Tap App Updates on
  2. Android Instructions
    Open the Google Play Store app.
    At the top right, tap the profile icon.
    Tap Settings Network Preferences. Auto-update apps.
    Select an option: Over any network to update apps using either Wi-Fi or mobile data. Over Wi-Fi only to update apps only when connected to Wi-Fi.
Set your device screen to stay awake during forward-facing scanning sessions to prevent participants from accidentally closing the scanning screen.
1. iOS Instructions
  1. Go to Settings
  2. Scroll down and tap Display & Brightness.
  3. Select Auto-Lock.
  4. Select Never
2. Android Instructions
  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Display
  3. Select Sleep (or Settings > Display > Screen timeout, depending on the version of Android you're using) to delay the Android Sleep timer by up to 30 minutes.
There's a 15-second "cheat window".
- If a participant attempts to scan their card on the same device within 15-seconds that additional scan will not sync.
  - If a participant goes from one volunteer to another (or device) and those devices Joined a Live Session then only one scan within that 15-second window will sync.