How technology has kept pace with the race world.

By Louise Hodgson-Jones

Race timing has come a long way in two decades. From the Popsicle stick and the bar code tag to the disposable chip and the bib tag, timing technology is reaching new heights.
The Popsicle stick system was used for many races in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and is still used by some clubs today for club races. You simply put an identifying sticker on a Popsicle stick marked with your overall placing. When sorted on a master board, this gave the race category results. Other systems followed, including the Timer, Tapper, Ticker Team, developed in 1984 in Victoria, B.C., for the Royal Victoria Marathon. Times and bib numbers were recorded on a grid, with the ‘tapper’ recording runners as they came in, before manual entry into a computer.
Bar code timing came next. The tear-off tag on a bib would go on a spindle, the bar code would be scanned and recorded into a Chronomix. This system was used by Vancouver-based Race Headquarters when it started operations in 1986. Owner Lorraine Davidson worked on the early timing systems, and designed new components which were used for the Vancouver Island Road Relay.
“We hired Race Headquarters to do the timing for the relay, and we expanded what they were producing for other races to include other fields such as pace per mile, pace per kilometre, and place within age division,” says race director Bob Reid.

Davidson bought Race Headquarters when the ChampionChip was introduced in Canada in 1994. Developed in the Netherlands in 1983, a ChampionChip prototype was tested prior to its successful launch at the 1984 Berlin Marathon. The Chip can be fastened to the ankle by a Velcro strap or tied to a shoelace with a zap strap. The challenge for Davidson was to change event organizers’ habits.
“The cost was the main barrier but it made everyone’s life easier,” she says. The rental chip has to be removed from the runner’s shoe after a race. The disposable or souvenir chip eliminated this need.
“Events over 500 have now gone to the souvenir chips, but because they aren’t waterproof, triathlons can’t use them,” says Davidson.

In 2008 ChronoTrack Timing Systems introduced the D-Tag, an adhesive tag that slides under the shoelace and adheres to itself. Last year the B-Tag came into play, a radio frequency tag (RFID) that is glued to the bib. “When the runner runs over the finish line, the mat has RFID sensors which is read to a controller that transmits to an Internet cable or cellular network, enabling me to sort the data,” explains Mark Nelson, owner of Victoria-based RaceDay Timing. “It is 99.9% accurate — it can even be used in snow at ski races.”

In 2008, ChampionChip merged to become MYLAPS Sports Timing and developed its own bib tag that can be used for many sports.

“We used the Bib Tag at the Penticton Grand Fondo with 2,000 cyclists and it was very successful. It handles speed very well,” says Davidson. “We will be using it for the first time at the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon in October and at the Vancouver Sun Run in 2012.” Race directors like the new bib tags’ accuracy and they cause fewer headaches.

“The bag check goes smoothly and we don’t need a chip check,” says Cheryl Lowery, race director of the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon. “I have used the B-Tag for three races this year and it is so much more efficient.”

Kathryn Stanton, owner of the 5 Peaks Trail Series, concurs. Each runner gets one bib which they use for all five of the Alberta races. “We wanted to see if people would remember to bring their bibs to each race. Last year about 10% forgot to bring their bibs, but now most do remember.”

So where does timing technology go from here?

“Live, split-timing will be used more and more — it was a great success for Boston. We need to streamline technology and find a faster way to get results out to participants,” says Davidson. “Social media will come into play as people share time on Facebook and Twitter,” says Nelson. “There are some companies — like Sports Stats — who have iPhone apps now.”

Louise Hodgson-Jones is a communications consultant in Victoria, B.C. She was editor of IMPACT Magazine from 2001 to 2006.

September/October 2011