After taking care of timing at the race this weekend, I noticed a few things occur and wanted to make note of them here. People may not be aware of these things, but you may help make the race director’s job a little easier.
1. Registration
I found it incredibly interesting to see the way people completed their online registrations. Some people typed their name in all lower case. Some people typed their name in all upper case. And some people typed a weird mix of upper and lower case. (Really? Your first name is all upper case and your last name is all lower case? Really?) It’s kind of a nitpicky thing, but the information looks really sloppy when it’s imported into the timing system software directly from people’s registrations this way. So do your race director a favor and type your name in correctly.
Another thing, register in advance. I didn’t mind typing in 30 or so registrations race morning, but people get REALLY sloppy when filling in the form by hand. They forgot to mark their race choice (5K or 10K), they forgot to include birthdates, they forgot to include their contact info. I couldn’t read some of the handwriting, so I’m pretty sure some people got entered into the system with typos which translates to typos in the results. So if at all possible, just sign up in advance. Then you know you’re registered for the right race, in the right division with the right spelling.
2. Step on the mat
We used an iPico timing system; it’s the kind with the square chips and the big blue mats you run across. A couple of our very fast runners leaped across the mats at the finish line. This caused problems for their times because their chip didn’t register. We had a backup system (the not high-tech stopwatch and writing down time/bib number) in place since this was our first time using the system, so we were able to make sure the people’s times were corrected, but if the person had stepped on the mat we wouldn’t have had issue.
A couple other people leaped across the mat at the start line. Thus they had finish times, but according to the system they had never started. So I had to go alter their information post-race as well.
There was even a couple instances when people tried to run around to the side of the mat when they got to the finish line and we had to urge them to cross the mat.
So the hint is to actually make sure you step on the mat. Yes, it may look like a pretty, bright blue rug that you don’t want to get dirty, but that’s the purpose.
3. Don’t swap chips
When you do a race with a friend or a spouse, keep your chips/bib numbers straight. If the race is organized well, you should be handed those items together and that means they are tied together in the system. So if you swap one or the other with your partner/friend… the results are skewed.
4. Return your chips
If you somehow end up with the chip still attached to your shoe when you get home, make an effort to send it back to the race director. While they’re not SUPER expensive, at about $3 a chip the price would add up if everybody kept their chips. Sure, there is usually someone at the finish line cutting the chips off. But sometimes people slip through. If you’re one of them, just do the director a favor and return it.
Some of these things may seem like common sense, but for some people (especially those that are new at racing) these could serve as good reminders.
Jill Will Run 
Thanks for the tips, I’ll definitely keep them in mind next time I run a race.
… but I guess I find it kind of funny that people don’t step on the mat!!!
Yeah, I was surprised by the mat issues. I guess I can kind of understand the people that are running so fast they just flew across it… but people that slowed down to try going around it, well that’s just funny. But I guess it’s also inexperience.
I see all four of these issues in TRI- especially day of registration in small tri’s. And here is a tip from me for those volunteers pulling chips off people…get a pair of gloves (I use latex ones) because it is gross after about the second person and also, always stand to the side when pulling on the chip straps. For one, sweat won’t drip from them to you and you won’t get puked on. Luckily that didn’t happen to me, but I was there when it happened to someone else!
Holy cow… those are great tips! We actually had a puker at our race, fortunately he didn’t do it on the volunteer at the end though. Thanks for those tips though!
Great tips! It’s easy to forget them when you’re caught up in a race – and it’s a great lesson for first timer’s too.
I’m 100% with you on the writing on a form clearly. That’s often the hardest part of my job on race weekends!
Well, since I’m not ever going to be winning a race and jumping over the mat, I don’t have to worry about that one! But I do have sloppy handwriting, so something to think about.
that is funny about people trying to go around the mat. i guess i assumed everyone knew these things! very helpful info for the newer runners š
Hey Jill,
Great tips. I can’t believe people actually try to leap over the mat.
Wow, that race had timing mats at the beginning AND the end?! That must have been a nice race! (A lot of races around here only have the mat at the end, thus making your chip time also the gun time, which kind of defeats the purpose of the chip, in my mind.) So I am one of those spastic runners at the end, who ends up changing their stride to make damn sure that the foot with the chip DEFINITELY hits the mat! š
I have only volunteered at one race so far, dealing with post-registration, and I saw how crazed the girl got that was taking the slips over to the timing van, and how crazed they were making her in turn, so this is very helpful to hear these tips from you. Thank you!
The only reason we had a timing mat at the start and finish was because it was an out-and-back course. I used to be super annoyed with races that didn’t have a start & finish, but now I’m feeling a little more lenient.
The timing equipment is super-expensive. If the start and finish lines are close to each other, theoretically the race crew could move the mat, but in the case of a 5K that means probably about 15 minutes to get it moved after everyone has started and the timing stuff all set-up again before the first runners come through. That could be stressful!
When you say that it defeats the purpose of the chip, I can completely understand that from the runner’s perspective. But from the race directing position, it sure makes it a lot easier than it would to try and pull tags at the end and come up with times that way. The chip makes it all computerized so I could just pull the results and post on the web quickly!
This experience has definitely taught me a lot and I will be a lot less critical of timing in smaller local races!