Chip Timing The, Choice For All Sporting Events

What It Does and How it Works

Chip timing has been in use for the last 10 years and is becoming the defacto choice for all sporting events , chip timing has rapidly developed into a commonplace supplement to traditional race timing techniques at races all across the world. Used for runners, bikers, tri-athletes, and even skiers, chip timing is both extremely precise and capable of addressing several weaknesses that are inherent to traditional manual timing methods.

Chip timing systems require that athletes wear a small, lightweight chip that uniquely identifies them as they cross strategically placed, electronic mats. The chip is typically worn on the shoelace or on the race number itself, depending on the systems being used. In its most basic and common form, chip timing electronically handles the task of collecting and processing results at the end of the race. More advanced chip timing setups can protect against cheating, record accurate split times, provide instantaneous race updates, and compensate for slow starts caused by crowded starting areas.

Mats At The Finish Line

Every chip timing setup includes timing mats at the finish line. The primary benefits of using finish-line mats are more accurate recording and a less crowded finish area. Chip timing eliminates the problems inherent to manual timing; as such, there will be no mistakes in the results caused by confusing, multiple-chute finishing areas, "bandits" (runners who have not registered) confusing timers, runners wearing the wrong number, or runners who get out of order in the chutes. Also, because the process of matching times to numbers is computerized, human error is minimized, and times can be made available almost instantaneously through the system.

Mats At The Start And Finish Lines

In addition to a mat at the finish line, large races will often have a mat at the starting line as well. This mat enables the timing system to determine both the finishing time of the runner as well as the starting time (and a check whether the runner started at all)! And from this, the system can calculate a "net" or "chip" time for each runner.

At large-scale events, where runners start the race in an enormous cluster, it can be several minutes after the starting gun sounds before a runner can actually cross the starting line. With a chip timing system, and the availability of starting time and finishing time for each runner, a net time can be calculated for each runner. The net time, which is the actual time taken for a runner to go from the start to the finish is calculated by the difference between the time recorded at the finish minus the time recorded at the start. This can make a big difference for many people . Awards are generally given on the basis of "gun" time (the time from the starting gun to the time a runner finishes the race).

Mats At The Start, Finish, And Midway Splits

We are finding with the larger races , multiple mats are placed along the course to provide each runner with split times. Since these times are available immediately, they can be posted as they are recorded, allowing the public to track the race as it progresses, often on the Internet. For example, all of our splits are uploaded in real time and are avaiable on our main website and also on our mobile website. there is an additional cost for multiple splits and only large scale events find this cost effective.

Splits are also valuable because they can help limit cheating. Runners with suspicious split times and runners who did not run over one of the intermediate mats, can be identified quickly and easily. The presence of mats at various locations requires that each athlete cross every mat to prove that he or she completed the entire course.