5Kevents - 5K, 10K Race and XC timing services

USATF Rule 245.1 states “The order in which the athletes cross the finish line will be the official finish position.” Further, Rule 245.3 – regarding transponder timing – “the actual time elapsed between an athlete reaching the starting line and the finish line can be made known to the athlete, but will not be considered as the official time.” In short, official time per USATF rule is gun time.

WHY DOSN’T THE ROUTE MATCH MY GPS DEVICE? GPS devices work by receiving signals from satellites. The quality of different GPS units can vary, but all of them can be affected by conditions such as buildings in urban environments or heavy overhead tree cover that interfere with reception of the satellite signals and can cause them to be inaccurate.

Racecourses are measured by a proven method that incorporates the calibration of measuring devices against a steel tape and are verified by multiple measurements.

Racecourses are measured along a well-defined path called the “SPR”—the Shortest Possible Route that a runner can possibly run. Most runners don’t actually run the SPR, so the distance recorded by their GPS device will usually be longer than the certified length of the course, even though the course was properly measured along the SPR according to USATF rules.

Chip Time Awards VS. Gun Time Awards Debate:

Learn more here.

Timing road races have become a highly sophisticated art. Gone are the days of using a stopwatch and handing out numbered popsicle sticks to runners in the order they finish the race. Participants expect even small events to use sophisticated timing systems.

While both traditional timing and chip timing is fully electronic, human errors do and will happen. We now post LIVE results at all races but they are unofficial until the timers have reviewed results to make sure everyone is recorded. We use multiple back up systems that may include cameras, tear off bib tags, manual entries and computers to make sure every person is accounted for. If the electronic system misses anyone for any of the reasons below, our timing staff will make sure to review all platforms to assure accuracy.
Final results may be delayed if a person…

enters the wrong birth date or age during the registration process which impacts age category winners.
fails to indicate their gender correctly or not at all.
forgets to wear their race bib or just doesn’t wear it properly.
loses their race bib or race chip.
is unable to participate, gives their entry to a friend, but fails to notify the race director of the change.
runs as a Bandit! These are runners who do not register and use an old race bib or chip which causes all kinds of issues.
go back to the course and returns to the finish line with their partner… now this person is recorded twice, so we need time to make adjustments.
is DQ’d because they did not run the full route.
wears their race bib so it is not visible as they cross the finish line. ie; Wear on their back, or side, not pinned in all 4 corners so it flaps upside down, etc.
REMOTE DIVISION is not OFFICIAL for up to 24 hours after the event date to allow REMOTE RUNNERS sufficient time to submit their times.
All of these potential scenarios will skew results until the race director can obtain missing data and make corrections. But fear not, we are pretty quick and pretty good and catching errors before the race even starts. Always check your race bib data tag to make sure your information is correct/ (Name, Age, and Gender are the most important). And please, don’t be a bandit!

DO NOT REMOVE YOUR BIB TAG UNTIL YOU CROSS THE FINISH LINE –If you do remove it, make sure you notify the volunteers at the finish line who are collecting tags. You may also assist the timers by handing them the bottom portion of your bib tag as you cross the finish line so we can move people through the running chute quickly. NOTE: Not all races use this backup system. If there is no tear-off tag on your bib, this would not apply.

REMEMBER – THIS IS OUR BACK UP SYSTEM in case there are any issues as listed above. It is important that we string all tags in the order people have finished, so please don’t jump ahead after you enter the finish-line chute.

RACE BIBS SHOULD ALWAYS BE WORN ON THE FRONT OF YOUR BODY IN FULL VIEW, BELOW THE CHEST AREA.

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

REMOTE RUNNERS

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