CHIP TIME/PLACE IN CATEGORY?

Marthastew

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, I've searched and I can't find a definitive answer...

with regard to races that are chip timed, I know what chip time and the finish time are I just have a quick question about place in category.....

If a runner finishes quicker than another runner (as per their chip times) but is placed after in the category is this because they finished after (and therefore started after also)? Does this then mean that to get your true place in your category you should start as near the top as you can?

Thanks!

BrokenMan

Official results i.e. place in category, overall finishing place, etc are always on the gun time. First cross the line is first and secord accross the line is second regardless of what their chip time is.

So to answer your question if you are serious about getting the 'correct' place in your category on the results then yes I suppose it would be important to start as far up as possible but in honestly its really only relevant for at the elite end of things. Most results now are published in excel format so you can work out your chip finishing position easily enough.

ecoli

BrokenMan wrote: »

Official results i.e. place in category, overall finishing place, etc are always on the gun time. First cross the line is first and secord accross the line is second regardless of what their chip time is.

So to answer your question if you are serious about getting the 'correct' place in your category on the results then yes I suppose it would be important to start as far up as possible but in honestly its really only relevant for at the elite end of things. Most results now are published in excel format so you can work out your chip finishing position easily enough.

This may not always be the case as there are plenty of races in which people of all levels can pick up age grouper prizes. You dont need to be up the front though as long as you are in the right position regarding ability level your race time shouldnt be too much impeeded and as such the couple of seconds different between chip time and start time would very rarely decide an prize place.

robinph

Have done a couple of chip timed races over this side of the water now where the positions in the results were given based on the chip times, and not the order that you crossed the line. Doesn't make sense to me for them to be doing it like that, but couple of people in the club I've queried it with seemed to think it was perfectly normal.

TheRoadRunner

robinph wrote: »

Have done a couple of chip timed races over this side of the water now where the positions in the results were given based on the chip times, and not the order that you crossed the line. Doesn't make sense to me for them to be doing it like that, but couple of people in the club I've queried it with seemed to think it was perfectly normal.

That is odd. You should point out to them that their approach turns it into a time trial rather than a race.

ecoli

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

That is odd. You should point out to them that their approach turns it into a time trial rather than a race.

Not to mention it contravenes official rules as chip timing is for personal use only. Both for official times in terms of rankings and placings. Occurs in elite races to as I know recently an elite athletes official PB was dubbed to be one second slower than his chip time because he didnt gain entry to the elite pin and as such started on second back off the leaders.
This was the difference between him ranking joint first and second in the countries official rankings