It's in the Chips

A little technology is changing road races in a big way

Guy Neal, who has run 13 marathons, used to worry about his position at
the starting line and how long it would take to cross after the gun went off.
But all that changed last year when he ran the Annapolis 10-Mile Run in Annapolis, MD

That’s because the race, and dozens others like it, began using what is known as an electronic "running chip" to measure each runner’s time from the moment he or she hits the starting line.

"I was quite impressed with it," said Neal, a 30-year-old attorney from Alexandria, Va. "It relieved a lot of the stress that one has at the beginning of a race in trying to position oneself at the beginning of the pack."

Running chips have been around in various forms for many years, but they were plagued by accuracy rates of only 50 percent to 80 percent. The technology didn’t really take off until 1996, when a Dutch company introduced its version of the chip at the Los Angeles Marathon.

The Dutch version, officially called ChampionChip, was used at about 50 U.S. road races in 1997, according to Burns Computer Services, an Ann Arbor, Mich., company that is the chip’s North American distributor. That number is expected to reach 150 to 200 races this year.

In addition to Los Angeles, other races using ChampionChip include The Boston Marathon, Walt Disney World Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., and the Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, Fla. Marathons in Chicago, New York and Houston have not yet offered the chip, but are considering it.

Many race officials expect the chip to eventually replace the traditional pull-tag and chute method, but the technology is not without controversy.

"It’s the wave of the future," said Cary Pinkowski, race director of the Chicago Marathon. "It’s the route that everyone will have to go sooner or later. You’d have to have your head in the sand if you thought it wasn’t the wave of the future."

In the beginning, the chip got its start in Europe, where it has been used widely at marathons such as Berlin, Barcelona and Rotterdam.

Burns Computer Services, which has been providing race results for nearly 20 years, agreed to test the system at the 1996 Los Angeles Marathon, marking the first time the ChampionChip was used in this country. Burns also used the traditional pull-tag method as a backup, said company president Mike Burns.

The test was a success and Burns signed on to distribute the chip throughout North America. The company then turned its attention to the 100th Boston Marathon.

With 37,500 registered runners, race organizers realized that the chutes would not be able to handle the numbers once the bulk of the runners began to cross the finish line. Chutes were open and tags pulled for the first 2 hours and 50 minutes. But then officials took the chutes down and began relying entirely on the chips.

The technology was later used at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

The plastic circular chip, which measures about one-and-a-half inches in diameter is three-eighths of an inch thick, and weighs fractions of an ounce, Burns said.

The chip, which is tied onto the runner’s shoelace, is assigned a seven-character code.

When runners run over mats placed at the starting line, an electrical current in the mats creates magnetic fields that charge the chips. The mats have receiving antennas that send the codes on the chips to a nearby controller box and computer, recording data for the runners.

The chips work in all weather conditions, according to Burns.

Most of the work is done before the race, when organizers assign a chip to each runner’s bib. Runners must remember to bring the chip with them and turn it in at the finish line. Most races require runners to pay for lost or unreturned chips at about $30 each.

At the finish line, runners return the chips and the results can be retrieved almost instantaneously.

While most of the chips used today are black and are given to runners by the race, ChampionChip also offers yellow chips that runners can buy and use from race to race. The cost is about $30, though Burns has not heavily marketed the for-sale chips yet.

While Burns is the national distributor, local companies provide service to races. Eight service companies already have been formed, but Burns said as many as 25 are in the works. Burns provides training and support and leases chips, but the companies must buy their own systems.

In Houston, five investors pooled their money to create Champion-Chip of Texas Inc. The investors bought one complete system — the controller box and the mats — in September for $20,000.

The company’s first race was in November at the Classical 25K in Houston, with 2,500 registered runners. Because it has only one system, the company moved the mats from the start to finish during the race, though that would be more difficult at a shorter race.

The company is considering buying an additional system. It has three more races lined up this spring — a 5K, 12K and 15K.

"We’re seeing signs right now that this is what the runners are asking for," said one of the investors, Tom McBrayer.

"As the runners start to demand that, then it will be the choice for races that are trying to attract runners."

The company did encounter a few problems with its inaugural race, McBrayer said. Some runners got their chips switched, mixing up their times. And one runner who picked up his bag but decided not to run threw the entire bag — and the chip — in the trash.

Race directors also cannot add runners to the race as easily as with the pull-tag method, which simply requires adding more bibs.

The chip is more expensive than traditional methods. While the pull-tag method costs $1 to $1.50 per runner, the chip costs about $2.50 each, according to Burns.

"That’s pretty significant — it’s a lot of money," said Pinkowski, who heads up the Chicago Marathon.

He did not use the chip in last fall’s 20th anniversary race because he didn’t have enough time to consider it in the budget cycle.

"We wanted to observe a little more," he said, noting that he expects to make a decision regarding using the chip at this year’s race soon. He may try elicit sponsor support for the added expense.

But perhaps the biggest controversy surrounding the chip is whether official results should be based on the gun time or the chip time.

For example, it is possible for a runner who is not the first to cross the finish line to have the fastest time. It is also possible for a runner to take advantage of the system by starting at the end of the pack and having to deal with fewer runners during the race.

Although the controversy is not as intense for elite or seeded runners, many participants vying for top age-group spots have voiced their opinions.

The best way to avoid problems is to announce before the race which method will be used to determine winners in age categories, race officials say.

The chip system gets high marks for requiring fewer volunteers. At a large long-distance race such as marathon, 100 to 120 volunteers likely would be needed to staff the finish line under traditional methods. The chip method would require only 30 to 40 people, Burns said.

"Starts become an easy flowing process if people realize they will get two times — the gun time and their chip time," he said.

And, without chutes, finish lines are less chaotic, added Neal, the runner from Alexandria.

"You didn’t have to go right for men and left for women," said Neal, who also used the chip at the Marine Corps Marathon. "It’s more liberalizing."

And because runners do not have to stop in a chute and can cool down at their own pace, race directors have seen fewer medical problems at the finish line.

Marine Corps Marathon officials observed the system at other races before deciding to try it themselves.

"There were a few bumps but overall the runners accepted it quite well," said marathon coordinator Rick G. Nealis, a retired Marine Corps major.

He said the best advantages were being able to provide results to the media and hand out awards quicker. The results also can be sent directly to television or the Internet.

The chip also allows race directors to offer splits throughout the course, though each split requires another entire system, including the mats, controller box and computer. Running clubs with access to a chip system can use it to keep track of training workouts and grand prix series.

"It’s just a matter of your imagination," Burns said.

At least one runner who used the chip during its U.S. debut in Los Angeles didn’t like dealing with it after the race ended.

"After running 26.2 miles, I don’t feel like bending over, undoing my shoelaces, taking off the chip and having to carry it to someone," said Tim Deady of Fairfax, Va. "It’s too much of a bother."

Race organizers are trying to make taking off the chip easier. At the Marine Corps Marathon, benches were provided and Marines assisted tired runners or those who couldn’t unlace their shoes.

But Deady, a 47-year-old reporter who has run 15 marathons, said the pros outweigh the cons. "Anything to help you get a more accurate time I think is good."