Race Timing Stories to make you howl (at the moon)

Happy Fall everyone!

Well the changing colours and amazing warm October sunshine fill your running shoes with anticipation for an annual ritual. Yes we now offer yet another version of our most popular Gloat Goat post: ‘Real Stories from Time’ – a collection of stories and quips exposing the quirky underbelly of road race timing.

 

Here are some of the best of this year, in no particular chronological order of when these TRUE stories happened …

 

A timer in the mid-western United States tells us of the runner who ate a timing chip during a half marathon. He was listed as a BM under the final posted results, BM for Bowel Movement. And it took 24 hours to get the final time!

 

A timer in southern Ontario encountered a somewhat bizarre version of a popular addition to small town road races: the bar stop as substitute for watering station. In this case though the runner forgot to leave the bar and cross the finish line. Most drinking runners show up at the finish line just before final sweep time. This particular runner was awarded a DNF on the official race time. The race note descriptor was changed to Drinking Not Finished!

 

RGT did a race recently where a Bassett hound (yes a hound) won its age category … All ages were multiplied by 7 for equivalency.

 

Best overheard quote of 2013: “Best way to improve my time on a race: date the race timer”

 

New additions to the Timers Podium of Odium:

1) Someone with a jogging child carrier wanting a few seconds taken off her time for maternal benefits.

2) The all too common expectation that the timing chip will magically understand that the runner has switched from a longer race to a shorter race as said runner has not told anyone at race registration. Easy way to get a world record time and win an event. Runners please tell your race organizer if you plan on switching events!

3) A runner complained about her time, her bib number being misplaced and the speed of result posting only to admit later she had been querying the wrong race result sheet and site.

 

So there you have it for 2013 folks, another whimsical peak at the job of race timing. You meet a ton of amazing and interesting people. We love it!!!

 

One of the Goats

 

PS If you have any interesting stories to share from raceland, drop us a comment or note.

 

 

 

WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW!

check our our new race results page!

WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW!

check our our new race results page!