Beachy Head Marathon

Caterpillar

Oct 2010

12:13am, 31 Oct 2010

5,159 posts

0

Caterpillar

Flip. (regarding the results)

They have the race numbers and finishing times.
They have the race numbers and names.
They have the names and ages and genders.

How hard can it be? "Due to a glitch in the race software..."

Get someone who can construct a SQL query (me) to put together a results table and spool it out as HTML (me) and upload it to the interweb (not difficult) How hard can it be?

I wonder if they've accidentally erased a load of data somewhere.

Caterpillar

Oct 2010

9:12am, 31 Oct 2010

5,166 posts

0

Caterpillar

I think they have cut and pasted a file of the race times into Excel, that well-known piece of developer software, and then printed ALL of it out as a PDF. Excel decides what is best for you, without consulting you, in terms of data formats and you can't stop it doing it. So they are flummoxed since nobody knows how to do anything except cut and paste in Excel.

Caterpillar is a bit disappointed with this defeatist mentality. :-)

McGoohan

Oct 2010

9:23am, 31 Oct 2010

4,351 posts

0

McGoohan

McGoohan is worried that the tendency to write about onesself in the third person has spread across the thread boundaries.

Tracey G

Oct 2010

3:09pm, 31 Oct 2010

1,659 posts

0

Tracey G

Got home at lunch time today.

I would firstly like to thank Ultra Kaz for her company from mile 10 to the finish.

Kaz - we were going fast at the finish, well as fast as we could without falling over and rolling down that last hill.

Hippo - Me and Bernard will be back for other 6th and 3rd times :-)

Bernard wants a sub 5:30.

Battlecat - I said you would love Beachy, it is hard but well worth it.

Battlecat

Oct 2010

3:12pm, 31 Oct 2010

1,493 posts

0

Battlecat

Battlecat did indeed 'love it' and will be back next year

Tracey G

Oct 2010

3:27pm, 31 Oct 2010

1,660 posts

0

Tracey G

BC - And the next, and the next :-)

What did your OH think of it?

Battlecat

Oct 2010

3:30pm, 31 Oct 2010

1,494 posts

0

Battlecat

El Capitan was not as keen and he's had a bad ankle since, he managed 6 miles today but it's still hurting him :-(

Tracey G

Oct 2010

3:33pm, 31 Oct 2010

1,661 posts

0

Tracey G

(((El Captain))) - Hope your ankle improves.

Battlecat - We went for a family bike ride on the South Downs on Wednesday and I fell off my bike on an cattle grid:-( Now have a very sore shin bone.

AntBliss - the great dollop

Oct 2010

9:33pm, 31 Oct 2010

721 posts

0

AntBliss - the great dollop

Catepillar - having had exactly that conversation with the race organisers I'll refer you to the earlier points - *the numbers that they have against names are not correct*. Somehow people seem to have a number +1 or +2 or -1 etc from what they are supposed to have been given. Hence a simple merge query or vlookup on the data table will result in the wrong names against the results.

My theory is that when they were putting the numbers into the race packs that someone got two numbers put into their envelope by mistake (i.e. stuck closely together) (or there were numbers missing - it's been done before from suppliers) and then the next person got the next number off the top of the pile - which should have matched the number on the envelope, but it didn't. Do that for a few hundred, and hey presto - you have a load of people with the wrong number in their race pack and you don't know it.
The results however as they stand state what number was in what time, which is essentially all you need to know as a minimum.

I do know that they want to get it sorted out and hopefully next week there will be some steps taken towards a remedy.

Jovi Runner

Oct 2010

9:38pm, 31 Oct 2010

490 posts

0

Jovi Runner

When do entries open for next year - I ma very tempted to do Beachy after all the rave reviews

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Caterpillar Oct 2010 12:13am, 31 Oct 2010 5,159 posts	0 Caterpillar Flip. (regarding the results) They have the race numbers and finishing times. They have the race numbers and names. They have the names and ages and genders. How hard can it be? "Due to a glitch in the race software..." Get someone who can construct a SQL query (me) to put together a results table and spool it out as HTML (me) and upload it to the interweb (not difficult) How hard can it be? I wonder if they've accidentally erased a load of data somewhere.
Caterpillar Oct 2010 9:12am, 31 Oct 2010 5,166 posts	0 Caterpillar I think they have cut and pasted a file of the race times into Excel, that well-known piece of developer software, and then printed ALL of it out as a PDF. Excel decides what is best for you, without consulting you, in terms of data formats and you can't stop it doing it. So they are flummoxed since nobody knows how to do anything except cut and paste in Excel. Caterpillar is a bit disappointed with this defeatist mentality.
McGoohan Oct 2010 9:23am, 31 Oct 2010 4,351 posts	0 McGoohan McGoohan is worried that the tendency to write about onesself in the third person has spread across the thread boundaries.
Tracey G Oct 2010 3:09pm, 31 Oct 2010 1,659 posts	0 Tracey G Got home at lunch time today. I would firstly like to thank Ultra Kaz for her company from mile 10 to the finish. Kaz - we were going fast at the finish, well as fast as we could without falling over and rolling down that last hill. Hippo - Me and Bernard will be back for other 6th and 3rd times Bernard wants a sub 5:30. Battlecat - I said you would love Beachy, it is hard but well worth it.
Battlecat Oct 2010 3:12pm, 31 Oct 2010 1,493 posts	0 Battlecat Battlecat did indeed 'love it' and will be back next year
Tracey G Oct 2010 3:27pm, 31 Oct 2010 1,660 posts	0 Tracey G BC - And the next, and the next What did your OH think of it?
Battlecat Oct 2010 3:30pm, 31 Oct 2010 1,494 posts	0 Battlecat El Capitan was not as keen and he's had a bad ankle since, he managed 6 miles today but it's still hurting him
Tracey G Oct 2010 3:33pm, 31 Oct 2010 1,661 posts	0 Tracey G (((El Captain))) - Hope your ankle improves. Battlecat - We went for a family bike ride on the South Downs on Wednesday and I fell off my bike on an cattle grid:-( Now have a very sore shin bone.
AntBliss - the great dollop Oct 2010 9:33pm, 31 Oct 2010 721 posts	0 AntBliss - the great dollop Catepillar - having had exactly that conversation with the race organisers I'll refer you to the earlier points - the numbers that they have against names are not correct. Somehow people seem to have a number +1 or +2 or -1 etc from what they are supposed to have been given. Hence a simple merge query or vlookup on the data table will result in the wrong names against the results. My theory is that when they were putting the numbers into the race packs that someone got two numbers put into their envelope by mistake (i.e. stuck closely together) (or there were numbers missing - it's been done before from suppliers) and then the next person got the next number off the top of the pile - which should have matched the number on the envelope, but it didn't. Do that for a few hundred, and hey presto - you have a load of people with the wrong number in their race pack and you don't know it. The results however as they stand state what number was in what time, which is essentially all you need to know as a minimum. I do know that they want to get it sorted out and hopefully next week there will be some steps taken towards a remedy.
Jovi Runner Oct 2010 9:38pm, 31 Oct 2010 490 posts	0 Jovi Runner When do entries open for next year - I ma very tempted to do Beachy after all the rave reviews