parkrun thread
488 watchers
Jul 2020
4:39pm, 15 Jul 2020
6,894 posts
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Sigh
ION: I have already run one parkrun course this week, I ran the Wammy in the rain this morning, loved it! First time there since the end of Feb. Managed 27:14, on an empty stomach and after 15 miles over the previous 3 days. Going to run Hanley again on Friday as well. |
Jul 2020
5:25pm, 15 Jul 2020
633 posts
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BexleyKev
I wouldn’t want to have to drag batteries and mats up some of the hills and trail paths to the start of some events. The simplicity of parkrun is one of its charms - sadly the original keep it simple, pack up asap and leave no trace has long gone but there has to be a time when we accept that volunteer time should be kept to a minimum and the need for someone to store and look after equipment is limited. Back to basics, turn up someone says go and run to the finish which may or may not be 5k away and not worry too much if the official time you are given differs from the actual time ran or that you appear several minutes and places adrift from the person you ran with because we can have a laugh about it over a cuppa later ( if there is a cafe nearby ).
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Jul 2020
12:19pm, 16 Jul 2020
6,515 posts
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The_Saint
I think people are confused (as someone has pointed out) between what NFC is for and what RFID is for.
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Jul 2020
1:47pm, 16 Jul 2020
9,139 posts
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chunkywizard
If you're interested have a look here: nxp.com page 4 is a good summary of RFID showing NFC at the bottom. |
Jul 2020
1:57pm, 16 Jul 2020
7,895 posts
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jda
I don't see the need for mats and (much) power, couldn't a runner just tap their bracelet/whatever on a reader at the finish? It should be a lot easier and quicker than the current token scanning system. I suppose you'd have to stop rather than sprint over the finish.
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Jul 2020
2:47pm, 16 Jul 2020
11,542 posts
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larkim
Tapping and scanning wouldn't work for timing in the peak busy periods in the mid 20 minutes, especially at large events. It would need runners (sic) to be ready with their tags as they dug their deepest in the last 200m etc, and then not be engaged in any finish line tussles. Doesn't mean that contactless with a low power nfc reader instead of the barcode scanning couldn't work though. But you'd be back to the principled position of parkrun as wanting as few barriers to participation as possible, and printing off a barcode is deemed to be the lowest traction option. Certainly it's low cost to parkrun themselves, compared to providing NFC tags to all participants in some way. |
Jul 2020
2:50pm, 16 Jul 2020
129 posts
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JJJ
"tap bracelet or whatever" I just checked our last results and at the busy time we had 40 finishers in a minute - and that was a quiet week (only 411) Bushy's record is 6 people in one second! There's no way there's enough time for people to self scan their time, getting people over the line and out of the end of the funnel is hard enough already, if they were scanning..ooh, I didn't hear it beep, has it scanned, I'll have another go...the queue would be backing up over the finish line a long time before we reached peak flow! |
Jul 2020
3:48pm, 16 Jul 2020
5,979 posts
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57.5 Degrees of Pain
It is just possible some of parkrun's positions might have to bend to the 'new normal', and no amount of pining for the good old days will alter that sadly. The Hoy Half Marathon uses chip timing where the mat is bussed out into the middle of nowhere with the runners and swiftly set up. The cost can't have been that high (used for one low price annual race of 100 or so participants). I still have my personal Comrades chip sitting safely in case I run the race again. So there are options to be considered. |
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Jul 2020
4:12pm, 16 Jul 2020
634 posts
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BexleyKev
HQ have already made their position clear about the conditions for return and the many options that have been banded about ( although the wind can change it is highly unlikely they will deviate from their ideal scenarios for safe return and more unlikely that they will adapt any form of timing system that would not be practical either in terms of; additional equipment, storage, volunteer set up time, ease of use by participants or any permanent infrastructure, across all events or that imposes a barrier to participation for some ). In the meantime there are plenty of socially distanced club / running group events and even a few small races happening to enable those that need to have something organised for them to take part in. Quote from parkrun blog ‘ We are also, at this stage, not looking to reopen events until we can do so in a way that is the same as or similar to how they operated before lockdown. We understand the good intentions behind the many suggestions being presented around changes to how parkrun events could operate. We’ve seen ideas such as wave starts, no finish tokens, limited attendance, and enforced physical distancing between participants. However, the majority of these interventions are likely to add levels of complexity to our operating model that at best make it incredibly difficult for volunteers to deliver events, and in some cases make it impossible. Importantly, much of our success over the last fifteen years has been due to our relentless focus on removing barriers to event delivery (as well as to event participation), and now more than ever we must keep that principle at the forefront of our minds.’ |
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Jul 2020
4:43pm, 16 Jul 2020
9,143 posts
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chunkywizard
57DoP, the 'chips' are pence, it's the mats that cost. For an annual event they rent the mats or get a race company to sort it for a fee. If you needed them every week the model wouldn't work.
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