Watch time or "official race time" with no chip

7 watchers
May 2014
9:08pm, 15 May 2014
244 posts
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PerfectOrganism
Hello,

Just trying to get a general consensus on what people think on those races that are not chip timed and start their official timing when the gun goes off. This leaves a gap between the gun going off and actually crossing the line and in the end this adds a few seconds to your race time when the official times come in. Park run is a prime example of this. So my question is, what time do people record as their finishing time? I have a tendency to record the official race time as this is after all what is recorded. But as my times improve and the difference between one WAVA percentage point another can be just a few seconds over some shorter distances, I have started to become tempted to record the time on my Garmin as it is taken when I cross the line at both ends. I also think that the official time is not as accurate as my watch, but then again, it is an official time. What do people think?
May 2014
9:10pm, 15 May 2014
9,068 posts
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colettedeann
official time is what i put :)
May 2014
9:15pm, 15 May 2014
1,144 posts
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Fizz :-)
Official time, always. If those few seconds are going to be so important, than start at the front :-)
May 2014
9:16pm, 15 May 2014
6,134 posts
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rf_fozzy
Official race time (Gun Time) - that's you're actual time for the race with no chip. That's what is in the results.

Races where it matters (e.g. mass participation races, such as the exorbitantly priced Great Run series) and there will be a significant time difference between when the "gun" goes and when you cross the line, then they're usually chip-timed nowadays.

If you're after a PB at a Parkrun, then I am sure no-one will mind if you shove your way forward occasionally so you can really go for a good time. Apparently, it's "not a race" anyway!
May 2014
9:16pm, 15 May 2014
6,793 posts
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Bazoaxe
Agreed, anything else is potentially inaccurate.

I did parkrun 2 weeks ago and the starter botched up - just shouted go and the pack didnt know if we started or not. I was maybe 2 to 3 rows from the front timed myself at 18:45 but offiicial time was 18:47 which was still a PB, but I went with 18:47 and a 2 second P rather than the 4 second PB I probably ran as thats what record books show.

I was probably late in pressing start due to uncertainty, albeit 18:45 was probably accurate
May 2014
9:19pm, 15 May 2014
11,529 posts
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McGoohan
On the very rare occasions when I was likely to finish near the front (under populated parkrun if you must know), I start at the front and zap the Garmin at the gun (or klaxon or equivalent)
FR
May 2014
9:54pm, 15 May 2014
1,519 posts
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FR
Yep, agree with the view of posting official time if race not chipped.
May 2014
10:00pm, 15 May 2014
29,733 posts
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Velociraptor
Official race time for my race portfolio, though I'll use my watch time in my training log if there's a big discrepancy.
May 2014
10:06pm, 15 May 2014
468 posts
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Phil70
Official time has to be applied. If that is the gun time, then so be it.
May 2014
10:07pm, 15 May 2014
8,706 posts
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Dvorak
What, this again ;-) ? I tend to put my watch time as what I am interested in is how fast I ran a certain distance, not how long I took to cross the line and run a certain distance. It's not like I am winning anything or setting any records. I did try starting towards the front of my local parkrun once, for a CB attempt: 3 seconds to cross the line instead of 10-12; unfortunately I was knackered after 200m as I tried to keep up, then a bit disheartened as a hundred people quickly ran past me.

About This Thread

Maintained by Perfect Organism
Hello,

Just trying to get a general consensus on what people think on those races that are not ch...

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