Press Release from PikesPeakMarathon, Inc.

Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., and the Pikes Peak Road Runners plan to roll out a new chip timing system at the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run on June 10.

The organizations have agreed to share the cost of the new system, about $40,000, plus additional purchases of hardware and the chips, according to Pikes Peak Road Runners president Mike Shafai. All of the Triple Crown races - and probably several others - will be chip-timed this year. Shafai said testing of the new system could start in April.

Ron Ilgen, President of Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., said the team effort works on multiple levels.
"This is a win, win, win for the runner, the Road Runners and the Triple Crown,” Ilgen said. "And it continues a long-term relationship between the Road Runners  and Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., so it really is a perfect fit."

The Road Runners had wanted a new timing system for years, Shafai said, but the cost vs. the net benefit to the running community never made sense ... until now.

Armed with new information provided by club members John and Bethany Garner, plus the blessings of Dave Sorenson, longtime volunteer and head of timing, the club voted unanimously at its February meeting to move forward.

The club and Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., will purchase the Ultra System by the Australian company RFID Race Timing Systems.

The Garners spent about six weeks digging into the world of chip timing. They liked the Ultra system because the chips - which stick to the back of race bibs and can be purchased from a number of vendors - cost only 35 cents each.
"This allows us to keep the cost low for the runners," John Garner said. "We didn't want a system that cost nothing to acquire, but then hit us with a $5 per runner fee for chips."

With chip timing, runners will receive their exact time from the starting line to the finish, eliminating the seconds and sometimes minutes it takes to actually reach the starting line once the gun sounds. It also allows for a simple finish line process, with runners completing their race by passing a chip sensor, rather than standing in a finish chute as volunteers collect bib tags. And there is opportunity for split-time reports, meaning runners will ultimately receive more information about their performances.

 Ilgen, who is always concerned about runner safety in the Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon, said the new system will come in handy when participants are scrambling up the mountain.

“It’s important for us, especially in bad weather, to know where our runners are on the mountain,” Ilgen said. “This new system will help us with that.”

Sorenson, who has worked with the current system for about 15 years, said he is "happy and nervous at the same time. Once we get our feet wet, the stress of race day activities regarding results should be reduced," he said. "But in the meantime, there is a lot of new stuff to learn."