Racing Chips

Mrs. B. asked me what the race chip time was and so I thought I would tell just in case she is not the only one wondering. (I sure didn't know when I started racing, which was not very long ago)

These are mine and my hubby's chips from the Salt Lake Marathon 5K.


They were given to us by the race when we picked up our shirts and numbers. The "goodie bag."

The chip is clipped onto your shoe (so it's close to the ground and the little mat that will read it). And when you cross the mat at the start line the chip begins to count your time. So if you are starting in the back of the pack and it takes you three minutes to get to the start line those three minutes don't count against your time. So you know exactly how fast you were running. The chip stops timing when you cross the finish line.

I love this feature about racing because I can see the large clock ticking from gun time when I cross the finish, but I know that I ran faster than it looks because of my chip time. So I get a pleasant surprise when I look at the postings later at the event or online. Wonderful little invention.