Is my watch broken?

Hi all,

I did the winchester 10K today (a good fun run with some challenging hills). It was the second time I have done a run which used 'race timing systems' where you tie a disposable chip to your shoe. On the last run I noticed my chip time was about 20s slower than my watch time. This time the chip time was 30s slower. I take care to start and stop my watch when I cross the line so I would be surprised if my watch time was wrong by more than the odd second here or there (it keeps good time)

I just wondered what the general thoughts were on the accuracy of these chip timers.

Cheers

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Comments

  • My chip times have always been the same as my watch give a second or two, which is most likely my starting/stopping the watch not exact with the timing mat.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    I think any differences could be explained by Albert Einstein's 'General Theory Of Relativity'.

    🙂

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    you either mistook where the start line was, or you got the one chip in every 10,000+ that goes wrong.

  • Crippso this has been asked before it s dependent upon the direction, did you run clockwise or anti, and left or right shoe
  • I find that both watch and,chip times are consistently about 2mins slower than I think they should be.
  • EKGO wrote (see)
    Crippso this has been asked before it s dependent upon the direction, did you run clockwise or anti, and left or right shoe

    Surely this would be to do with Nike+ systems, not chip timing devices. The chips don't measure distance, they just start a record times when you cross the line.

    I find it hard to believe that you're 20-30 sec out twice. If you think there's a problem with your watch just check it with another stopwatch. Simples.

  • if its a garmin.did you stop at ll at the feed station.......many people do and forget to switch off the pause function on their garmins.........so if they stop for a drink or the toilet or to cross a road.their garmin stops so making a discrepency

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    who stops their watch at a feed station!? You can't just stop in a race, stop your watch and expect to count that as your race time!

    Otherwise we'd all just thunder mile reps, stop for 20mins, and then do the same again, and get amazing times!

  • I think Seren means if you have auto pause on then if you stop to do a shoe lace or go under a bridge it will stop so the time will be out.

    I did a half once with the auto pause on and got back with a smashing P.B.

    Got back  to discover that my watch had stopped under a tunnel which was about 1/4 mile long.

    Error not to be repeated.

  • sounds like it must just be me then! Although i like RicF's idea that it could be down to Einstein - I am carrying a little extra weight round my waist at the moment - perhaps enough to curve space sufficiently to slow the passage of time in my vicinity! image Actually, even better - i was running soooo fast that time slowed down?!

    EKGO, are you serious?! Well, in case you are, it was on my right shoe and i was mostly going anti-clockwise, mostly.

  • The Winchester 10k was a gun to chip time - did you switch it on when the gun went off, or when you crossed the line?  You may have lost 15 seconds or so depending on how close you were to the front.

    However, that said, my husband ran it as well today and his chip time was about 10 seconds slower than his watch time - and he did switch it on when the gun went off, so he was a bit confused!

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Speed of light I'd say.

    🙂

  • Hellywobs,

    i didn't realise it was gun to chip - i didnt even realise that was a thing? sounds pretty pointless to me but it would account for my time being so different because i was near the back. So, after accounting for that, the phase of the moon and the fact that i had my chip on my right shoe I think that makes my actual race time come in at minus 8hrs and 10seconds!

  • Are you sure the chip wasn't on your shoulder
  • Stevie G . wrote (see)

    who stops their watch at a feed station!? You can't just stop in a race, stop your watch and expect to count that as your race time!

    Otherwise we'd all just thunder mile reps, stop for 20mins, and then do the same again, and get amazing times!

    yes stevie........I siad the watch stops.not you stopping the watch........if the autopause is not switched off then this has mucked up many a persons race time.....

  • ekgo i have a bag of frozen ones perched on their all the time!

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    why would you have autopause switched on though? In fact why would that ever be a useful feature? I can't see it.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Autopause. 

    A totally useless feature. It takes several seconds before it realises that you have in fact stopped moving.

     

    🙂

  • i have mine on a lot..........if i'm on the bike .especially in a group you have to stop at lights and to regroup...so to autopause gives me a better balance of my speeds.........

    also when running a training run and need to stop for a pee or to stop and wait for the group it switches off to keep a more accurate picture of the training pace......image

    Ric F.it might take a few seconds but it also takes a few seconds to realise you are moving again so balances out

  • Autopause on many garmins can be set either when you have stopped, or you can set it to pause if your pace drops to a certain level. I make extensive use of neither of them. My times in training really aren't that critical, and in a race all I need is time from A to B
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    there is another way to stop the clock when you stop.

     

    Press the stop button.

  • Hi ran the Winchester 10K myself today and my chip time is 19 seconds slower than my watch.  My watch works fine.  If you look at the recetimesystems website everybodys race time is the same as their chip time.  I think they are giving out the start gun time not the chip time.

     

     

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    that looks to explain it Martin. They've bungled it image

    Very irritating. I've only seen organisers screw timings up once before. A half marathon 2 years ago. They gave even the front runners 7seconds different between their chips and gun times.

    All they needed to do, was to reduce the chip time by 7seconds.

    INSTEAD, they added 7seconds on!

    Meaning everyone was double hit!

  • Stevie G . wrote (see)

    there is another way to stop the clock when you stop.

     

    Press the stop button.

    but then you have to remember to start it again.can't remember the number of times i've forgotton to do thatimage

  • I ran this one too, couldn't see any timing mats at the start line when lining up so I assumed it would be gun-to-chip so started my watch accordingly, and my watch time matched my result, same for a clubmate too.



    As mentioned above, everybody's chip time and gun time were identical on the timing site results so it obviously was gun to chip. That does not bother me for a low key event like this, as long as it has accurate results over an accurately measured distance, but I understand why it would bother many others. Organisers should make it clear in advance what timing method will be used though, so people know what they are paying for; I don't think that they did in this case.
  • I agree Ballesteros..........when chip timing is advertised you assume its start to finish........it annoys me when its gun timiung only as this is there just for the organisers benefit at the finishing chute and not for the competitors benefit........

    they should make it clear.......

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    ahh gun to chip is always irritating.

    you either want chip to chip or not bother having chips!

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