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Chip time vs. Garmin time.
Wheelyneil
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in Gear
Has anyone else come across discrepancies between race chip timing and Garmin time? I've just done the York 10 miler and was slightly annoyed that I just missed my 1hr 25min target - Garmin said 1:25:17. However, when the results were published I had a chip time of 1:24:52. That's a whopping 25 seconds difference. I initially assumed that I'd started my watch by accident and that the 25 seconds passed in the start line traffic jam because I know for certain that I stopped it bang on the finish line. However, I've double-checked in the Garmin app and the start/stop positions are in exactly the right place, and the start/stop pace is exactly what you would expect. So, where did the 25 seconds go?
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Comments
There's been a problem with one or two chip timing systems in the past that aren't really up to the task of processing thousands of runners crossing the start line at once, and you end up with a delay in recording your start time. By the time you get to the finish you're crossing in ones and twos so there's no problem, but the net result is a short chip time.
Modern systems should be better than that, but it's certainly happened on some old systems using the 'wire loop behind the number' type of arrangement.
Then it was Gun to chip time which meant your official time could be minutes out if you had a slow start in a crowded field (think about 11minutes was my record from pen 10 at London)
Now its chip to chip, so doesn't matter how long it takes to cross the start line, so missing the start because of queueing for the loo is no longer a problem.
Whether that official time corresponds with your garmin because of technical problems with so many runners crossing the start line is neither here nor there really, just be grateful you got under 1:25 officially.
Whether that official time corresponds with your garmin because of technical problems with so many runners crossing the start line is neither here nor there really, just be grateful you got under 1:25 officially.
Yeah, but I'm only fooling myself really, if indeed that's the cause of the difference.