The author feels that timing companies need more training as technical officials
times over a specific line , while less sophisticated ( and cheaper ) offerings sometimes provide times based on first readings , which can be two to three metres before the actual finish line . Same principles , same technology , but one is inappropriate to replace a good Technical Official .
It ’ s also important for athletes , Athlete Representatives , sponsors and organisers alike to realise that the likes of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY 10km or SPAR races will be important to both road and track athletes , who will not only stand to earn high level prize money , but also points , and if these were also Label events , those points would be even higher . This provides a real incentive for organisers to work towards Label status for their events , as it will help them to attract the best athletes .
Obviously , ranking requires measurement accuracy , and then , with correct analysis , it becomes possible to rank race difficulty as well . While this has not yet been adopted internationally , it could make for greater competition in local and provincial events . For example , a lap course , i . e . with the same start and finish , is record-legal , if measured by WA measurers , but a hilly or mountainous route is highly unlikely to produce fast times or high ranking points . By comparison , a point-to-point downhill course with both substantial separation of start and finish as well as drop in elevation , will not be record-legal , but it can provide fast times , so the points could be adjusted down due to the drop of the course and possible wind assistance .
Getting It Right
Under ASA rules , every road race must be hosted by an ASA-affiliated club , which is responsible for ensuring the adherence to ASA rules , regulations and standards . This includes accurate course measurement , as any running performance is purely dependent on accuracy of distance and time . Now , achieving a grade as a World Athletics measurer is typically a four- to six-year journey to gain sufficient experience to ensure the required level of accuracy – and there can be no place for inaccurate measurement , such as at the post-COVID GetFit Sunrise Half Marathon , if selection and ranking points are at stake . costly , but more convenient , foot- or bib-mounted chip systems .
Smaller events in the Western Province continue with a manual system , where the runner places their own name card ( carried in a bank bag ) in a numbered finisher ’ s sachet given to them at the finish line , then place the sachet on a results board , and their finish position corresponds with a time printed by qualified Technical Officials . This is the correct process , in that times are only recognised from federation-qualified Technical Officials .
Making it Official
Timing companies are generally commercially orientated , sometimes with little or no athletic background prior to offering sub-contractor services to events . While there are highly experienced and credible timing companies , I believe their role has been misperceived . Just as GPS watches are mistakenly believed to be accurate for distance , so too is the “ black box ” of timing . The base technology behind most timing systems is well proven , whereas the true accuracy lies in the software and the operators ’ experience of all the quirks , particularly in data , that can and do go wrong .
Firstly , when it comes to data , it ’ s literally a case of garbage in equals garbage out , and being able to unravel issues , mostly created at the time of entry or registration , becomes an art in its own right . Secondly , some timing companies utilise algorithms to calculate
Points earned in the new system could help athletes get to the World Cross Country Champs
The primary role and benefit of the system exists for capturing the mass of runners when their rate across the finish line exceeds that able to be handled by a small team of Technical Officials or club members . However , few of these companies have personnel who hold any form of Technical Official qualification . For this and other reasons , the times recorded are , under the rules , subject to amendment to agree with the times produced by qualified officials . A logical step would therefore be to require timing companies to undergo some form of training and accreditation as athletics timekeepers .
The new points system also means stiffer penalties could , or should , be applied to events that breech the ASA measurement , timing , and officiating rules , in terms of the lead runners . This is because the new ranking and selection procedures require higher levels of credibility and integrity in timing and officiating , which gives even greater meaning to the Provincial and National Technical Official symposiums . This also highlights the benefit and reason for having the Contender System at events , to separate those who are focusing on performance and prizes from those who desire a greater recreational and / or social focus . After all , not all the strict rules required for performance ranking are , or should be , applied to recreational runners . ( The Contender System was adopted in the ASA rules from 2019 .)
Catering for the Masses
Now it may seem that World Athletics has only focused on the elites , but 2023 also brings the introduction of mass participation events alongside the major championships , beginning with the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst , Australia next month , where a mass event and World Masters Championships will augment the senior championships .
Images : Josh Reid , Pit1233 / Wikimedia & courtesy MyLaps
Similarly , it is the national and provincial federation Technical Officials who are responsible for accurate timing and fair competition in events , with no athlete receiving unfair advantage . However , things have changed a bit in the last few decades : Since 1996 , the country has seen a growing number of timing companies entering the sport and offering various levels of sophistication in compilation of results for mass participation events . Prior to this , everything was done by the clubs and officials , with the use of tags from numbers , or bank bags containing finisher name cards , etc . These systems are easy to implement in smaller races , such as a 10km with 1000 runners , or in bigger races that have spread out fields , such as a marathon with 4000 runners , but are timeconsuming and messy in comparison with the more
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