RFID News

Greater Manchester Marathon 2012

The weather gods turned on “something special even for Manchester”  for the 2012 Greater Manchester Marathon after an absence of 10years.

In wet and windy conditions just under 5000 runners took to the start line to brave the elements, with the winner Dave Norton toughing it out in 2hrs 24mins and 46sec.

The Greater Manchester Marathon was timed by STUWEB Race Timing with state of the art UHF disposable timing chips.

Combining the practicality of disposable chips with the power of RFID Race Timing’s UlLTRA systems, the timing did not miss a beat.  In spite of the horrid conditions all the equipment worked like a charm with split point times provided along the way at 6, 10, 13.1 (half marathon), 20 miles and the finish.

Check out the photos and read more at: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1492405_replay-runners-battle-wind-and-rain-in-manchester-marathon—video-and-pictures

ULTRA debut in China

RFID Race Timing has arrived in China with Genco Jin of Sydex timing two events for the Da Li Sports Council over the weekend 6-8th April, 2012. The versatility of RFID Race Timing System’s ULTRA was demonstrated timing a 5 km fun run for 3500 finishers on the Friday and following up with a 40km cycle race for 870 riders on Sunday.

Genco was very pleased with the way the ULTRA system performed.

“By using ULTRA and Outreach we were able to provide fast live timing results to  the Sports Council, who were very happy with the level of service.”

RFID Race timing’s remote access software (Outreach) has dramatically increased the options available to race timers. In this instance, an ULTRA unit controlled via Outreach was used at the cycle turnaround, and was able to send live results to the control centre over the cellular phone network. In addition to streaming results, settings can also be adjusted remotely as the race unfolds. Several units can be linked in this way allowing results to be updated live as the race unfolds.

We look forward to seeing many more races timed in China using ULTRA, with our agent Genco Jin very optimistic of the opportunities that are unfolding. Prospective timers in China can find Genco’s contact details here, and more about our Outreach software by contacting you local RFID Timing agent.

Qatar National Sports Day Fun Run

When the Government of Qatar announced that the second Tuesday of February was National Sports Day, the region truly began to embrace its sporting culture.

The national sports facility of Qatar, The Aspire Zone Foundation organised a 4km fun run at the Khalifa Stadium to mark the occasion. RFID Timing’s HDD system was used to time the event as part of a partnership between the Aspire Zone Foundation and StuWeb Race Timing.

The event was unique being completely free and attracting a diverse range of participants.  A truly multicultural event; the entries were received  in many different languages and the runners ranged from Qatar’s cleaners to chief executives.

The high level of community support made  first National Sports Day event a great success, fueling the desire for more events.  The next  race planned by the Aspire Zone Foundation is a tower run in the famous Torch Hotel ascending  51 floors on the 31st March 2012.

Tobacco Road Marathon NC, USA

The running of the Tobacco Road Marathon in North Carolina on Sunday 18th March was a great success for organisers and athletes alike.

FS Series timed the event using ULTRA and were absolutely “over the moon” with the performance of their RFID Race Timing  system. Jason Biggs with FS Series reported that they used Short Dipole tags with the Ultra.

“Worked like a Charm! We double tagged and it’s probably the best timing race we have done.”

Andrew Peterson from RFID Race Timing was not surprised. “I think the UPM short dipoles (M4) are superior to the Aliens so perhaps this explains better results. Some initial reports also say that the latest Viper M4 from UPM is even better.”  Word has it that the Viper M4 is hard to get, however initial results from some timers in Europe are fantastic.

RFID is committed to researching new tags as they become available to the market. As soon as we get our hands on these tags we will compare their performance against the current tags available.

2012 Annual Cape Argus Pick and Pay Cycle Race

The 35^th annual Cape Argus Pick and Pay was held on the Sunday 11^th March with over 35,000 cyclists taking to the road. The conditions were perfect with the feared south easterly wind that has taken its toll in the past absent this year.

Competition was hot in the elite category with a number of crashes resulting from the intense racing. Incidents marred both the male and female results with the eventual winners Janse van Rensburg and Moolman Pasio.

This iconic event with its origins dating back to 1978 and just a few hundred riders has become the largest individually timed cycle event in the world.

For a number of years now this event has been timed by Racetec SA with RFID Race Timing’s HDD timing system. The reliability of this timing system combined with low profile mats makes it a perfect option for a cycling event of this magnitude.

To see more of this iconic race visit www.cycletour.co.za

River Kwai (Thailand) Adventure Race

One of our newest members of the RFID Race Timing network: Active Management Asia has run the 2012 River Kwai Adventure Race with great success.

Two person teams competed on a demanding course that included biking, jungle running, kayaking and river swimming with some surprise obstacles along the course.

The race started at the Bridge on the River Kwai, which was made famous by the POW’s under Japanese control in WW2, and featured in a movie of the same name. The terrain included a variety of scenery from the jungles to rice paddy fields with likely challenges from snakes, spiders, mosquitoes and even stray dogs.

The ULTRA timing system was easily up for the challenge. Using both 4 and 8 port systems the team at Active Management Asia were at ease capturing the split and final times. RFID Managing Director Andrew Peterson made the trip to Thailand to help out with staff training and fine tuning for the race. For more photos of this event click here.

OCBC Cycle Singapore 2012

Fast becoming one of the most popular sports events in Singapore, OCBC Cycle Singapore 2012 was run on the first weekend in March attracting more than 11,000 participants over the 3 days. The cycling fiesta is a combination of  pro events and a range of distance challenges that engage Singapore’s cycling community.

Race timing was contracted to Blue Chip Timing who timed the mass participation events using the ULTRA8 (RFID’s UHF timing system). Based on the success of this system at OCBC Malaysia late last year, Blue Chip employed a combination of the low profile ULTRA mats that are rapidly gaining popularity for cycling events, and the side read antennas to capture start and finish times.

Read more about this event at ocbc.cyclesingapore.com.sg

T&H Timing Score Women's Indoor Marathon World Record at Maple Leaf Marathon using RFID's Ultra.

Several dozen marathon runners came together over the weekend to have some fun at Goshen College, and one of them probably set a world record in the process. T & H Timing were trackside using RFID’s ULTRA race timing system to capture the times on the day.

Read more about the ULTRA timing system and how it can transform your timing business.

Or for more on the record check out http://www.etruth.com/article/20120226/NEWS01/702269897

RFID Americas Conference 2012

“Florida was amazing” is pretty much the summation of the 2012 RFID Race Timing Conference held between the 26th and the 28th of January 2012. Conference participants were treated to the latest innovations and trends in the timing world set on Florida’s spectacular coast.

Held at Deerfield Beach Resort, this was the perfect location for the  launch of the new ULTRATAG. Our USA agent Al Harding stole the show with his graphic demonstration of the ULTRATAG being read whilst fully immersed in a glass of water. This spectacle was a real attention grabber with the assembled crowd, highlighting the possibilities for triathlon, mud runs and multi-sport events in general. Using a combination of side read antenna and the ULTRATAG timers quickly identified that this is the UHF solution to the water issue.

Through the formal sessions the Pro-timers attending were captivated by a range of stimulating presentations ranging from an insightful presentation by Andrew Peterson on the future direction of  RFID race timing through to the brilliantly practical presentation on “Effective strategies for building your race timing business” from our UK agent Stuart Steele.

Needless to say the informal networking that occurred during the breaks and at the end of each day ensured that new relationships were developed between timers from all parts of the country. The open conversations that resulted in businesses sharing their “tricks of the trade” was not only invaluable to those assembled but illustrated a true camaraderie between timers using RFID Race Timing equipment.