Forgotten chips

[pstewart]

I would be interested in knowing how race directors handle people who forget their chips and want to be included in the results. I know most races state "no chip means no time," but do folks hang tough and truly omit these people or do you quietly insert them into the results based on the best information your can recover?

I'd like to know if anyone has ever denied prize money or a top award to a runner who forgot his or her chip? How far up the ladder does the penalty go?

[JamesM]

This seems to only be a problem for half and full marathons. All other races near us give out chips on race day, even up to a few thousand entries.

If they don't have it before the start you can issue a new one.

Full and 1/2 Marathons generally have start mats and work on publish both full and elapsed time. Even if you know who they finished between, how do you fudge the elapsed time? How do you know they did not pop out of a portapotty and jump in a couple of miles down the course?

Sorry, no chip, no time. Glad you had a good time. Better luck next weekend.

[hillrunr]

Full and 1/2 Marathons generally have start mats and work on publish both full and elapsed time. Even if you know who they finished between, how do you fudge the elapsed time?

One potential answer to this is that anyone who forgets their chip gets an elapsed time equal to their full time. Assume they crossed the start line as the gun sounded. Don't like it? Next time, remember your chip.


How do you know they did not pop out of a portapotty and jump in a couple of miles down the course?

To me, this is the bigger issue. Without proof, how do you know they actually crossed the start line?

[Trailrunnerdude]

Full and 1/2 Marathons generally have start mats and work on publish both full and elapsed time. Even if you know who they finished between, how do you fudge the elapsed time? How do you know they did not pop out of a portapotty and jump in a couple of miles down the course?

This is a good question and not only for 1/2 and full marathons. For my chip-timed races I like to have a chip mat at the turn-around point or at the farthest point from the start/finish area. Otherwise, I get volunteers to write down bib numbers as runners pass such points.

As far as people who forget their chips at home on race day, if they bring it to the timing personnel's attention early on they can be issued a new chip. However, if they wait until 5 seconds before the race begins to tell us they forgot their chip, then it's kind of difficult to accomodate them.

[Hal Higdon]

In one race last winter, I entered at the last minute (as I often do) and after collecting my chip ran back to the car to get my singlet. But when I arrived at the starting line, I suddenly realized that somewhere between line and car I had lost the chip, possibly dropped it.

I ran anyway and later submitted the time off my watch by email, also the number of the runner who crossed the line near me. My name never made it into the results. The race director never responded to my email, but he also did not try to collect any money for the lost chip.

[JimG]

Hal, consider not having your name in the results well worth the $30+ you would have been charged for a lost Chip.;)