The Summit Athletic Running Club is able to offer guidance on all aspects of conducting races. If you are a first time Race Director or simply want to discuss ideas concerning your race we can offer input on everything from race entries, the course, registration, shirts, water stops, aid stations and of course the finish line and timing of your race. Our membership is able to call on years of experience from both running races and conducting races to offer advice.

Race Services

Race Services within the Summit Athletic Running Club will perform the timing of your race. SARC provides all aspects of the finish line including chutes, clock, timing equipment and personnel. If you are familiar with equipment and procedures for timing a race, SARC will rent equipment for your race. For current rates on full timing of a race and or rentals please contact the Summit Athletic Running Club- Attention Race Services.

The finish line can be a very hectic-pressure atmosphere. Whether your race is using "index" cards or color coded pull tag numbers our well trained volunteers make timing a race look easy. SARC equipment is frequently upgraded and kept in best of condition. It is inspected well before each use. A brief outline of activities at the finish line follows.

All events that SARC provides timing for are directed by a SARC Race Services representative. This person will meet the race director the morning of the race for information on the start/finish, age groupings and any other nuances of that particular race. This SARC member will then be at the finish line to coordinate the timing effort.

Small races will usually direct runners into a single walkway or chute after crossing the finish line, while larger races may have chutes for both men and women. Each chute must have its own timers, people movers and tag collectors, each chute requires at least 5 people to operate. The finish line is typically marked with tape, this is where a Chronomix Race Clock will be set on a elevated platform for runners to see their time when crossing the finish line.

The runners then enter into the "chute". Located near the large clock are two "timers" (always have a backup) who are triggering a handheld Seiko Timer each time a runner crosses the finish line. These timers print out the elapsed time for each runner. On large races a "Select Timer" may be used, this timer is able to record the runner's number and time for periodic checks in the timing. The runners continue on into the chute.

Runners must stay in order in the chute after crossing the finish line for calculating place of finish, a task easier said than done.
This is where someone is placed to insure runners stay in place. When a large number of runners finishes near the same time, chute control is vital. This SARC volunteer must not only keep delirious runners in place, but tell them to pull their tag and hand it to someone and of course "keep moving".

At the end of the chute the runner will hand their pull tag to a SARC volunteer who is responsible for keeping the tags in order of finish. Many times two people will be collecting tags, one to insure the tag is handed in correctly (face down) and in order and one to collect or "string" the tags. During a lull in runners crossing the finish line the SARC Race Services representative will collect one of the Seiko printouts and a stringer and start computing results. Finish line workers mark their printouts and stringers accordingly and continue timing the runners.

Scoring the race can be completed by the Race Director or by SARC. Frequently on race day the Race Director has other issues to concentrate on and leaves the scoring of the finish to SARC. Pull tags are numbered and compared to the corresponding time on the printouts. Overall and age group placement is then compiled with age groups provided by the Race Director. For races where immediate results are necessary SARC offers computerized timing in which results are downloaded from the Select Timer into a computer for instant results.

Finish line workings can appear complicated, it is important to know the distractions that may occur and guard against them.
Our finish line "volunteers" are not only familiar with these possibilities, but more importantly know what to do if something gets confused or questions occur. Contact Summit Athletic Running Club's Race Services if you desire more information or a rate schedule.