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Gasparilla Races To Feature Tiny Timing Tags

Tribune photo by JASON BEHNKEN

After the race, runners can keep the electronic timing tag.

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By RICHARD MULLINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 8, 2009

TAMPA - Runners in this year's Gasparilla races will have a nifty new souvenir to keep after they zoom in triumph or struggle in agony over the finish line:

The tiny electronic timing tags attached to their shoes.

That's different from past years, when organizers used an extensive timing system that required nondisposable electronic chips on runners' shoes. After crossing the finish line, runners had to wait while race organizers clipped off timing chips.

Not a comfortable hiccup, especially for marathon runners who are apt to gasp for air and fight nausea after their run.

"This new process will be much quicker and more efficient," executive director Susan Harmeling said.

An estimated 17,500 people are expected for the 5-kilometer, 15-kilometer, half-marathon and marathon races Feb. 28 and March 1.

The new system uses RFID tags, similar to those used in retail stores and office ID tags. The system tracks the starting gun, the moment runners pass the starting line, several intermediate waypoints and the finish line, automatically registering a runner's time at each point.

Race organizers hoped to use the disposable tag system last year. But it was a relatively new system and had suffered big breakdowns in major marathons. With those glitches, organizers stuck with a more proven system.

This year, the technology is more refined, Harmeling said. And it costs organizers just $4 a runner, a fraction of the price of older systems. Since it's disposable, organizers don't have to swallow the cost of tags that runners forgot to return.

The tag comes attached to the race "bib" that runners will pick up at registration. They pull the tag off the bib and tie it to their shoe for race time.

On Feb. 28, the wheelchair race starts at 7:25 a.m., the 15-kilometer race at 7:30, the 5-kilometer race at 9:30 and the 5-kilometer walk and stroller roll at 9:50.

On March 1, the marathon, half-marathon and marathon relay start at 6 a.m.

For information, go to www.tampbayrun.com or call (813) 254-7866.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919 or rmullins@tampatrib.com.

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