Quote Originally Posted by fozzy View Post
This isn't practical is it? For a "fair" start, you'd need a dibber box for every runner at the start line!

The way the system works in mass start races is that everyone who registers is accounted for on the system with their dibber number and the system timing is started when the race starts (i.e. the SI bloke presses a button on his laptop when the race starts which encodes the start time to the system) - the registration should be the confirmation of who actually starts the race. If someone fails to start for whatever reason after registering, then they would need to go to download and confirm this with the registration/SI team.

This is the same reason why most fell races don't send out numbers and do EOD - you have a clear knowledge of who has started the race. If someone collected their number at a fell race and didn't start for whatever reason, they'd need to report to the RO as soon as they could anyway



Dibbers should give a more reliable count - it's possible for a marshal to miss count or miss someone's number because it's covered up with a jacket.

But you are correct about runners going lost. The argument here is that you would get a quicker count back to Race HQ - the marshal brings the box in off the hill after all runners have passed (to their knowledge) and downloads - straight away you get a count and exactly who has passed the CP.

But yes, it may still be some time before said lost runner is reported lost.
Fozzy - I didn't mean as you start but as you get to the start - just a bit more reliable than assuming everyone who has taken a number did actually start the race. Graham Arthur at Jura this year corralled everyone before the start and made everyone put a bread tag in a bag just before the off. Still not totally foolproof but I thought it was a good idea. I'm still not convinced about how effective or fast relying on boxes to be brought down off the hill and downloaded at the finish would be. Imagine a marshall on Kirkfell in Ennerdale - after the last runner goes through they might have a two or three hour trip back to the finish by which time the leading runners may have been back for a good few hours. If marshalls on a checkpoint are able to contact race control during the event and either they or race control queries a particular runner or numbers the box wont tell them unless they can access it there and then. They will have their written list which may or may not be accurate depending on conditions etc, but they could physically check their bag of tags. The alternative would be boxes linked electronically to race control, fine if it works which it may well not on lots of race checkpoint locations and a disaster if you are relying on it and it goes wrong which sods law says it will sooner or later.
I still think simplicity rules - writing down numbers and backed up by tags.