Whether it’s a casual 5km fun run or the World Junior Ski Championships, our goal for the race remains the same. Accurate, live timing is our bread and butter so it is imperative that we can provide this to all our customers. Nobody wants to see their efforts go to waste because their chip didn’t read or worse, the timing coordinator messed something up. Imagine you knew for a fact that you just ran your fastest 10km ever but were not given the satisfaction of proof because the timer didn’t wake up to his alarm. This was my fear going into the weekend as I prepped to time my first ever race. I had taken all the practice courses, read all the help documents and the race file was already made. As a remote timer all I had to do was wait for the start and make sure it didn’t hit the fan.

The Zone4 Timing system is Web based which means that a Zone4 employee doesn’t actually need to be on site to support the event. This is a huge game changer in today’s reality because not only does it save money but it also incentivises the organizers to learn the system and not have to rely on a timer. The more people know how Zone4 works, the smoother a race day will go. Of course, human and software errors do occur which is where I come in. The remote timer is there to provide assistance to the organizers throughout the day and make sure the times coming in are valid. Even though this was my first event, I felt more than comfortable with what I had to do. Besides, I wasn’t entirely alone. My coworkers were only a call or text away and would be more than happy to help if need be. This triathlon was in good hands!

With so many transition zones and split times, triathlons can seem like one of the more daunting events to tackle. Luckily for me, the volunteers were fantastic and our communication made the setup process feel effortless. A few small adjustments before the start and we were ready to go. I let out a small sigh of relief as I saw test times coming through from each point location before the race actually started. Then, the first start times come trickling through. Finish the swim, through the transition, onto the bike. All the splits seemed to be properly functioning. Other than a few DNS racers, things seemed to be going great. I encountered a few minute hiccups along the road including mis-inputs of bib numbers and racers running over split points multiple times but none of these were too big of a concern. With a few clicks of a button and the help of my trusty volunteers on site we were able to quickly resolve them. It looked like everyone was going to finish with their proper times. I felt silly about being happy that it all worked out. It’s supposed to work right? I think I was just relieved to not have screwed up on my first go at it. 

Once everyone had finished I compiled the results and sent it off to the organizers. They were just as happy to hear that their event was a success. Awards were handed out and we both thanked each other for the awesome day. A final check was made to assure the posted results were accurate and that was that. My first race had come and gone in just a few hours and it was all done from the comfort of my own home. With so many days left in the summer I had many more races to get excited about. Hopefully they all go as well as this first one!

From what I learned with this experience is that the key to success is: great communication, understanding the race course and transition zones, testing each of the timing points beforehand, and that each racer gets their correct pre-assigned timing chips. 

If you’re still reading this, maybe I’ll have the pleasure of timing one of your events in the future! See you then!

Ry and the Zone4 team