Sportstats/Timing question

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 10:46 am

I have been wondering about the following and was hoping somebody on here would have an answer.

Ran Goodlife half on Sunday and had signed up for the Sporstats Facebook "live" update app. When I got to my car, I checked the Facebook posting on my phone and saw a time of 1:43:47. When I got home I checked the results on Sportstat's website, which listed my time as 1:47:50.

Now, I really don't care about the 3 seconds, but where did they go? What is this adjustment based on and how can there be multiple times? Isn't it a simple start and stop when the chip crosses the mats? Why are there multiple times floating around?

(I checked and it is not difference between gun and chip time)

Jwolf · Postby **Jwolf** » Tue May 07, 2013 10:54 am

That's more three seconds- do you mean 1:43:50?

If its just three seconds, then they often have a couple different timing mats- usually for backup in case one misses you. Sounds like they used one for the text/FB updates but this wasn't the official one- and results were later reconciled.

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 11:02 am

Jwolf wrote:That's more three seconds- do you mean 1:43:50?

If its just three seconds, then they often have a couple different timing mats- usually for backup in case one misses you. Sounds like they used one for the text/FB updates but this wasn't the official one- and results were later reconciled.

Yes, sorry, meant 1:43:50.

Ah ok, that would make sense.

jgore · Postby **jgore** » Tue May 07, 2013 11:17 am

It shouldn't matter which of the mats picked up the chip. The system will apply an automatic correction factor based on whichever mat it was and that is the time that will be displayed. There is no way the difference between the mats would be 3 seconds, unless you stopped dead at the finish-line and did a Tim Conway-style little-old-man walk across the mats. (Yes, a very dated reference.)

Is there any way that you accidentally read the time of one of the two people ahead of you who do have times of 1:43:47?

I can't see them applying a 3-second correction factor to only one participant. Do you know anyone who finished near you and, if so, have they noticed the same thing?

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 2:50 pm

I just double checked my time and I checked the time for my wife.

My time posted on facebook by Sportstats: 1:43:47
My time posted on Sportstats website: 1:43:50

My wife's time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:59:40
My Wife's time posted on Sportstats website: 1:59:24

Which brings me back to my original question, how can there be multiple times floating around?

La · Postby La » Tue May 07, 2013 2:55 pm

For Yonge St 10K FB posted my time as 48:38 and Sportstats had me at 48:37.5. FB rounded up.

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:09 pm

La wrote:For Yonge St 10K FB posted my time as 48:38 and Sportstats had me at 48:37.5. FB rounded up.

That I could definitely understand, these difference are a bit more than rounding :lol:

Irongirl · Postby **Irongirl** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:10 pm

sportstats has a FB page, right?

you should ask on there!

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:12 pm

I have sent them an email asking pretty much the same question. Just thought somebody on here might either have a similar experience, or had the answer etc...

Irongirl · Postby **Irongirl** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:15 pm

AjaxRunner wrote:I have sent them an email asking pretty much the same question. Just thought somebody on here might either have a similar experience, or had the answer etc...

my thinking was that you'd get a similar conversation on facebook - it would be interesting to see what others have to say as well!

Jwolf · Postby **Jwolf** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:33 pm

AjaxRunner wrote:I just double checked my time and I checked the time for my wife.

My time posted on facebook by Sportstats: 1:43:47
My time posted on Sportstats website: 1:43:50

My wife's time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:59:40
My Wife's time posted on Sportstats website: 1:59:24

Which brings me back to my original question, how can there be multiple times floating around?

In my experience, the Sportstats posts on FB are always off from the official times, but I never really thought much about it. I just always assumed they were using different timing mats and the data they sent to FB wasn't consistent (or official), but I guess jgore's experience shows there must be more to it than that.

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:38 pm

Good point, I posted the same question on their Facebook page.

Jwolf · Postby **Jwolf** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:45 pm

Now that I know who you are on FB I just confirmed your friend request.

Stampie · Postby **Stampie** » Tue May 07, 2013 4:01 pm

I never noticed it on Sunday, but I just checked my FB update by Sportstats and it was posted as 2:01:35, but if you go to the Sportstats website they show me at 2:01:33. :think:

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Tue May 07, 2013 4:02 pm

Jwolf wrote:Now that I know who you are on FB I just confirmed your friend request.

Another mystery solved :wink:

jgore · Postby **jgore** » Tue May 07, 2013 4:39 pm

La wrote:For Yonge St 10K FB posted my time as 48:38 and Sportstats had me at 48:37.5. FB rounded up.

IAAF rules. You can't give anyone a faster time than they actually ran, so every fraction of a second is supposed to be rounded up. That's why, in events where time is shown to the nearest second, two people who come across at supposedly exactly the same time can show up in the results as a second apart. (1:43:47.0 = 1:43:47 while 1:43:47.1 = 1:43:48)

I dislike that some timers show the results to the nearest 0.1 of a second. Electronic timing systems that use passive chips are not that accurate. The chip doesn't generate a signal until it enters the field generated by the mat/antenna. The field itself is anywhere from several inches to several feet wide, depending on the system in use, and the chip may be read anywhere within that span. That's why you may occasionally see a person who looks to be slightly behind another show up in the results as being slightly in front. If they want times to the fraction of a second, they rely on active chips (very expensive) or, preferably, camera systems.

Jwolf · Postby **Jwolf** » Tue May 07, 2013 4:42 pm

jgore wrote:I dislike that some timers show the results to the nearest 0.1 of a second. Electronic timing systems that use passive chips are not that accurate.

You mean they aren't that 'precise'.

p.s. I agree with you, though- it gives people the false impression that the tenths of seconds are meaningful.

sarah19 · Postby **sarah19** » Tue May 07, 2013 8:04 pm

The same thing happened to me. But mine was a 30 second difference. Also my friend and I ran together and we crossed the starting mat together but her gun time is like 30 seconds behind me. Doesn't make sense.

Irongirl · Postby **Irongirl** » Tue May 07, 2013 8:26 pm

AjaxRunner wrote:
Jwolf wrote:Now that I know who you are on FB I just confirmed your friend request.

Another mystery solved

and I just sent a friend request.

jonovision_man · Postby **jonovision_man** » Wed May 08, 2013 8:45 am

AjaxRunner wrote:I just double checked my time and I checked the time for my wife.

My time posted on facebook by Sportstats: 1:43:47
My time posted on Sportstats website: 1:43:50

My wife's time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:59:40
My Wife's time posted on Sportstats website: 1:59:24

Which brings me back to my original question, how can there be multiple times floating around?

Could it be gun vs chip time?

jono

La · Postby La » Wed May 08, 2013 8:52 am

jonovision_man wrote:
AjaxRunner wrote:I just double checked my time and I checked the time for my wife.

My time posted on facebook by Sportstats: 1:43:47
My time posted on Sportstats website: 1:43:50

My wife's time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:59:40
My Wife's time posted on Sportstats website: 1:59:24

Which brings me back to my original question, how can there be multiple times floating around?

Could it be gun vs chip time?

That was the first thing he checked. Nope.

Mid_Packer · Postby **Mid_Packer** » Wed May 08, 2013 9:04 am

Somewhat related...,. are the interval times gun or chip?
I recall one time checking my split time in a race (not this one) against what was posted on the site (Sportstats or some other I don't recall) and it was not what I had on my watch but was pretty close to watch plus difference between gun and chip final times.

Does it vary by company? I did Mississauga half this past weekend. Did anyone chekc their own 8k vs sportstats 8 k?

Dave

purdy65 · Postby **purdy65** » Wed May 08, 2013 9:30 am

FB was posting gun times.

AjaxRunner · Postby **AjaxRunner** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:07 pm

purdy65 wrote:FB was posting gun times.

But that is off too then, so definitely not sure that is the case:

My time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:43:47
Chip time posted on Sportstats website: 1:43:50
Gun Time posted on Sportstats website: 1:44.17

My wife's time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:59:40
My wife's chip time posted on Sportstats website: 1:59:24
My wife's gun time posted on Sportstats website: 2:01:14

Irongirl · Postby **Irongirl** » Wed May 08, 2013 1:21 pm

AjaxRunner wrote:
purdy65 wrote:FB was posting gun times.

But that is off too then, so definitely not sure that is the case:

My time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:43:47
Chip time posted on Sportstats website: 1:43:50
Gun Time posted on Sportstats website: 1:44.17

My wife's time posted on Facebook by Sportstats: 1:59:40
My wife's chip time posted on Sportstats website: 1:59:24
My wife's gun time posted on Sportstats website: 2:01:14

I think she meant splits.