Time chips

[suzannews]

Ok, this is probably a stupid question but the Minnie 15K is my first race and I hate the unknown. What is the time chip, where do I get it, where does it go, how do I get rid of it after the race, etc???

 

[jwfla422]

Although this will be my first participation in the Minnie Marathon in a few weeks I recently ran a 5K in my area.

The time chip is a plastic piece that you attach through your shoelaces (of your running shoes-it's about the size of a quarter with little prongs to run your laces through). There's a microchip in it that records your pace, etc. I BELIEVE they will be distributed during package pick up otherwise they would be distributed prior to the start of the race. Usually you need to give them back at the end of the race. At the race I ran recently we just took them off and dumped them in a box at the end of the course.

 

[Maherae]

Suzanne, I just posted this on the Minnie thread..

I found this:

http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.c...pdf/2008+Half+Marathon+Final+Instructions.pdf

This is pretty much what our chip will look like. It will come in an envelope with instructions AND pictures on how to attach it! It will have a little zip tie to attach it to your shoe with.There are volunteers after the Finish who are waiting to cut the tie and take the chip. DO NOT USE YOUR LACES TO ATTACH THE CHIP!! If you do so and the volunteer is nice, he/she will untie your laces to get the chip, otherwise, he/she'll cut your laces!

At the start, there will be a mat that stretches across the Start line, and there will be another one at the Finish line. When you cross the mat, you'll hear a "beep." That's your official start time, electronically recorded. Repeat at the Finish. The coolest thing to me is when hundreds of us are crossing the mat and all you hear is this long "beeeeeeeeeeeeeep!"

On some longer events, there may be more timing mats placed around the course. At the DL half and at WDW full they do it, and text your times back to friends and family. HTH! Anne

 

[Cruella de mom]

Oh rats I was gonna post a reply that went something like this:

"What! you haven't gotten your timing chip implanted yet!"

But saner and much more normal minds have prevailed.

You will attach it to a shoe with a very thin little zip tie much like you find attached to sunglasses from the drug store. It might be razor thin, but it is a very strong little tie.

 

[SamSam]

Oh rats I was gonna post a reply that went something like this:

"What! you haven't gotten your timing chip implanted yet!"

DH and I are always teasing each other about such things. Like "you won't need a GPS system anymore, it will be an implant that always tells you where you are" or "no need for an MP3 player, just download directly to the chip in your head".

 

[Maherae]

You gals!!!

Now, be nice to the young'uns!!!

At my first event, I couldn't get enough information! I was fascinated and thrilled by it all. Having the WISHers race reports to read with all of the detail was wonderful! I memorized the course, even. My DH, on the other hand, says, "I'll be following thousands of others. I'm sure I won't get lost." Men.

Keep asking those questions, ya'll!!!

 

[TnTsParty]

Does anyone think its worth it to get the Disney chip that you can purchase or should we just use theirs for free??

 

[dsnyfan21]

I have a championchip. It is worth it if you are going to be participating in many events that use that timing. The 3 half marathons I did this year so far all used it. Plus I can keep track online of the races I have participated in.
I will be using mine again for the Minnie, DL Half and a few more things this year.

 

[Lynn G]

Scott and I bought chips for our first race, the Disneyland 1/2 marathon. They are more decorative that the chips given to you by the race, we just have to be careful going thru the chip removal lines, as it seems like some of the volunteers want to take off our chips! We have had to tell them, "No, this is MY chip". We have learned that we need to bring the chip (and therefore the shoe it is attached to) with us to the packet pick-up for it to get "bleeped". But we enjoy having the logo of the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon on our shoes!

 

[wtpclc]

Tricia - lol. I loved my Mickey chip just because I love having Mickey on my shoe. NOt a fiscally worthwhile thing, but a niceperk. DH got me mine as a gift adn vice versa.

Suzannews - Good question. Your packet will have a pic and how to attach teh chip instructions. Or, you can find a WISHer and we will gladly help you! We need a racing 101 fro teh little things. When I worked at apacket pickup the weekend before last, I could not believe that people didn't know if they needed safety pins or what they were for. NOt picking on them, I felt awful taht they were so befuttled. Make sure you find a WISHer to go to the expo with and walk you through night/mornign rituals. Most people put their bib on their shirt or shorts teh night before and have their chip on their shoe adn everythign laid out and belts packed. That will help ease the mornign stress. Let us know if you think of anything else!

Cecelia -

 

[Pungodingy]

Should I be getting, like I did for the Half, a card in the mail, that I bring to registration?

 

[wtpclc]

Should I be getting, like I did for the Half, a card in the mail, that I bring to registration?

Nope. No cards in the mail. I will just print out my confirmation e-mail (that was sent by Active.com when I registered) and bring it with me. As Anne said on teh team thread, Minnie is teeny tiny compared to the marathon or half.

 

[Steffwalks]

There are some local races that are chip races that I have considered entering, but they charge you to RENT the chip and it isn't a cheap chip rent, either! $15 Doesn't take long to pay for your own at that rate!