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Used Strava to time a mates race at the weekend but a couple of stages were problematic and we had to estimate times. Have you run races, how do you time them?
Two extra mates with Walkie talkies and a stopwatch.
That or mass start...
There was a strava add on for doing this (called mates race) but it broke earlier this year with an API update from strava.
Even so strava still has to be the answer - you can time stuff properly with just two stop watches and some method for identifying the order of finishers like tom says, but while that is low tech it's still a big step up in effort for a mates race.
Is the GPS in a phone accurate enough for that?
Strava is useless for accurate times. I've overtaken a mate on a section before and it had him as being a couple of seconds quicker
What Tom said. If you get all serious you can probably find somewhere that'll rent you a sportident system. Then there is no disputing who the winner is/losers area
We just use an honesty system stop watch on the bars
For a mates race just stick with Strava, cause its not that serious right?
Can't edit previous post, but radios and an app called nytatime is what we've used. Bit better than stopwatchs as you can set it for stages and riders so the need for extra mates just to run the timing is gone. Anyone with the app can start/stop. The radios aren't even really needed, but it saves the first/last rider having to fiddle with getting out their phones in a race run.
Like the idea of a mass start!!
The nytatime app sounds like what I’m looking for if it’s more reliable than Strava although we’d still have to badger folk to add it to their phones and have a dummy run to check its working for them. The non-stravaists found that tricky.
Weve discussed hiring timing equipment or even buying second hand but landowners couldn’t/ wouldn’t turn a blind eye to what’s going on. Thanks for the replies👍
As trailrat said we’ve always (7 years and counting) just used self timing with everyone carrying a watch or whatever assuming everyone is honest. It minimises the faff and the number of people needed to run the “race”.
The nytatime website, it doesn’t appear to be an app, seems interesting though. Do you need data connection to use it?
Could you have two folk with synchronised watches (or phones, I guess) at top and bottom and just set each racer off at predetermined intervals - ie Racer1 goes at 18:00, Racer2 goes at 18:01 etc. Then the person at the bottom needs to make a note of the time each racer finishes (you could probably get an app for this too). Should be a bit more accurate than Strava.
Stopwatches or strava, as said above, it's only a mates race, it's hard enough trying to get folk to show for a ride at times, never mind asking them to stand about with stopwatches. Then they have to get to the next stage, top and bottom, ain't gonna happen.
This thread makes me feel lonely. The only other person I know who rides is four hours away so I don't even have one riding buddy, let alone enough to hold a mates race 🙁 sounds an awesome thing to do.
stopwatch and take turns recording times. Everyone is a mate so no one takes the piss (much! haha)
first rider down goes back up and sets of the last person.
winning is everything. strava defines a winner but not the quickest rider and for bragging rights that is why you are doing a race in teh first place.
strava is shit really and seems to be getting a lot less accurate of late.
We use these!
We tried martials, tried Strava...all had draw backs. Then when I couldn't ride my bike after a knee op for a few months I decided to make something better to stop me going stir crazy in the house. One rider is a start gate another is a finish gate and the boxes are strapped on to the top tube of 2 bikes and carried around with the group. Everyone carries a an RFID wrist band with there name and race number stored on it and dips at the top of the stage and again at the bottom. At the end of the race the times are read off via USB and automatically generate a leader board. The best thing is the 2 riders carrying the boxes can also have tags and race....just so long as the finish gate goes down the stage first and the start gate goes down last. Both boxes get time for the GPS signal so super accurate. We have had 2 successful races so far and getting better all the time as I iron out the glitches.
Wooft! These are some serious approaches to a mates race! I'm impressed!
As above. Stop watches and honesty. It's a mates race after all, so more about the fun than the competition (mostly....)
We use these!
I hope you never encounter any armed police when out and about with those things!
Never thought of that - suppose they do look a little like IED's 🙂
good job the name of the game is stealth!
@ndthornton they look the business
We’re keeping it fun and as light hearted as we can after three events. We have a handicap system that works pretty well hence the need for times from everyone- not necessarily accurate times. We believe inaccuracies will balance out over stages.
@ndthornton those are impressive!
I bet there'd be a good market for them - get yourself over to Dragons Den!
Could you have two folk with synchronised watches (or phones, I guess) at top and bottom and just set each racer off at predetermined intervals – ie Racer1 goes at 18:00, Racer2 goes at 18:01 etc. Then the person at the bottom needs to make a note of the time each racer finishes (you could probably get an app for this too).
The watches don’t actually need to be synchronised, as long as they aren’t running significantly faster than each other. If you set off your riders at dead-on minute intervals you’ll just record the time on the other watch and calculate the difference. It may not give completely accurate times over the ‘race’ but it will give a timed order. One watch could be set for London time, the other for Istanbul - makes no difference. (Other than realising that your 4 minute hill climb now reads as 4hrs and 4minutes. 😂 )
I bet there’d be a good market for them – get yourself over to Dragons Den!
Id be eaten alive by the Dragons 🙂
More "Fred in a shed" than entrepreneur...wouldn't know where to start.
As soon as my knee got better enthusiasm rapidly dwindled... If I hadn't promised to have them ready for an event they wouldn't have got passed breadboard stage. The last few weeks were a real struggle and when I finally screwed the lid on I had grown to hate the infernal things!
That was 2 years ago and haven't yet had the urge to interfere with them again. Hopefully they wont break as I have forgotten how to fix them 🙂
those are impressive!
I bet there’d be a good market for them – get yourself over to Dragons Den!
Already exists - either SportIdent that someone mentioned above or EMIT ( https://www.emit-uk.com/). Both used in different capacities for orienteering.
Already exists
Well not exactly - all the ones I have seen require gates to be left in situ on the race track. Not exactly ideal if your not meant to be doing it. I wanted something more low profile... that was carries with the group and required no setup. Not to mention they are all ridiculously expensive!
Not sure how you market the "stealth" side of things when what you are doing is 'technically' not allowed 🙂