31 May 2010

The 32nd BolderBOULDER 10k

The 32nd BolderBOULDER10k event kicked off early on Memorial Day.

Race organisers confirmed that 53,700 people ran or walked in this year's Bolder Boulder, just 300 shy of the record of 54,010 set in 2008. This makes it the largest race in the US in which all participants are timed and the fifth largest road race in the world. It has one of the largest non-marathon prize purses in road racing.It was recently named by Runner's World magazine as America's All-Time Best 10K. Each year, this event collects around $10 million for chosen charities and beneficiaries.

From a timing perspective, this event is immense. Beneath the surface of a brilliant sporting occasion, there lies a timing network unmatched in any similar event in the US. IPICO Electronic Timing Systems were chosen to time the BolderBOULDER. The vast amount of timing equipment required to deliver these comprehensive results were provided by five different timing companies and a timing team of 14.

There were 88 waves of runners, some who sprinted all out and some who ran for fun. No matter what the fitness level, every competitor wearing the IPICO ShoeTag tied into their shoelaces receives not only their personal finish time but also their individual split time at every mile point.

The End Result timing company ensured that the massive amounts of data was provided live on the web with competitors also able to receive their complete set of results by SMS within 20 minutes of finishing.
Up front it was a near perfect day for Ethiopia. Defending women's champion Ethiopian Mamitu Daska clocked in a 31:16 finish. Another Ethiopian came in at second with the time of 31:58 whilst Kenya's Emily Chebet snatched third place with 32:20.

In the men's race, defending Bolder champion Tilahun Regassa, along with Lelisa Desisa and Tadese Tola, looked like they were out for a training run. Running three abreast, they held hands as they ran into a roaring stadium, finishing together.

"It's the ideal event for IPICO" comments Michael Lynch, General Manager of Times-7 Sport who witnessed the event unfold. "It is a great demonstration of the capability of the IPICO system not only in terms of managing sheer volume but also in the ability to deliver multiple results over a broad competitive range. This means that every competitor receives accurate reward for the efforts they put in. Next year, I hope I have the chance to run it!"

About Times-7 Sport
Times-7 Sport provides sports timing solutions using the most advanced sports information technologies available in the world. Times-7 Sport is the Australian distributor of IPICO Sports and Times-7 sports timing products, including Sportscore, a state of- the-art event management software solution. Our systems make event timing easy, providing accurate and reliable results every time.