A running race may have start, middle, and finish line times. RFID became mandatory technology in the 1990s when the running boom and manual timing could not cope with the large number of runners reaching the finish line at the same time.
RFID also makes it fairer for runners to have NET times when they cross the starting line, not when the gun goes off. UHF technology is currently the number one technology used for large participation running events but is equally popular with small weekly club races.
A race with a separate start and finish line (but no halfway line) might look like the illustration below.
In the above case, both the start and end points are 4m wide and each point is timed by a reader connected to 8 mat antennas. Time widths of up to 16m can be used but remember that one time point will require two rows of mat antennas and a 1m wide antenna railing. A 16m wide time point therefore requires 4 reader systems (wide but not unusual for international marathons).
Of course, a club can time both the start and finish with a single reader on a 2m wide timing point. This setup would not be recommended for races with more than 500 runners, and it is debatable whether a start is necessary for a race with fewer than 500 runners. In this case, every runner gets the same GunTime at the start.
Timing solution for leading professional sports tournaments in Vietnam based on RFID technology
RFID technology records achievements and updates them immediately on the results page
Flexible system, suitable for a variety of sports such as running, mountain running, cycling, triathlon