Case Study: London Marathon runners prefer chips - March 2007  

On 22 April 2007, some 35,000 runners will line up on the England capital’s Blackheath for the start of the 27th London marathon. And thanks to UK-based technology consultancy, Marathon IT, every single runner will know his or her time to the very second, despite the fact that they all start seconds, minutes or even an hour apart as the huge throng surges across the Blackheath start line. There will also be around 6,600 Marshall’s on duty to ensure the runners and spectators keep to their respective sides of the route.

The course takes in some of the capital’s finest sights – Cutty Sark, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace - and will draw crowds of around a million who will line the 26 mile route.
But once the elite racers have finished – past winners include such great names as Joyce Smith (1981) Charlie Spedding (1984), Steve Jones (1985), Eamonn Martin (1993), Ingrid Kristiansen (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988) Joyce Chepchumba (1997, 1999), six-times wheelchair marathon winner Tanni Grey-Thompson and Paula Radcliffe (2002, 2003, 2005) - there's another four or five hours while the ‘charity’ entrants run, jog, walk or crawl across the finishing line. For these people, their time may not be world-class but it is still absolutely vital it is right.

A fundraising juggernault

The Flora London marathon is the largest annual fundraising event in the world, raising over £41.5m pounds for deserving causes in 2006. It will also be the most high-tech race in the history of the event, with each of the 35,000 runners having their own personal ‘microchip timers’.
As part of the pre-race registration procedure, each runner receives an electronic identification chip. This small silicon chip, with its passive transponder, is attached to the runner’s shoelaces and emits a signal each time the runner passes over the ‘reader mats’ strategically placed at 5km intervals.
The chips give an accurate time and position on the progress of all entrants and the marathon’s official results are based on the elapsed time of each runner between crossing the mats at the start and finish lines. The signals emitted by the chip are managed by an integrated computerised system designed and developed over the last seven years by Marathon IT, the London marathon's independent information technology services provider.
The processed data including analytical graphics is also used to feed BBC TV Sport for immediate on-screen display to millions of viewers worldwide. The same information is routed to the marathon's command post and press centre where the information is disseminated to the world's sports media.
Paul Hepburn, managing director of Marathon IT, said: ‘This is a live broadcast event which demands rock-solid IT back-up, so we use tried-and-trusted technology, designed, planned and implemented by our experienced IT professionals. We don’t have a second chance to get it right on the day.’
Hepburn and his Marathon IT team are currently heightening their technical preparations for this year’s marathon by undertaking a series of agreed acceptance tests using modeling and simulation techniques, analysing full and isolated data re-runs of the 2006 race. Marathon IT staff have gained an enviable amount of knowledge and experience by plying their skills and services at each of the past seven London Marathons.

Testing, one, two, three

As part of the preparations for the London Marathon (pictured right courtesy of Getty Images Sport and photographed by Hugo Philpott), the Marathon IT team was out in force at the Adidas Silverstone half marathon on 18 March 2007. The team used this opportunity to carry-out a range of tests and live simulations to ensure the systems, equipment and operators are ready for London’s 22 April event.
And it’s not only the eyes of the world’s media that will be interested in the performance of the high-tech personal timing system this year. The Marathon IT system is attracting attention from other areas of the sporting world, both at regional and national level. Among these are In-line Skating, Cycling, Triathlon and Duathlon, all of whom are keen to learn how they can accurately measure ‘big field performers’ exact race times.
There are no surprises then that the planning and preparations for the 2008 London Marathon are now underway.
The Marathon IT Limited consultancy practice has over 20 years of experience and provides solutions to several different market sectors including small local business, corporate companies head quartered in the City of London, Local Government, NHS and time critical sports bodies.
Marathon IT prides itself on helping its customers and clients to ‘raise the bar’ by maximising the value of IT to their businesses; this is achieved by enabling the client to take advantage of proven independent information technologies, which enables clients to concentrate on their core business activities, safe in the knowledge that Marathon IT is ‘keeping the IT systems running’.

For further information, contact: paul.hepburn@marathon-it.co.uk or visit www.marathon-it.co.uk

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