Discussion: Oz Champs

Nice to follow from afar. But I don't recognise the "Route Gadget" link, it doesn't look like I am used to. Each "event" seems to hold only a single course, and there are many "events" for each "event". Like my cellphone I need a kid to explain. And how do I race dots against each other?

Thanks, I was just trying to write up a job application but now my brain has exploded trying to figure out RG2.

Same here at the event (check out me v cakewoman on sprint yesterday), but we have a tame RG2 expert imported to Australia to help us.

http://www.users.on.net/~dsg/gadget//rg2/
pick Tri Adelaide course 1 & 2
Click on courses
Click left checkbox for course 2
Click on Results
Choose course 2
Click on the right hand checkbox for the competitors with GPS
Click the < symbol to collapse the left hand side
Left mouse drag the map to be visible
Press start - you may need some advanced fiddling, suddenly I can't see course... anyway that should get you started

And if you were here tricky, you could rant about queuing starts...

Nah that's what EOD and non-school competitors have to expect!

Tell me again why they are so much easier for the organisers. Saves them having to tap a button to generate a start list. And if they did that they might see, given the number of competitors, it might save them an hour of standing around in the cold if they split a couple of courses. Nah, too easy.

Sorry having done a few start lists it is a bit more than a tap of one button. And then you have all the people wanting to change courses. And people did not have to get there at the first start time!

Then you get people who say 'Oh but I wanted to start at the same time as/an hour after such and such, please change my start time'...

I'd suggest that if open start times are to be used for an event with this number of competitors, it's probably better to use sign-up sheets rather than queues so people don't have to stand around.

I was on the start team last year, so its been interesting to watch this from the other side.

Managing the queuing start was a PITA (eclipsed by the pain of managing a punch-less start - a dumb idea that shows little sign of going away).

For queuing starts at these events, we could simply issue start times at rego, they get written on the chest number and crossed off a list. Anyone who can't be bothered doing that can go up to the start on spec.

A start list is a management tool for getting people to turn up to the start roughly when you want them to, not an hour later, just when you want to pack up the start and go home.

It must have been a long day in the field for the organisers yesterday, and a cold one at that, and all thanks to them.

Thank you undy, I managed to find two dots to race. As for any more, I'm off back to agricultural college to learn how to find needles in haystacks. Though I was lucky to get in, the course was nearly full, for some reason.

I didn´t see this system in action but this is how they did it at O-ringen this year:

Free minute start
Free minute start means that the participant at arrival to the start selects an available start time by taking a sticker and attaches it to the number bib.
The participant's Go-ahead time will then be according to the selected start time. Start interval within a single class is by default 1 minute. If necessary start officials can decide to shorten the start intervals.
Start can take place between 08:30 and 13:30. Timing starts when the participant punches the start unit. It is the participant's own responsibility to start punch.

The system can of course be modified a bit, but in general a system where the individual can/must choose their own start time from a set of available spots (stickers or not) sounds reasonable. This can supposedly also be done at registration.

@bubo - yep, this mechanism sounds good, if the start is remote have stickers/tickets at rego, otherwise at start itself.

Think that our next candidate for this might be the Xmas 5 days, I'll get onto the head honcho

@Robin - thanks to you and your team for a great week so far.

There's a Christmas 5 Days this year? Been hard to get any info other than this. I'm assuming it's going to be five street events with the info I've managed to gather so we haven't even considered the trip this year.

All - we can all watch and learn how to do things better next time!

Agreed - Robin!

Dinosaur alert - having pre-set start times add the element of a championship atmosphere otherwise I get the feeling it is just a BIG club event with lots of people I don't know. Being unsure of how many people MAY be on my course I'd be heading off to the Start earlier than necessary... just in case If there needs/should be spacing of runners in the same class by interlocking people on the same course - different ages then it must be done. [though my recollection is that at Aus champs classes are kept together in time whereas at State they are interwoven? - hazy memory] Can't actually see queuing starts at WOC. There's enough chatter about following there when there are 2-3 minute gaps.

I don't see where free starts are being pushed for champs events in this thread. The example bubo mentions above for Oringen is for the EODs and people who entered individual days, not the official 5 day entries. We all got allocated starts - both foot and MTBO.

Correct - I didn´t mention in my post that this was the EOD open courses AND the "B" categories where you actually enter with the premises that you can choose your own start time. Very handy for families with kids to handle before and after their starts.

tRicky - I thought the reference was in Blair's posting (not implying being favourably disposed to it - just mentioned)

" I'd suggest that if open start times are to be used for an event with this number of competitors, it's probably better to use sign-up sheets rather than queues so people don't have to stand around."
EoD numbers at Nationals are usually fairly low so with the reference to "event with this number of competitors" that why I thought what I did. Perhaps the jumbling of mid-week events /public races also got caught up in the conversation too?

Yeah I think that's what he's referring to. The midweek events have had upwards of 460 people registered (after the school kids), all queuing starts.

Indeed.