Is my watch broken?

Hi all,

I did the winchester 10K today (a good fun run with some challenging hills). It was the second time I have done a run which used 'race timing systems' where you tie a disposable chip to your shoe. On the last run I noticed my chip time was about 20s slower than my watch time. This time the chip time was 30s slower. I take care to start and stop my watch when I cross the line so I would be surprised if my watch time was wrong by more than the odd second here or there (it keeps good time)

I just wondered what the general thoughts were on the accuracy of these chip timers.

Cheers

My chip times have always been the same as my watch give a second or two, which is most likely my starting/stopping the watch not exact with the timing mat.

Your watch is just faster than you are

I think any differences could be explained by Albert Einstein's 'General Theory Of Relativity'.

you either mistook where the start line was, or you got the one chip in every 10,000+ that goes wrong.

EKGO wrote (see)

Crippso this has been asked before it s dependent upon the direction, did you run clockwise or anti, and left or right shoe

Surely this would be to do with Nike+ systems, not chip timing devices. The chips don't measure distance, they just start a record times when you cross the line.

I find it hard to believe that you're 20-30 sec out twice. If you think there's a problem with your watch just check it with another stopwatch. Simples.

if its a garmin.did you stop at ll at the feed station.......many people do and forget to switch off the pause function on their garmins.........so if they stop for a drink or the toilet or to cross a road.their garmin stops so making a discrepency

who stops their watch at a feed station!? You can't just stop in a race, stop your watch and expect to count that as your race time!

Otherwise we'd all just thunder mile reps, stop for 20mins, and then do the same again, and get amazing times!

Who stops at all in a 10k except at the end?

I think Seren means if you have auto pause on then if you stop to do a shoe lace or go under a bridge it will stop so the time will be out.

I did a half once with the auto pause on and got back with a smashing P.B.

Got back  to discover that my watch had stopped under a tunnel which was about 1/4 mile long.

Error not to be repeated.

sounds like it must just be me then! Although i like RicF's idea that it could be down to Einstein - I am carrying a little extra weight round my waist at the moment - perhaps enough to curve space sufficiently to slow the passage of time in my vicinity! Actually, even better - i was running soooo fast that time slowed down?!

EKGO, are you serious?! Well, in case you are, it was on my right shoe and i was mostly going anti-clockwise, mostly.

The Winchester 10k was a gun to chip time - did you switch it on when the gun went off, or when you crossed the line?  You may have lost 15 seconds or so depending on how close you were to the front.

However, that said, my husband ran it as well today and his chip time was about 10 seconds slower than his watch time - and he did switch it on when the gun went off, so he was a bit confused!

Speed of light I'd say.

Hellywobs,

i didn't realise it was gun to chip - i didnt even realise that was a thing? sounds pretty pointless to me but it would account for my time being so different because i was near the back. So, after accounting for that, the phase of the moon and the fact that i had my chip on my right shoe I think that makes my actual race time come in at minus 8hrs and 10seconds!

Stevie G . wrote (see)

who stops their watch at a feed station!? You can't just stop in a race, stop your watch and expect to count that as your race time!

Otherwise we'd all just thunder mile reps, stop for 20mins, and then do the same again, and get amazing times!

yes stevie........I siad the watch stops.not you stopping the watch........if the autopause is not switched off then this has mucked up many a persons race time.....

ekgo i have a bag of frozen ones perched on their all the time!