no official result - Spring Marathon

Edith

23/04/2012 at 13:22

I've run VLM yesterday, and my watch showed 3.30.02 as my result. However it is not showing in the results, but my name is there. I called the Marathon Office and they will look at the video and give me a gun result. It is very important for my GFA entry that I should have it.

The reason that I am posting is that I checked other people's times and there are LOTS of people without an official result. You can see, if you don't put any specific name in and search, there are at least a couple of people on each page. The woman at the marathon office said it is because I didn't register my chip, which I did. Also, she said I was the only one calling regarding this, which I am very surprised as lots of people are listed without a time.

Wilkie

23/04/2012 at 15:08

I think the list also includes people who had a place, but didn't actually run.

Certainly, someone I know didn't run is listed, with no result.

Edith

23/04/2012 at 16:11

Oh, I see. That makes more sense. Probably that's why the marathon office didn't have all those people calling and demanding a chip time.

It is still a bit dissapointing, though. I will have a gun time but no break down of my pace. Never mind, better than no result.

Sussex Runner (NLR)

23/04/2012 at 17:35

I don't know if your run can ever be verified without chip readings to proove you crossed all the points including start and finish. The was a lady once who turned up in first place after getting off the New York subway. I'm not saying that is your case but who knows?

cougie

pirate

23/04/2012 at 18:47

Weird. Your chip must have worked at the expo ? Don't the program it to your race number and scan it to make sure it works ?

Hope you get it sorted.

Edith

23/04/2012 at 19:25

Sussex Runner - the lady at the marathon office took my details and they will check the videos and give me a time. At least that's what she said and I damn hope this is the case as I need it for my GFA place.

I know what you mean,though. I don't know how they can prove that I didn't cheat. There will be official photos of me racing and my finish time is consistent to previous years', but still.

Cougie - it did work at the expo. The guy skanned it and my name showed up on his screen. I remember because he double checked my name (i have a foreign name)

Hornchurch Hammer

23/04/2012 at 23:39

Same thing happened to me 4 years ago Edith. I gave them the time I thought I went through the finish and they checked via video footage. Hopefully, as you finished 3.30 you were in pen 3 or 4 so it only took you a couple of minutes to go over the start line so have not list much time from the chip

Ultra Sparkly Bridget

24/04/2012 at 06:50

You are not the only person whose chip didn't work. Spoons who posts on the 3:30 thread had the same problem,

need for speed

24/04/2012 at 08:28

So did I. Out of about 18 runners from my club, (Northampton road runners) 3 of us didn't get a chip time. Bloody annoying and I wonder if VLM are being honest about the amount of failed chips?. I passed the 3.56 marker about a mile from the end, but I was hardly going any faster so do I claim 3.55?, and have no idea of splits as I don't like to check time on the way. I was in blue 5, so I guess I'll have to look at the finish line photo and try and deduct how long it took blue 5's to get over the start line?. I'm gutted.

Edith

24/04/2012 at 08:55

need for speed - did you and your club mates contact the marathon office? They will look at the footage for you and work out your time, however if you started from blue 5 it must have taken quite some time to cross the start line so your official result won't be great. As you say it is very annoying. I sort of checked my time throughout but it is hard for me to remember as I concentrate so much on the race. I love looking at my split times after the race and analyze my pacing.

There are lots of people listed on the results page without any time attached but apparently I am the only one who called the office.

Hornchurch Hammer - that's right, it took me a mere 35 second-ish to go through so my they will find me easily on the footage. Also, the green start is not as congested as the others and runners go through very quickly.

When I stopped my watch it was 3.30.02 and I was wondering that maybe my chip time would be just under 3.30. Now I will never find out. I would be gutted if they didn't recognize it as GFA

need for speed

24/04/2012 at 11:23

Edith

I called the VLM office yesterday morning and they they asked me to phone back as their database was down, so that's at least two of us reported it. Heaven knows how many failed? I'll phone again today and report back.

Emmy H

24/04/2012 at 11:34

Hi Edith - I hope that they sorted it out. When they registered my chip at the expo they made a check to make sure that it had registered. Did they do this for you?

need for speed

24/04/2012 at 13:25

Edith

I have lost my official time sadly. I just phoned the VLM office again and they said it's tough luck, my chip couldn't have registered when i crossed the line. They took my details and said they would give me a finishing time from a photo but the time it took to cross the line is down to me!. It's anyones guess, I can't remember?. Was it 3mins, 5 mins, 7 mins?. I was about two thirds back in blue pen 5 if anyone knows how long that took?.

All that training fundraising and effort and I haven't even got an accurate time, sickening.

Edith

24/04/2012 at 19:10

Emmy - when I registered the guy scanned it and my name and some more info popped up on his screen. He double checked my name (I assume because my name is slightly not what you expect).

So I know that my chip got registered. It is nothing that I did or failed to do that caused this. And I am feeling very stressed out now because it is paramount to my GFA place. I run it every year because I run under the required time andnow I am worried that I won't have a place for next year.

Also, my name was up on the results list but had no time attached. Not it has been pulled down. However my photos has started to upload on maratonfoto, so it is pretty clear I didn't cheat.

Sorry for the rant but I always took it granted that my time and pacing will be available and I feel like an outsider now, as if I had been erased from the race, if it makes sense.

Cloggs

25/04/2012 at 08:50

As your chip didn't register a time for any of the 5K splits, it probably completely failed sometime between the check at the expo and Sunday morning. That can happen if the chip is passed through a strong magnetic field or exposed to strong microwaves. Presumably nothing you did intentionally, but there's lots of magnets around whilst riding on escalators, or placing the chip next to a TV/speakers.

Maybe there needs to be a way to confirm the chip still works at Greenwich on Sunday morning, although the queues for the toilets are long enough without another queue for chip checks. It probably makes sense to keep the tag away from possible magnetic sources until Sunday morning, e.g. don't wear it on your shoes whilst traveling on the underground.

As you're clearly on the photos, hopefully VLM will make a special case for a GFA entry for next year.

Cheerful Dave pirate

pirate

25/04/2012 at 09:27

Edith, if you run every year inside the GFA time then last year's time will still be valid for entry next year.

Edith

25/04/2012 at 12:13

Dave, I actually thought about that but I have already used last year's result to get a place in 2012 and I am worried that it may not be accepted for the second time. Mind you, probably they don't check such things as far as the result is from 2011 or 2012.

NicChip

25/04/2012 at 13:45

need for speed - I was in blue pen 5 and started not far from the 3:56 pacer - we crossed the line at about the same time and it took about 4 minutes if that helps.

Cheerful Dave pirate

pirate

25/04/2012 at 14:04

Edith, you can use the same time twice no problem. I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure I've done that in the past. As long as it's from a marathon in 2011 or 2012, as you say. Don't panic!

need for speed

25/04/2012 at 14:05

NicChip

that does help and probably knocks another min' from my time?. Do you know your gun time was?