Explore our Frequently Asked Questions. Get answers by clicking on the questions below If your question isn’t answered here, just send us an email or use the ‘Contact Us’ section on the right.
How much does chip timing cost?
The short answer is – not as much as you might expect. The reality is that each event has its’ own unique qualities, so it’s difficult to provide an exact quote until after we are able to discuss the details of the event in question. Often just adding a few dollars to your entry fee will cover the cost of our services.
How far does your company travel to provide services?
Our offices are based in the Flathead Valley of Montana. We serve many races in the state of Montana, and also travel to Idaho, Washington, Oregon,Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Really it comes down to the fact that we love being a part of competitive sport events and we’ll go anywhere to do it!
What is the smallest size race you will time?
In the flathead Valley of Montana, no race is too small (or too large).When we start traveling outside of our home area, we prefer a minimum participant base of 200 athletes.
What’s the biggest size race you will time?
There is no limit to size. That’s the beauty of our technology and company. Timing companies from different regions often work together to accomodate the largest events in the world.
What makes chip timing better?
Immediate real time results, several backups in our system to avoid errors, and our other clients report that their stress levels on race day went down – way down.
Do you supply the bibs
Yes. Each bib correlates to a unique timing chip and we’re happy to cover this task for you. If you prefer to purchase bibs yourself we can match our timing chips to the bibs you already have.
What do you recommend for registration and packet pick up?
We recommend online preregistration for your event. We can set this up for you. For races under 1,000 participants, we recommend same-day registration in addition to online preregistration.
Do you just do running races?
No. We do triathlons, multi-sport segment races, nordic events, and almost every other human-powered competitive sport.
Will you work for free for my charity/ fundraising race?
Possibly! We have and will continue to work for free or at discounted rate for some charity events. At Competitive Timing, we believe in supporting good causes and strong communities. In fact we played a major role in starting Run Whitefish, a non-profit under the Road Runners Club of America’s group exemption. Run Whitefish donates money to organizations in their community.
What if the start of my race is delayed?
No problem. We care about the start just as much as the finish. Most races have minor delays in actual start time. We adjust to the need at the time and then generate results accurate to one thousandth of a second for every athlete. Often races have wave offsets by division or even participant. Some race directors may prefer to let slower participants start sooner than the rest to help them complete a course by the cutoff time.
Do you time high school events?
Yes. In fact, we offer discounts to school system sponsored events where registration fees might be considerably lower than other events.
My race is different than most, can you still time it?
Races are different for many reasons. We can adapt to your event. You don’t have to adapt to us.
I want split times. Can you handle that?
Yes. We can handle as many split locations that you require. We can chip time the start, finish and as many points in between as you like. Some courses may even lap over the same timing point more than once.
Can you send race results via text message the instant a runner crosses the finish line?
Yes. If a participant or spectator signs up a head of time for the service.
Will you send us the results so we can put them on our own website?
Yes. We’ll send the data in any format you desire. We will always have the results on competitiveTiming.com.
We would like to upgrade our race website or start a new website. Can you help us find a better solution?
Yes. We’ll discuss your site with you for free and offer suggestions. We can also design and set you up with a new website or website makeover designed to attract more participants and sponsorship dollars.
Can you handle a Photo Finish?
Yes. We use a Finish Lynx photo and video recording system that integrates with our chip timing system. Our camera equipment is accurate to one thousandth of a second.
How far in advance do I need to contact you?
We need a couple of weeks at minimum to prepare our equipment for your race. We have many race directors who have hired us for an annual race once, and then they just ask us to come back – year after year. We offer discounts when deposits are made on multiple years.
I’m creating a brand new race from scratch with little race directing experience. Can you help me with more than just timing?
Yes. We’ve been in the event management business for a long time. We have many connections in the industry and have learned some things the hard way. We are happy to share our experience and contacts openly with you. We love seeing new races get off the ground.