Honolulu Marathon going high tech

HONOLULU (AP) — This year’s Honolulu Marathon is going high tech. Marathon

officials on Monday announced, with the implementation of a microchip system,

all participants will know their exact time for the 26-mile-plus race.

The

silver dollar-sized microchip, which will be tied into the laces of the

runner’s shoe, will register times when the runner steps on 3-feet-by-7-feet

timing pads placed at various sites along the race site. The system, developed

by ChampionChip and created by Texas Instruments, means recording a runner’s

time from the starting line to the finish line. No more waiting in the back of

the pack while the clock starts. “The exciting part about this from the average

runner’s point of view is accurate timing and reduction of anxiety to cross the

start,” said Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal.

The

chip, which will cost participants $8, is a transponder attached to a coil of

wire. Each chip has a unique seven-character identification code which cannot

be duplicated. The chip remains passive until it comes in contact with the

magnetic field of the timing mat.

When the runner steps on the mat, the

transponder transmits its ID code to antenna wires inside the mat and the

runner’s time is recorded.

Barahal said initially the pads will probably be

placed a the start, the 10-kilometer point, the half-marathon point and the

finish. It will also permit people on the Mainland, Japan or any part of the

world to track a runner’s progress through postings on the Internet

(www.honolulumarathon.org) during the race.