RunSignup’s new photo-based timing turns bib-tagged race photos into timing reads. Snap a photo in RaceDay Mobile, and a bib number and timestamp flow straight into a stream in RaceDay Scoring.
This new feature serves as a powerful supplement to chip timing, but how good is it as a standalone split point? To test the usability of photo technology as a split point and establish some best practices, we ran a field test at the Urban Wildland Half Marathon & 5K in partnership with Mike Erickson of MTEC Results.
The Setup
To make the test realistic, we used the kind of hardware commonly deployed at a remote split point with limited access. MYLAPS side antennas were carried up a path and placed roughly 10.5 miles into the course. A pair of iPads on tripods were deployed right next to the side antennas, one on either side of the path.
Throughout the course of the morning, from just before 8am to 9:35am, 374 runners came through the split. Each tablet was offset slightly, so that photos were taken roughly every other second, with a 2-second interval between captures on the same device. This resulted in 5,644 photos being captured throughout the morning.
The Results, Once Dialed In
After two adjustments to the setup (more on those below), 222 participants came through the split. All but one were read by the side antennas, and that one participant was still tagged in photos from both devices.
The RaceDay Mobile App settings were as follows:
Of those 222 participants:
- 197 had at least one tagged photo (88.7%)
- 142 had tagged photos on both devices (64%)
- Each device individually captured 75–77% of participants on its own
The accuracy isn’t going to match RFID — and you wouldn’t expect it to — but the majority of tagged photo reads landed within about 3–6 seconds of the corresponding side antenna read. Given the setup, it’s reasonable to think that if the side antennas had been placed further up the path, inside the photo capture zone rather than beyond it, those reads would land even closer to the actual chip time.
That’s an 88.7% capture rate at a single remote split point, using two tablets on tripods and no dedicated timing hardware.
What We Adjusted to Get There
The first stretch of the morning didn’t look like this. Before we made two changes, only 67.32% of participants had a tagged photo captured on either device, out of 144 participants during that window. The device on the runners’ left captured 68 of 144; the device on the runners’ right captured 77.
Two things were holding the read rate back:
The cameras were angled too steeply down the path. Instead of framing a long stretch of the approach, the devices were pointed at a narrow section close to the tripod, so each runner was only in frame for a fraction of a second before passing out of view. That short window meant fewer chances to catch a clean, readable shot of the bib, and more shots caught at a sharp angle or mid-stride.
“Tap the camera to focus on a point” was on by default. With this setting enabled, the camera locked focus on a fixed spot in the background rather than continuously refocusing on moving participants. The result was blurry captures of runners and their bibs, which hurt the read rate independent of framing. We’ve flagged this with the development team, and it will be off by default in the next release.
Once we pointed the cameras further up the path — giving runners a longer approach in frame — and turned off tap-to-focus, the read rate jumped from 67.32% to 88.7%.
Takeaways for Your Own Photo Split
Based on this field test, a few best practices stand out for anyone setting up a photo-based split:
- Frame your shot further up the course, not close in. You’ll be surprised how far out the tagging can still catch a bib number, and a longer approach means more chances to capture a clean, in-focus shot.
- Use devices on both sides of the road, path, or trail. In our test, each device captured 75–77% of participants on its own, but the two together captured 88.7% — a meaningfully higher combined rate.
- Turn off tap-to-focus (or wait for the next RaceDay Mobile release, when it will default to off).
- Remind participants to keep their bib visible. Many races have moved away from this reminder, but since photo-based timing relies on reading the bib number, a visible bib on the front of the shirt or shorts makes a real difference in the read rate. Packet Pickup is an ideal touch point for making this suggestion.
For very little hardware cost and no technical expertise required to set things up, an 88.7% capture rate at a remote split point most races couldn’t otherwise afford to time is a strong result — and a good starting point as we keep refining best practices for photo-based timing. We will continue to test and dial in best practices to help increase the capture rate.
Want to Use Photo-Basted Timing?
This technology is available through timers using RaceDay Scoring and the free RaceDay Mobile app. Please contact your timer for more information.
Timers can find information about photo-based timing set up here and can set up one-on-one time here.
Photo-Based Timing and Tracking: More Information
Learn more about RunSignup’s new photo-based timing and tracking;