View from the laptop

24 July, 2024 - David Power

A team of 3, well really 4, as Con is the high chief of laptop, who knows all that need be known. Happy to have Steven and Eoin to learn as we go. Reg is efficient the new strip on your bib number is quicker than throwing your leg up on a table and potentially pulling a hamstring.
We got through 224 runners in an hour. Lots of juniors and new runners.
Quickly over to the start, where I squeeze in another late reg guy, who asks as we're about to start "I don't need to sign in, do I?" Sorted with 1 min to go.
Off they go, we setup the timing matt and plug in a bunch of well labelled cables. Fingers crossed the lights come on. Con's gone off running so we're on our own now.
Everyone learning. If the program crashes, just start again.
It actually works well, picking up most runners as they cross the matt. Two people manually record finishers numbers and that's invaluable for reconciling missing numbers later. That's why you have to have your number visible at the finish.
While you go off to chat with fellow runners and munch on burgers and sambos, we sit peering over a laptop searching for those missing numbers. Bingo is hard to hit in a see of numbers.
We get there, conscious that Mikey wants to get prizes and raffle tickets thrown out. We have to be sure every runner is safely in, so it takes time. Then we can get to results and send them over to Mikey.
Happily sambos arrive to keep us going, thanks John.
Finally we upload the results file..some cleaning up remains so it may be tomorrow before you see results. John reminded us years ago in the Stone age you'd race and it wasn't till you arrived the week after you'd see a printed list of results of the previous week. How times have changed.
Home now, wind at my back on the cycle home. Happy out and I didn't even race.