Blog

  • Race Director FAQs

    What information do you need to provide a quote?
    We’ll typically need your race date, estimated number of participants, location, race distances, and which services you’re interested in. If you don’t have everything figured out yet, that’s okay—we can help you work through the details.

    How far in advance should I contact Arsenal Events?
    The earlier, the better. Race dates, equipment, staffing and other resources can fill up quickly, especially during peak race season. Contact us as soon as you begin planning your event and we’ll help determine what’s needed.

    Can you handle more than just race timing?
    Absolutely. We offer registration, timing and results, race directing and consulting, course management, and packet pickup. Services can be combined or customized based on what your event needs.

    Can you help if I’m putting on a race for the first time?
    Yes. Our team includes RRCA-certified race directors, and we put on eight of our own events each year. We can help with everything from course planning and permitting to volunteers, logistics and race-day operations.

    Do you provide live results?
    Yes. Our timing systems are designed to provide results in real time, with options including online results, text and email updates, and customized results displays at the event.

    Can you work with our existing RunSignup registration?
    Yes. We work extensively with RunSignup and can integrate our services with your existing registration setup.

    What if I already have some of these services covered?
    That’s no problem. We can provide individual services or build a customized package around what you already have in place.

    Still have questions?
    That’s exactly what we’re here for. Tell us about your race, and let’s talk about how we can help!

  • Your Runners Are Fast. So Are We.

    Race day moves quickly. A runner crosses the finish line, and within seconds they want to know their time, their place and how they stacked up against the competition. Behind that seemingly simple moment is a lot of technology and a lot of experience making sure it all works.

    At Arsenal Events, we use ChronoTrack RFID timing technology to capture every runner’s finish. Each runner’s bib contains an RFID tag with a unique number. As runners cross the finish line, ChronoTrack timing equipment detects their timing tag and captures the exact moment they cross the finish line. No one has to stop, scan a bib or hand anything to a volunteer. The system simply records the runner as they pass.

    Those tag reads are sent to our ChronoTrack controllers, which serve as the connection between the timing hardware and our timing computers. The controllers receive the signals from the antennas, turn them into usable tag reads, and send that information to our timing software. Think of them as the bridge between the runner crossing the line and the result appearing on the screen.

    From there, our timing software takes over. It combines the tag read with the runner’s registration information to calculate finish times, determine overall and age-group places, and generate the awards and results for the race. Because everything is happening in real time, results can be available almost immediately after a runner crosses the finish line.

    And we don’t stop at a website. We can provide real-time text message and email updates and display customized results panels on large-screen TVs at the event. Instead of printing stacks of paper and posting results after the race, runners can walk away from the finish line and see their results on screen.

    Of course, technology is only part of the equation. Redundancy and experience matter. We use keypad entry as a manual backup and have processes in place to monitor the timing system throughout the race. Our goal is to make sure that when something unexpected happens, we have another way to capture the information and keep the results moving.

    The technology may be sophisticated, but the goal is simple: fast, accurate results with as little waiting as possible.

    Your runners are fast.

    So are we.