Blame The Timer

In my career as a race timer, I have personally timed over 500 events and our company well over 1000.  I have also talked with timers across the country who do a lot of events.  One thing that I have learned is that regardless of the equipment used or timer, there is not one out that hasn't experienced a bad race.  As a timer, we do everything that we can to make sure that everything runs smoothly.  Unfortunately, sometimes things simply go south and there are problems.  For a timer, there is nothing more frustrating than showing up to an event and having equipm

Chip timing demystified

It has been a busy year for Athlete Guild.  We have timed over 200 events this year and continually get questions all of the time about how things work or in some cases don't.  I thought a brief explanation was in order.  A lot of this is from a blog I wrote over a year ago, but it is still relevant.

Technology and Innovation

As a business owner and innovator, I'm constantly looking for ways to improve our services and provide a better experience for our customers.  As an event management company, our primary customer of course are the non-profits and other organizations that host events.  As an event coordinator, our customers are also those of you who participate in our events.  Technology plays a big role in what we are able to do.

Cool Under Pressure

I just got back from an annual conference for Jaguar timers and can't remember a better and more memorable experience.  It is always great to see and visit other timers from around the world.  It's a time where we learn about new technology and brush up on our techniques.  Jaguar is the product line from Innovative Timing Systems; the company that we buy our hardware and software from for timing races.  In my personal opinion, they are the best in the world and produce great products.  As their name implies, they are incredibly innovative and are always look

Looking Back and Moving Forward

I always look forward to the change of year.  It is a time for reflection as well as looking forward.  2013 for us was an incredible year and we have many of you to thank for that.  Our growth rate for the event management and timing business far surpassed anything that we would have dreamed.  There were many lessons to be learned both good and bad and those will help shape the future of our company.

Running Bandit

We were timing a large marathon in South Texas this past weekend and I was amazed at the number of bandits in the race.  At first we were a little concerned because a lot of people were crossing our split points and then the finish line, but our equipment wasn't recording their times.

Holiday Runs

For many athletes, this is one of the best times of the year for running and especially participating in local events. You can tell by the number of people that come out to run in the Jingle Bell runs and other holiday themed events that it is a really popular time of year. The weather is certainly cooler and the festive atmosphere and charity component of these events help make them well attended.

What's the Date?

As an event director and also event consultant for many local races, we are asked with helping to find a good date to host an event.  This is probably one of the most challenging aspects of pre-planning for an event.  Anytime someone comes to us and asks about putting on an event, unless it is one that has some history behind it, they will have to figure out when an appropriate time would be for the event.  It's actually a lot harder than you might think.

Chosen Marathon

We just wrapped up the 4th annual Chosen Marathon in New Braunfels.  This race was the brainchild of Jenni Lord, the race director since its inception.  She has done a marvelous job of putting the event together and continues to improve it year after year.  You cannot imagine the months of planning and work that must go into orchestrating an event of this magnitude.  Not only is there the event itself, but the management of all the adoptive families (teams) is a herculean effort.  Kudos goes to Jenni and her team of volunteers who make the magic happen.  Their

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

How many times do I hear that favorite phrase from the "Wizard of Oz" repeated.  It's often stated by people when talking about the magic that occurs when performing some task.  I've had a lot of opportunity this year to see some of the magic performed at various events and the often craziness that occurs behind the scenes.  Sometimes the participants know and oftentimes they don't.