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IPICO Sports Sets New Standard for Data Capture

Friday 1 June 2007, 8:28AM

By Mediacom

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IPICO Sports established a new threshold for data capture in the 2007 BolderBOULDER 10km road race on May 28. The IPICO Sports system captured data at the start, finish and for each mile split -- more information than has ever been captured in a race of this magnitude.


Each participant in the BolderBOULDER, one of the five largest running events in the world, recorded an average read rate of 53 times per location. The total accumulated data was more than 20 million records.


"The system delivered as advertised," says independent timer Mike Ducy of The End Result Co. "It detected 100 percent of the runners who wore tags. I see IPICO Sports solutions as being very valuable for those in the timing service business."


While processing the data took longer than expected, race director Cliff Bosley understands the magnitude of what IPICO Sports captured. The results of the first 2,000 finishers were validated against a backup timing system and there was no lost data. The race has re-committed to partnering with IPICO Sports in 2008.


"BolderBOULDER has always been known for being on the cutting edge and this year was no different," says Bosley. "As demonstrated, more data can be provided to participants regarding their performance. A major goal for 2008 will be to deliver faster results."


IPICO Sports CEO Mark Herbst is confident that will happen. "We pushed the edge and tried something new -- and succeeded," says Herbst. "Now we're validating some technologies that will get the communication time down to hours, and eventually just minutes."


Race directors and timing service companies from around the world including those from some of the world's major events were in Boulder to witness the event.


About IPICO Sports

Peoria, Ill.-based IPICO Sports combines years of sports management experience with innovative technologies to help sport and event providers improve the level of services they offer to athletes, spectators, the media, commentators and other participants. We use the latest Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in conjunction with information management and communication tools to design custom solutions that capture, manage and distribute results in the active sports, wellness and recreation markets.

Visit us at http://www.ipicosports.com.