Changes help racers keep pace

Bloomsday is keeping up with the times.

And it’s going to help racers in the long run.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, every Lilac Bloomsday Run registration packet will contain a 1 1/2-inch wide electronic chip and an ankle strap this year. The device will be used to individually record times – and perhaps, more significantly, to avoid the mad dash to the front of the pack when the race starts.

Because of the new device, racers who arrive downtown at 7 a.m. Sunday, simply to assure themselves a front-row position in their respective color category, won’t be at any more of an advantage than the folks at the back of the 45,000-person pack.

Here’s why: Each competitor will strap the waterproof device on his or her ankle. When he or she crosses the mats at the start, a code will be triggered. When they cross the mats at the finish, their times are computed. Race results are expected to be available at www.bloomsdayrun.org beginning around 6 p.m. Sunday.

The introduction of the chip also will change the race start. In the past, three groups started at 9, 9:15 and 9:30 a.m.

Now, racers will be divided into five groups of 10 “wave starts.”

The first wave (elite, corporate cup and racers wearing brown numbers) will begin at 9 a.m. with the firing of a gun. After a few minutes, the first large group of yellow numbers will be allowed to start. As the street clears, those in the group behind will move up. Bloomsday officials estimate it will take approximately 50 minutes before the final group of red is given the go-ahead.

“Groups will move up through a series of gates that will open and close like the Panama Canal,” said Tom Jones, Bloomsday board member and longtime start line coordinator.

Because racers won’t be on the clock until they cross the mat, race times should be quicker. Crowds also should be thinner because there won’t be the continuous flow of racers.

“For those who say, ‘I could run faster if no one were in front of me,’ here’s your chance,” said Jerry O’Neal, Bloomsday board member.

At the end of the race, participants will drop their timing chip in receptacles, which will be manned by volunteers. The T-shirt distribution area will be along Spokane Falls Boulevard. Race executive director and founder Don Kardong said this year’s registration is up about 3 percent from last year, when 43,842 registered (40,012 finished).

“This will be a whole new world for our participants,” said Max Bischoff, a Bloomsday board member who is in charge of the finish line. “We are starting at ground zero educating our participants.”

Homework should include keeping track of each chip. For example, families who pick up their packets together should not put all their chips in one basket. The chips do not have names on them, so wearing the wrong chip will give a racer someone else’s time.

Participants also are asked to wear their chips on their ankles in order to pick up the clearest radio frequency. (Arrogant runners should resist wearing the chip on their shoulder.)

This year’s course also has been slightly altered, moving west on Riverside Avenue by one-quarter mile and finishing on the north side of the Monroe Street Bridge just above the falls. And instead of the traditional two-pronged start that also used Sprague Avenue, all racers will start on Riverside Avenue.