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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bloomsday announces tech advances

Changes to the 36th annual Bloomsday race are mostly high-tech. Don Kardong, founder of Bloomsday, announced today that identification chips will be attached to racers’ numbered bibs, rather than laced into their shoes; each bib will include a QR code linking to that racer’s results; and the registration process will be available via smart phone. In addition, this year’s results will include racers’ times up Doomsday Hill, along with their net time and how they stack up with others in their age category, Kardong said at a news conference. Other announcements this morning: * The official Bloomsday charity for 2012 is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County; * Fifth and sixth-graders can take part in the Bloomsday School Challenge; previously, only middle-schoolers and high school students could participate. * Online entrants are able to sign up for “virtual medals” to post on social media to share their Bloomsday entries and race results.