In early November, New York City welcomed a grand sporting feast - the New York City Marathon, where more than 50,000 participants from 148 countries around the world gathered together to compete in this highly anticipated event. In this grand competition, in addition to the passion and perseverance of the participants, there is also a high-tech technology that has become the focus of everyone's attention - RFID (radio frequency identification) tracking technology.
RFID technology has brought unprecedented convenience and accuracy to this marathon. A tiny RFID chip is embedded in each participant's bib. This tiny technical device undertakes the important task of recording key information such as the participant's race time and trajectory. When the participant passes a specific point on the track, the RFID system will quickly capture this information and transmit it to the race's data center in real time. The marathon route covers all five districts, with a checkpoint every 3.1 miles. Checkpoints appear more frequently as the race draws to a close. There are a total of 30 timing points and 64 timing controllers along the entire route. About 50 race staff are responsible for tracking.
Why RFID?
The advantage of RFID technology lies in its efficiency and accuracy. According to Impinj and ChronoTrack (the company tracking this week's marathon), the system can identify 1,000 items per second with an accuracy rate of more than 99%. This means that no matter how fast the runners are, the RFID system can accurately capture their race data.
For runners, RFID technology not only provides official race times, but also allows them to understand their race progress in real time. Through the race app or website, runners can enter their information and see their real-time location on the course, speed, and estimated time to reach the finish line. This information not only helps runners adjust their race strategies, but also allows them to enjoy the race better.
For spectators, RFID technology also brings an unprecedented viewing experience. They can follow the progress of the runners in real time through the race app or website, and predict when the runners will reach specific points along the way. This way, spectators can wait in the right place in advance to cheer for their friends and family. In addition, the marathon app will tell spectators the location of the nearest train station to the runners, so that they can quickly reach the viewing location.
Ted Metelerus, the race director of the New York City Marathon, praised RFID technology. He said: "This technology makes the competition more fair, transparent and efficient. All participants use the same technical devices, and we can accurately record their competition data from professional athletes to amateur athletes." He also specifically mentioned that this year's competition attracted more Olympic athletes due to the coincidence of time. The participation of these top athletes will undoubtedly make the competition more intense and exciting.
Since 2008, the New York City Marathon has worked with suppliers to introduce this technology. With the continuous advancement and improvement of technology, the application of RFID technology in marathons has become more and more extensive and in-depth. Metelerus said: "This technology is getting better and more accurate every year. We believe that in future competitions, RFID technology will continue to play a greater role and bring a more convenient and efficient competition experience to participants and spectators."
Domestic marathons have also begun to use RFID
On November 3, 2024, the 2024 Xi'an Marathon started at Yongning Gate in Xi'an. This event has three events: full marathon, half marathon and fun run, attracting 35,000 marathon enthusiasts from all over the world. In the Xi'an Marathon, RFID technology is also used for the timing and identification of runners. Runners wear bibs or timing chips containing RFID chips. Timing equipment set up at key locations such as the starting point, anti-cheating intermediate point, and finish line can accurately identify runners without contact, and accurately collect the time points when the runners pass, so as to calculate the running results of each runner.
Thanks to people's pursuit of healthy life, the rapid development of the sports industry and the continuous efforts of event organizers, the number of global marathon events has shown a steady growth trend in recent years. Taking 2024 as an example, there are 414 large and small marathon events in China throughout the year (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), including 201 Class A events, 23 Class B events, and 190 Class C events. Assuming that the number of participants in a marathon is 20,000, the RFID tags consumed that year can reach tens of millions. In addition, corresponding RFID readers and writers are also required.
At present, the application of RFID technology in marathon competitions has been widely recognized, and with the continuous development of technology and the reduction of costs, its application scope will be further expanded. If all marathon competitions apply RFID technology, the RFID market will usher in a huge growth opportunity. This will not only promote the further popularization and development of RFID technology, but also provide strong guarantees for the fairness, accuracy and efficiency of sports events.
This paper is from Ulink Media, Shenzhen, China, the organizer of IOTE EXPO (IoT Expo in China)
