Conference 7.286::digital

The Marathon site Digital runs at http://www.bostonmarathon.org/ has, in
the Credits section, a page listing Digital employees who ran.  You could
then look them up.

			Steve

    ....and some of them might be on there.  For instance, John Singleton
    from Santa Clara, ran and is not on the list. 
    
    

    
    
    
    <--interesting. I just called John, he is on vacation till next week.
    
    

    I know of an official runner, finished the race, has worked for DEC
    for many years, and is not listed on there. So I wonder what the 
    criteria is to be on that list.

    good ole' boy

    
    	Uh oh.
    
    	8^)
    

	Maybe we should forward the missing names to the
webmaster.  Anyone know the address??


	Greg Sullivan  MKO
	Micheal Linskey  NIO

    
    .6
    i knew you would say that.
    

    I found John Singleton on the listings.  He wore bib # 10301 and
    finished in 3:45:53.  13,446 overall and 4601 in his division.  Way to
    go!

    
    I have a question about this marathon (maybe a dumb question , but I
    have to ask it anyway) Because of that new chip that the runners laced
    to their shoes (it starts your time when you cross the start line and
    gives you an end time when you cross the finish line) Is it possible
    that a person could have run the marathon in a faster time than the
    person that actually crossed the finish line first?  I realize that
    this is not probable since the elite runners start at the front of the
    pack. But if your time starts and stops at the start line and finish
    line isn't it possible this could happen, or am I missing something?

    
    It could happen but the odds are astronomical.  Any runner with a shot
    at winning was lined up in the top 50 spots or so.  It only takes them
    1-2 seconds to get to the starting line from 1st to 50th.  It's
    possible someone who started 50th (2 seconds after the 1st guy) and
    crossed the line 2nd (1 second after the 1st guy) would actually run
    the fastest time according to the chips.  In the history of Boston I
    think there have only been 2 races as close as 2 seconds.
    
    Greg
    

    I don't ever recall seeing a high bib finish close to the top...
    ...until this year.
    
    Within a minute or so after Tanui crossed the finish line, the
    sixth male runner to cross the line had a bib number about
    1980-something if I remember right.
    
    His official time was the time he crossed the finish line.  I'm not
    certain, but I believe he started behind the first group, so he
    probably ran a couple of dozen yard longer marathon than the rest.
    
    
    The elapsed time is used for qualification in future marathons.
    (The sixth placed male runner probably had a lower ET than the fifth
    place finisher.  But the money went to the fifth place finisher.)
    
    								-mr. bill

>>    Within a minute or so after Tanui crossed the finish line, the
>>    sixth male runner to cross the line had a bib number about
>>    1980-something if I remember right.
  just FYI... winners in pasts years were given bib numbers of the year they
won (Bill Rogers had the number of the last year he won), so anything
197*, 198*, 199* would be expected to have a great time!!

    
    Blush.  Of course.  (Abebe Mekonen, winner in 1989.)
    
    (Almost as embarrassing as the many "100th Anniversary" headlines....")
    
    								-mr. bill

>    the fastest time according to the chips.  In the history of Boston I
>    think there have only been 2 races as close as 2 seconds.


Of course.  the last 99 years used the archaic timing process where the 
runner well back in the pack had to wait until everyone else in front of 
him crossed the starting line before he actually "started" yet he was 
officially "started" when the gun went off.

There is a very real possibility that a runner 1/2 hour back in the pack 
could, indeed, run the course in a faster time than the winner  --  or than 
the immediate runners-up  --  and, because of the handicap of starting so 
far back, never be considered.

With the chip, everyone's elapsed time could be measured.  As is the case 
in automotive road rallying, this is the true measure of one's performance.

It's nice to be the one who breaks the tape but recognition should be given 
to those individuals who RAN THE COURSE IN RECORD OR NEAR RECORD TIMES.  
the computer chips have made this measurable.  I wonder if it will be 
recognized next year.

    
> Of course.  the last 99 years used the archaic timing process where the 
> runner well back in the pack had to wait until everyone else in front of 
> him crossed the starting line before he actually "started" yet he was 
> officially "started" when the gun went off.
>
> There is a very real possibility that a runner 1/2 hour back in the pack 
> could, indeed, run the course in a faster time than the winner  --  or than 
> the immediate runners-up  --  and, because of the handicap of starting so 
> far back, never be considered.
    
    One big catch.  The top 250 runners are reserved spots in the first
    5-10 yards from the starting line.  It is incredibly unlikely an
    unknown from the middle of the pack would jump over that many known
    runners; especially in Boston where a qualifying time is needed to get
    in.  The "very real" possibility is incredibly unlikely.
    
    Greg
    

  I too thought of the fact that it is now technologically feasible to measure
time from start line to finish line, rather than time from starting gun to
finish. However, using this as the "official" time would cause several pro-
blems. One is that there are lots of witnesses to finish time: the officials
reading the numbers of the finishers and noting the time, the videotape showing
the runners (and their numbers) crossing the finish line with a clock in the 
picture, etc. With the on-shoe chip, you are dependent on a single system, and
any of several malfunctions could throw it off: failure to register the start
or finish time due to radio interference (must have happened to at least one
of the 38,000 runners), chip falling off the shoe on the way, etc. For these
reasons, they will probably stick with the "old" timing method for awarding
prizes and honors. However, as one reply said, the chip-timed timing will be
used for qualification for future races, so it still has some meaning.
  It took something like a half hour (didn't get an exact figure) for all the
runners to cross the starting line. We don't have the use of a 6-lane highway
for the start like New York does. The pack moved barely fast enough to exceed
walking speed, and was actually walking at one point. Remarkable to see.

From WRL:

  Artie Alvidrez:  3:16
  Dan Scales    :  3:29


As to the chip collecting the elapsed time vs. the clock time
from the starting gun...

There was some talk on one of the internet news groups about
starting your run an hour after the official start time, so
that you wouldn't be encumbered by the 40,00+ who lined up
at the starting line.  By then the runners would have thinned
out and you could get into stride right away.  The chip would
record the time at the start, and the halfway point, and the
finish.  I would imagine that if you did that, you'd run much
longer than 26.2 miles as you weaved across the road trying to
run past the slower runners.  But, I suppose it would be
possible to get a faster elapsed time than the winner.  

The chip time is only used as a reference for the BAA if you
want to use it as a qualifying time for 1997.

Artie

	I was at the finish again this year watching the
	runners come across the line and enjoyed the sight.
	Later that night I turned on the 11 o' clock news to
	hear the official results of the race. At that time 
	they said the "exact and official" times of the top
	15 male runners was not availabe due to problems 
	with the chips. 

	I then watched as they showed videotape trials of the
	chip in simulated race finish conditions. The BAA was
	said to be consulting video to verify the accuracy of
	the chips. Of course, Digital was mentioned as the
	primary sponsor of the "toe-chip" strategy. Personally,
	I like the idea of using the chips for the hordes of
	runners that want an official time and ranking, give
	or take a couple of seconds or places. But, they made
	it clear that the potentially world-class times would
	continue to be measured by more traditional methods.

	-D-

    Regarding places and times, at swimming events I've participated in
    these are separate.  You will sometimes have the place pickers having
    different results from the timers.  In these cases, the picked results
    have stood.
    
    Just a thought,
    
    Bill

    
     I can assure you no "legal" runners lost their chips.  After
    our group of Digital volunteers spend many hours unlacing shoes
    to retrieve chips for the runners, the runners treated the chips
    like gold.  The catch, unless you turned your chip back to the BAA,
    you couldn't receive your medal for running Boston.  It took anywhere
    from 30-40 deconds to 3-4 minutes top get chips off runners shoes.
    
    Mark  

    
    Tim Blouin  Templeton,Ma  
    
    Bib # 1417  Finished 461 overall with a time of 2 hrs 43 min.
    
    

    Can anyone help me find the name and time of the runner from the state
    of Indiana who was sponsored by MicroAge through Digital's PCBU?  Also,
    does anyone know how many employees officially ran the marathon?  
    

    Is there a list of Digital runners for 1997 ?
    
    ..Kevin..

    Lifted from today's VNS, also posted on Livewire and I think was mailed
    out via Reader's Choice last week...
    
 Digital - 101st Boston Marathon steps out smartly
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 21-Apr-97}
   The starter's gun will sound at noon today in Hopkinton, Mass., signaling
 the start of the 101st running of the Boston Marathon.  And DIGITAL will be
 there -- as official IT sponsor, as runners, and as volunteers.
   Seventy-two hours ago, the Boston area was being lashed by its second severe
 storm in less than a month.  Today's weather, however, is well-nigh perfect
 for running -- sunny and cool, with temperatures in the low 50s Fahrenheit
 (10-12 degrees Celsius).  A sea breeze is expected to kick in later in the
 day, so the skies will become more overcast and runners will face a head wind.
   Of the 11,000-plus official runners, approximately 30 are DIGITAL employees,
 representing six nations including the United States.  As might be expected,
 the New England area is especially well-represented.  Another 20 or so
 employees are among the 5,000 volunteers who will be working at checkpoints,
 water stations, first aid, and the finish line.
   As the world's oldest annual marathon, Boston attracts international
 attention.  The race will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with taped highlights
 airing on ESPN at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  Boston's three major TV stations
 -- WBZ, Channel 4; WCVB, Channel 5; and WHDH, Channel 7 -- will cover the race
 live, as Kenya's Moses Tanui and Germany's Uta Pippig defend their men's and
 women's titles.
   Web surfers worldwide can follow the race, too.  Each runner wears a unique
 identifying chip that is read by radio frequency receivers at three stations
 along the course.  The start, finish, and half marathon times are transmitted
 to the Boston Athletic Association's scoring and timing trailer.  From there,
 the results are uploaded to AlphaServer systems that host the BAA's Web site.
 You can track live race results at www.bostonmarathon.org or www.baa.org.
   DIGITAL's Web banner advertising in support of the company's information
 technology sponsorship of the Marathon appears on ESPN's "SportsZone" site at
 www.sportszone.com; at www.infoseek.com; www.msn.com; and www.pathfinder.com.
 Through a relationship with DoubleClick, the Web banner advertising is being
 extended to a variety of other Web sites.
   Radio advertising on WBZ and WEEI in Boston, as well as an airplane bearing
 a DIGITAL banner, further support the company's involvement in the prestigious
 road race.
   At the time this was written, the following employees were planning to
 tackle the difficult 26.2-mile course: Anurag Gupta of DIGITAL India; Tadashi
 Horiuchi of DIGITAL Japan; Alan Jackson of the U.K.; Italy's David Eugeni, son
 of DIGITAL employee Ermanno Eugeni; and Tanya McGinnity, a Galway employee who
 is running to raise money for charity.
   U.S. runners include Joe Wroblewski, who works in Greenbelt, Md.; Larry
 Hudson from Novi, Mich.; Cole Colter of Colorado Springs; and Eva Roggenstein
 of San Francisco, who is sponsored by her brother-in-law, Thomas Neupauer.
 They'll be joined by these New England-area runners: Dustin Baker, son of
 Hudson employee Hilkka McKittrick; Lisa Beale, Margaret Ann Bolton, Dave
 Bourdelais, Mark Cohen, Michael Collins, Christopher Cordeiro, Seamus Daley,
 and Scott Dungey, son of Littleton employee Bryan Dungey.
   In addition, the husband-and-wife team of Helen and Maurice Ferrigno will
 tackle the race.  Other runners include Al Fink, who's running in his third
 Marathon; Douglas Hammond, Pam Hebert, and Bob Huntley, who also will run his
 third Marathon.
   More New England runners include Bob Johnson, who's participating in his
 sixth Marathon; Dave Lamothe, Michael Linskey, Sean McDonough, Dave McKiernan,
 who ran last year's race in under four hours; Marjorie Morse, Rick Olds, Cathy
 Page, Tom Richardson, Jeff Rogers, Robert Seed, and Ed Sheldon, who clocked a
 sparkling 2:39:13 in the 1996 race.  Rounding out the employee field are Deb
 Spencer, Greg Sullivan, Charlie Veith, and Brian Walker.
   These employees will be part of the vast corps of volunteers that will keep
 the Marathon "running:" Jim Bagley, John Beike, Don Blood, David Crocker, Eric
 Falkof, Jane Forrestall, Jaye Girouard, Pam Hebert, Carson Hovey, Michael
 Linskey, Susan Lynch, Joan Mitchell, Gilbert Ouellette, Judy Prieur, Michele
 Rae, Donna Schwendeman, Rich Stratton, Patti Sullivan, Dan Swinehart, and Bob
 Vartabedian.  We apologize to anyone we may have missed -- and we thank
 everyone who's helping to make the 101st Boston Marathon another winner.