Chip time vs gun time: which one counts?
Most race results show two times for each runner. Gun time runs from the starting signal, chip time runs from the moment you cross the start line. Here is what each one means and which one matters for you.
The two times defined
- Gun time, also called gross time or clock time, starts when the race is officially started and stops when you cross the finish line. It is the same clock for everybody.
- Chip time, also called net time, starts when you personally cross the start line timing mat and stops when you cross the finish line. It is your own clock.
For a runner standing on the start line, the two are within a second of each other. For someone several thousand places back in a big city race, the gap can be ten minutes or more, because it takes that long for the crowd to shuffle forward to the line. Our guide to how chip timing works explains how the mats capture both moments.
A worked example
Take a 10K with a start at 9:30am.
| Moment | Clock time | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| Race started | 09:30:00 | Gun time begins for everyone |
| Runner crosses the start mat | 09:33:20 | Chip time begins for this runner |
| Runner crosses the finish mat | 10:27:50 | Both times stop |
The gun time is 10:27:50 minus 09:30:00, which is 57:50. The chip time is 10:27:50 minus 09:33:20, which is 54:30. The 3 minutes 20 seconds between them is simply the time spent walking to the start line. The runner covered 10 kilometres in 54:30, and that is the figure to put into a pace calculator or a race time predictor.
Why gun time decides the prizes
A road race is, in the end, a race: the first person across the finish line wins. Under UK Athletics rules for road running, finishing positions and awards are decided on gun time, in the order runners cross the line. Chip times may be published alongside for information.
The reasoning is about fairness at the front. Runners competing for places need to be able to see their rivals. If positions were based on chip time, someone could start a minute behind the leaders, run alone, and be declared the winner over a runner who had broken the tape believing the race was won. Nobody on the course would know the real state of the race. Using gun time keeps it a head to head contest.
In practice this is why fast runners are asked to line up at the front, and why the first few rows of a start pen fill with club vests. For them the difference between the two times is a second or two at most. Many races apply the same principle to age category and team prizes, though some smaller events use chip time for category awards. The race information will say which applies.
Why chip time is used for almost everyone else
For the great majority of the field, a place in the overall order means little and the time is what counts. Chip time is the fair measure of how long you took to run the distance, and it does not penalise you for starting sensibly in a pen that matches your pace. That in turn makes starts safer, because slower runners have no reason to push to the front.
For this reason most races list runners outside the leading positions by chip time, or at least show it prominently, and it is the time most runners quote as their result. The UK rankings databases also record chip times for the bulk of the field, so your chip time is normally the one that appears against your name and counts towards your handicap or ranking.
Which time is your personal best?
For nearly all runners, a personal best is the chip time. It is the accepted measure among club and recreational runners, and it is what the rankings will show. The exception is the sharp end: if you are racing for places, your gun time is your official result and the one that counts for any prize or record.
A few points are worth knowing:
- If a race has no start mat, only gun times exist. This is still common at small club races and cross country, where the field is across the line in seconds anyway.
- Your watch time will rarely match exactly, because you start and stop it by hand and it may measure the distance slightly long. The chip time is the official one.
Making the most of your chip time
Because your clock only starts at the line, there is nothing to gain by rushing through the crowd before it. Start in the right pen, cross the mat calmly and settle into your planned pace. A pace band on your wrist helps you judge the early kilometres against your own net time, not the clock on the gantry, which shows gun time. To see where each time appears on a results sheet, read how to read race results.