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Race day FAQ: chip time, numbers, pacing and results

Short, straight answers to the questions runners ask most often before and after a race.

Gun time runs from the starting signal to the moment you cross the finish line. Chip time, also called net time, runs from the moment you cross the start line to the finish. In a large race it can take several minutes to reach the start, so chip time is the fairer measure of how long you actually ran, and it is the time most runners quote.

Most races use a thin radio tag stuck to the back of your race number, or a chip on your shoe or ankle. Mats or antennas at the start, finish and sometimes at points along the course read the tag as you pass and record the time against your number.

On your front, at chest or waist height, pinned at all four corners or clipped to a race belt, and not covered by a jacket or folded. If the timing tag is on the back of the number, creasing or covering it can stop it being read.

About twelve weeks if you can already run for 30 minutes without stopping. If you are starting from scratch, allow a couple of months to build up to that first, then follow a twelve-week plan.

Most first-time marathon plans last sixteen to twenty weeks, and assume you have been running regularly for six months to a year beforehand.

Use a recent race or a timed 5K to estimate what you can manage, then start slightly slower than that pace and aim to speed up in the final quarter. A pace calculator turns a target time into a pace per mile or kilometre.

Eat a familiar, mostly carbohydrate breakfast two to three hours before the start, such as porridge, toast or a bagel, and drink water little and often. Do not try anything new on race morning.

Most people do not need to eat during a 10K. For a half marathon lasting more than about 90 minutes, one or two gels or a few sweets can help. Practise with them on long training runs first, because some stomachs do not get on with them.

Allow at least an hour before the start for travel delays, baggage, toilet queues and finding your start pen. Large city races can need longer.

Only if the organiser allows it and you follow their transfer process. Running under another person's number is usually against the rules, because the medical and emergency contact details on the entry will be wrong.

They are veteran age categories. V40 means a runner aged 40 to 44 or 40 to 49, depending on whether the race uses five-year or ten-year bands. Many races give prizes in each category.

Did not finish: the runner started the race but did not record a finish time. DNS means did not start, and DQ means disqualified.

Start with the organiser's website and the company that timed the race. For UK road races, the national rankings databases list many results going back years. This site does not hold or publish individual results.

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