According to Running USA's most recent report over 17 million individuals in the U.S. finished races in 2015. AJC Peachtree Road Race, TCS New York City Marathon and BolderBOULDER hosted the largest groups of the year coming in at 54,752 finishers, 49,365 finishers and 45,336 finishers, respectively. Wow, that's a lot of feet! When dealing with thousands of race participants in one location running numbers become very important. But what are running numbers and what makes them so central to the race experience?
Running numbers, or bib numbers, are a timer's and race director's most important tool. Each individual runner is assigned a bib number when they register for a race or pick up their event packet. This number is printed on a flexible yet durable paper specifically designed to hold up against any elements participants may endure during their races such as rain, mud, or wind. Once pinned onto a shirt these numbers go wherever their runners do. The benefit? When every runner has his or her own identifying number keeping track of racers is much simpler.
In addition to basic participant tracking, the running number can serve several other purposes. Synchronizing a timing chip system with your event's number sequence runners will aid in eliminating reporting errors in finishing times. Photo tagging technology can allow for automatic photo sharing on social media. Running numbers can also be placed online so a participant's friends and family can track their race progress—step by step and mile by mile—via a computer or mobile device.
Ready to organize your next race? Boulder Bibs is your partner in providing premium running numbers that not only solve your logistical issues, but make your runners look good every step of the way.
photo from The Colorado Marathon