Cisco Wireless Solution Sets the Pace at the Annual Marine Corps Marathon

October 30, 2003

By Stacy Williams, News@Cisco

In a marathon, the difference between first and second place, qualifying or not for the Olympics, or achieving a personal goal can often be measured in fractions of a second.

This is why marathon organizers in recent years have been wielding innovative technologies to more precisely track runner times and transmit real-time data from multiple checkpoints for spectators, sponsors, and the media who want to know the immediate location of each runner.

At the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., when winner Peter Sherry stepped across the finish line, fans, family and the media instantaneously knew his time. Like the other 18,000 runners, microchips attached to Sherry's shoelaces allowed precise times to be collected as he crossed special mats throughout the course that went past the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.

While chip-timing systems aren't new, the network system that enabled instantaneous access to Sherry's times during the race was a first. At the Marine Corps Marathon this year, a Cisco wireless network delivered runners' times from monitoring stations along the route and to the marathon's site on the Internet.

Working with the marathon's technical team and ChampionChip, the timing-device vendor, Cisco created a reliable wireless network for the race and a three-day Expo that preceded it. Cisco Aironet® 350 wireless access points were placed at 10K, halfway point, and 18-mile locations. Cisco routers and other access points were in the medical and VIP tents and the network operations center.

The wireless network is a major step up from the traditional solution: hard-wiring a 26-mile outdoor course. Wiring the race route can become a marathon in itself, especially with the potential for inclement weather while setting up the network. "In the past, we used a wired network on the race site," says Angela Huff, the marathon's business manager. "It was time-consuming to set up and the network went down fairly often."

Timing data was previously transmitted by cell phone, but that, too, had its downfalls. If cell phone access was spotty for even a minute, it was possible to miss data for up to 1,000 runners crossing a timing spot.

The Marine Corps Marathon wanted to create a network that could be erected quickly for a temporary, outdoor event yet would prove reliable enough for high-speed data transmission. The Cisco network met both requirements. "Network set-up was a snap, and transmission was flawless," says Huff. "It worked exactly the way we wanted."

During the race, organizers and volunteers accessed timing data on the network using a variety of wireless devices. The primary goal was to provide instantaneous and accurate transmission of runners' times from the monitoring stations to computers in the information tent and to the marathon's Internet site.

Using Compaq iPAQ handheld devices and HP laptops outfitted with Cisco wireless cards, volunteers also operated "Follow Your Runner" stations at various locations along the route. On-site, runners' friends and families could immediately keep track of their runners' progress by inquiring with a volunteer, who could connect to the network to find the time that a runner crossed the most recent timing pad. Fans who couldn't attend in person were able to view instantaneous runner information via the Internet.

Medical personnel were also able to track runners and record medical data to ensure timely updates to families of runners being treated. Families could visit the information tent for updates. "We were able to see which aid station had treated a runner and provide information to families," says Huff.

The Cisco wireless network solution also proved useful during the days leading up to the race. Organizers used the wireless network to communicate if issues arose when runners came to pick up their race packets, streamlining coordination among staff members. Then on the day of the race, organizers tapped the Cisco wireless network to communicate between VIP areas, medical stations, media and the awards tent.

At the nation's seventh largest marathon, the reliable Cisco wireless solution provided uninterrupted network transmissions, setting the pace for the use of wireless solutions at other marathons. "We were one of the early marathons to adopt online lottery registration and ChampionChip Timing technology," says Marc Goldman, the marathon's marketing coordinator. "This year, by working with Cisco in wireless, we raised the bar and reinforced our leadership in this industry."

Stacy Williams is a freelance journalist based in Dutch John, UT.