Butterfield has donated new timings mats to the Guernsey Athletics Club (GAC) for use in the upcoming 2021 Guernsey Island Games. The advanced timing technology will belong to the GAC and is intended to be used in next year’s Island Games Half Marathon as well as other on-island events that will benefit from a precise timing system.
The mats made their debut at the island’s athletics Summer Series 10k Road Race earlier this month, allowing the equipment and software to undergo testing before being used to record the official race times of hundreds of runners who will be taking part in the Butterfield Half Marathon next week (6 September).
Race Director, Louise Perrio, explained the benefit of using timing mats and how they will work for runners: “The mats use a chip timing system that requires each runner to wear a small, lightweight chip which will be built into their race number. Each chip uniquely identifies the runner as they cross the electronic mats, which will be placed at the start and finish lines.
“The method is extremely precise and will mean that each runner receives their exact time over the distance. This is particularly helpful for events with lots of participants like the Butterfield Half Marathon. Without the use of timing mats, runners would set off under one timer, which does not account for the delay in crossing the start line for any runners not at the front of the line-up. In previous years, the Guernsey Tri Club have been kind enough to lend us their timing mats for the Half, however it is fantastic to have mats of our own in time for this year’s Half and the Island Games next year.”
Richard Saunders, Managing Director, Channel Islands, Butterfield Bank (Guernsey) Limited said, “When Guernsey won the bid for the 2021 Island Games, we knew that we wanted to provide our support. The GAC were in need of timing mats for the Games and at the same time we were stepping into our first year as Half Marathon sponsors, so investing in the equipment was well timed. It was important to us to demonstrate our commitment to the popular community event and at the same time, make a positive impact for the Island’s athletics community.
“It was great to see the mats in action earlier this month. We were very pleased with how the testing went, with over 600 runners signed up we are eagerly looking forward to the Half Marathon.”
The Butterfield Half Marathon was due to take place on Father’s Day this June, however after falling victim to Covid-19 restrictions, the event was rescheduled for Sunday 6 September 2020.
