Leading the way in race timing applications

RAIN RFID tags demonstrate performance leadership in long-distance race timing, as well as many other applications requiring rugged, robust tags that offer high performance.

Smartrac’s RAIN RFID tags have evolved to become a market leader in many applications, including sports timing.

This is one of the most hostile environments for RAIN RFID (UHF) tags. Skin, muscles and bones are surrounded by a lot of water, making the human body one of the most complex and challenging environments for a stable RFID system – especially when the copious perspiration of a long-distance runner is added into the mix.

Liquids are quite effective at absorbing radio frequency waves, which can have a significantly degrading effect on read range. In extreme conditions, it is not uncommon for the presence of lots of liquid to prevent the transponder from being read at all.

One of Smartrac tags’ key advantages is their unique antenna design that results in transponder performance which is very stable and solid, irrespective of the surface they are attached to or the environment they are in. This design, plus the fact that the tags are manufactured to the highest standards, have made them a common product in the sports timing industry globally – especially because they can be customized with different-sized transponders or spacers for improved performance, to suit any sporting application.

Leading the race
The world´s leading sports timing companies choose Smartrac tags for accurate results in mud races, cycling events and marathons. Over 20 million athletes globally rely on bib tags, bike tags or other sports timing tags powered by Smartrac’s technology at multiple contests every year.

Smartrac tags are used for the most famous running events around the world, on five continents, in more than 50 countries. At least 50% of the six World Marathon Majors rely on Smartrac’s technology expertise.