How to Setup multiple wave 5K

[mstompro]

Okay, I have been hired to time a 500+ runner 5K trail race in the fall.  The course can't manage 500 runners at one time so they want me to do several waves (maybe two or three).  I have never timed an event with more than one wave so I'm not 100% sure how it will all work out.  I have a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the race and I'm expected to make a recommendation on how everything should be organized to ensure the timing goes off without a hitch.  I would like to hear your recommendations on the best way to plan and set this up.

[Ohio Race Day]

Create more than one race.  Each wave will be a separate race by itself.  When you have more than one (on same day??) an icon appears on the athlete page that allows you to combine events. Test that feature to see how results look.

[fred]

As the race director for the 7 Sisters Trail Race in Amherst, Massachusetts, which is held on a single track, steep, rocky trail, we used five waves, separated by two minutes between waves. We did not break the race down into five races, just one race. With the ability to sort and print net chip times, you can get results out quickly without having to wait for the end of five races.

That meant a bit of work to set up five corrals, but with only 100 runners going through the start/finish line, and by using two chips (bought from Brian), one on the shoe laces and the other pinned to the bottom of the shorts, we achieved 100% reads.

E-mail me and we can discuss it more, if you'd like.

[Ohio Race Day]

@fred,
Your race was 12 miles long.  Capturing chip starts for the five corrals works if you have enough time to do that before the first finisher arrives.  mstompro's race is only a 5k distance with 500 people so it may be a little tough to get all 500 on a single track trail before the first runner is closing in on the finish line.  It gets even more hairy if the start and finish line are not in the same spot and you have to save/import those chip start times.