Run Recording Time Adjustment for Fair Virtual Marathon Ranking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual marathon races lack a sense of unity and fairness due to participants running at different times and locations, leading to inconsistencies in running environments that affect the accuracy of race results.
Innovation Solution
A run recording device and system that adjusts running times based on environmental factors, using position and environment information to correct for differences in running load, allowing for fair comparisons among participants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If participants run at different dates and times in a virtual marathon race, then each participant can participate conveniently at their own schedule, but the race lacks a sense of unity and fairness due to varying running environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of race time from absolute wall clock time to environment-adjusted time. By introducing environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, altitude, wind speed) and calculating adjustment values based on these parameters, the system transforms the time metric to account for varying running conditions, thereby maintaining fairness while allowing flexible participation schedules
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that collects environmental information from multiple locations, calculates adjustment values, and reconciles the times of participants running at different times and places. This intermediary processing layer ensures that despite the distributed and asynchronous nature of participation, the final ranking is fair and comparable
2Device complexity
If running times are not adjusted for environmental factors, then the race organization is simple and straightforward, but the running load differences due to environment lead to inaccurate race results
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, altitude, wind speed) as additional dimensions to the time measurement. By calculating adjustment values based on these parameters and applying them to the raw running times, the system transforms the simple time metric into a more precise environment-adjusted time that accurately reflects running performance under varying conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where environmental information is continuously collected, processed to generate adjustment values, and applied to correct the running times. This feedback loop ensures that the race results are continuously refined to account for environmental variations, improving measurement precision while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated processing
Data Source
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AI summary
In a run recording terminal (10), a position acquirer (14) acquires position information of a runner running with a certain time set to the starting point of a running time. An environment acquirer (12) acquires environment information indicating running environment of the runner. An information storage unit (30) stores acquired position information together with information on the acquisition date and time. An adjustment unit (28) adjusts, based on the environment information, a running time or running distance calculated with the position information such as to correct a difference in the running load due to running environment that may occur between the runner and another runner running with the same certain time set to the starting point of a running time.