The 50th anniversary of the BMW Berlin Marathon concluded with a record number of participants. Over 54,000 runners crossed the finish line beyond the Brandenburg Gate. In terms of timekeeping, the traditional event saw a premiere: for the first time, mika:timing used RACE RESULT systems and transponders for this event.

Harald Mika, CEO of mika, knows the Berlin Marathon well. 2024 marked his 22nd time being responsible for the timekeeping. In the end, he looked back on a successful event with satisfaction: “The Berlin premiere of our RACE RESULT systems worked brilliantly. We had 53 decoders and more than 200 meters of ground antennas in use, along with 18 side antennas for inline skating on Saturday. A lot of sophisticated logistics are involved here. The fact that the technology can be set up and activated quickly plays a significant role. This not only means increased efficiency but also added security when deploying at such large-scale events in the middle of metropolises. Both we and the event organizer benefit equally from this. At a World Major, everything must go perfectly, and we have already worked very successfully with RACE RESULT at the London Marathon. Reliability and accuracy are top-notch!”

Second World Major with RACE RESULT Technology

As a “World Marathon Major,” the Berlin Marathon is one of the six most important marathon events worldwide. The fact that RACE RESULT technology is now being used at a second Major after London makes CEO Sönke Peterson proud: “Today is a very special day for us. When RACE RESULT was founded, the Berlin Marathon was a distant vision. Even though our systems are already used at many large events, the Berlin Marathon, as a German company, is an absolute highlight. Many thanks to Harald Mika and the mika:timing team for the great collaboration over the past years! I would also like to thank the organizer SCC for their trust in our technology.”

Ubidium Ground Antenna in Action

At the 5 km split, and additionally at km 9 and 11, the new Ubidium timekeeping system with its associated ground antenna was deployed. A particular strength of the system is its scalability: the mats used were between 12 and 15.5 meters long, each connected to a single timing system running only on internal batteries.

“We have extensively tested Ubidium with UHF transponders over the past few months. It’s simply fun to time with it. We are always on the lookout for the best tools for our service, and Ubidium plays an outstanding role in this. We are excited to be able to deploy Ubidium at many events to the benefit of the organizer after a successful testing phase,” praises Harald Mika of the new technology.

RACE RESULT CTO Nikias Klohr, who was also present in Berlin, was enthusiastic: “Mika has supported us a lot with many tests and feedback in recent months. Berlin has proven that Ubidium works even at the largest events. With that, we are very close to the official market launch.”

For CEO Sönke Petersen, the collaboration also sends a strong signal to the timing industry: “Some of our competitors try to gain market power by acquiring timing companies. That cannot and will not be our way. We believe that if timers like mika:timing remain independent and are optimally supported, the result is a better product for athletes and organizers in the end. And ultimately, that is the goal we all strive for.”

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