By scanning the barcodes, they will be able to receive the times, instantly.
The participants in the 36th annual Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be able to use QR codes to help them to obtain their unofficial times when they run on May 11, this year.
It was just announced by the race officials that the smartphone friendly barcodes would be available.
The announcement explained that runners in the race will be able to use their smartphones to scan the QR codes after they have crossed the finish line. This will allow them to instantly view what their unofficial results were when they ran the race. They will then be able to take those times and share them on their various social media profiles.
The QR codes could help to add a new level of excitement and achievement for the runners.
According to the race officials, the results for the River Bank Run will be posted for access using the QR codes, no later than 4pm on the day of the race. This will help to decrease the amount of time that the runners will need to wait in order to see how they did.
Beyond providing immediate unofficial time results at the finish line, the participants in the 25K will be able to bring their smartphones with them throughout the length of the event so that they will be able to scan QR codes after they have crossed the various timing mats at the 6.77, 7.75, and 12 mile marks so that they can share updates with those who are watching, supporting and cheering them on.
QR codes have been increasingly used in various types of sporting experiences and events. They are being used for everything from check-ins to demonstration videos, and even to make donations when the event is for a charitable cause. As the barcodes are becoming increasingly recognized by smartphone users, they are being seen as a very cost effective and practical tool for sharing information, particularly where signage would be challenging and where space limitations for the amount of information are a concern.
The Sharbot Lake beach in Ontario, Canada will soon become much more smartphone friendly.
QR codes and free WiFi are about to bring a beach on Sharbot Lake into the 21st century, as Central Frontenac Township takes steps to add a more enjoyable and enhanced experience for visitors using high tech methods.
The beach will be only the first recipient of the high tech benefits in the area.
According to Mayor Janet Gutowski, as per a report from the Economic Development Committee, on the meeting of the council in Sharbot Lake, the committee was making the recommendation to use QR codes to help the township to draw attention to its points of interest so that they would be easier for visitors to find.
The QR codes will be scanned by the visitors so that they can learn more about what they can do in the area.
Visitors will be able to use their smartphones in order to scan the QR codes using any free scanner app. This, in combination to the free WiFi that will be available to those visitors, will allow them to instantly access the content that has been created to promote the township and many of the points of interest that visitors might otherwise miss.
According to Gutowsky, the QR codes will also provide smartphone users with other tourist information, such as the suggested starting points for the Sharbot Lake Historical Walking Tour. She pointed out that it is expensive to create and maintain signage, but that the barcodes aren’t, and that they “can be used by all sorts of devices such as smart phones and tablets.”
She also went on to point out that “We’ve been looking for inexpensive ways to highlight our points of interest and thought we’d start with the Sharbot Lake walking tour.” Moreover, she identified a number of other benefits of using the QR codes other than their low associated cost, and that is the quantity of information that they can provide to the scanner.
She said that far more information can be presented through the scans of QR codes than could ever be posted on a sign. Moreover, they are also environmentally friendlier, as they don’t require paper pamphlets that “end up as litter on the side of the road.”
