Chip Timing and Seeding

Every year, we expect a lot of runners due to the unique nature of the course, its popularity, and its proximity to New York City.

These are the steps we take to limit trail congestion for the first few miles.

We will not start all of you at the same time, so you can race the trail if you want, not just fun-run it. That option should be yours.

Putting together an old-fashioned foot race through the woods that logistically works is more important to us than the cool T-shirts, medals, music, massage and tasty food we also like to provide.

How the waves work

Chip timing allows us to start runners in multiple waves, beginning at 9 a.m. Currently, we use five waves. Here are some factors in your wave assignment:

  • Your finish time in prior races

  • If you sign up for P2P early

It's in your best interest to be accurate to avoid much faster runners squeezing past you on the twisty, rocky single track that comprises much of the first half of the race.

But it isn't just your time that is important, because placing all of the 9-minute milers into one group won't solve the crowding issue. Our mission is to break up the mid-pack bulge so that runners fill the gaps between the waves.

We aim to have 150 to 200 runners in each wave. Because runners start with a ½-mile uphill on Broadview Avenue and don’t hit the trail until mile 0.75, they get spread out as long as we don't overload a wave with too many identically paced folks.

So the real speedsters start in the first wave because the overall 1-2-3 awards are based on crossing the finish line first. (Age-group awards are by chip-timing.) And the most casual of our fun-runners are in the final wave. But the bulk of the runners are distributed among the middle waves.

Our overlapping wave algorithm places a 9-minute/mile-pace runner, for instance, in one of two possible waves that we will send off every few minutes.

Runners who don't have a Paine to Pain finish in the last four years are seeded based on road half-marathon paces below (adjusted to trail pace, with 10K pace adjusted to trail half pace if you only provide that).

Wave 1

Below 8:00 pace

Wave 2

7:11–8:55

Wave 3

8:01–9:50

Wave 4

8:56–10:45

Wave 5

Over 11:34

— — —

With this system, we still have plenty of passing but it is gradual and we avoid having 7:30 milers trying to fly past 10:00 milers on single track. That could be ugly.

(Check out this chart of how waves work in the New York City Marathon.)

Wave jumping: You're not allowed to jump forward a wave, as this can lead to disqualification. (Since you are wearing a timing chip, this is easy for us to figure out). 

You can, however, go to a later wave if you want to run with a friend or if you screw up your timing for the port-a-potties.

The ultimate objective is to give runners the same small-race, small-town feel that we've had in the past, but allow more people to participate. We get great reviews each year, and we damn well intend to get them again. Your medal won't mean jack if you didn't have fun.

Timing Chip

Below are some important instructions to follow in order to ensure your chip "reads" and you get an accurate time:

  • The timing chip is on your bib. DO NOT take the chip off the bib.

  • Make sure your race bib is clearly visible on the FRONT of your torso (photographers on the course and at the finish line serve as our  backup).

  • Do not alter or modify your race bib (do not fold or wrinkle or you risk breaking the chip).

  • Pin your race bib at all four corners.

  • Do not cover your race bib with anything, such as with a jacket, runner belt, water bottle, etc.

We hope our runners have fun, get dirty and sweaty, and finish exhausted and smiling.