Event rfid timing system and method having integrated participant event location tracking

A system for determining and tracking a location of a participant traveling along a route wherein the participant is being tracked with a RFID tag having a unique RFID tag number during an event using a timing system communicatively coupled to an RFID tag reader, the tag reader system located at a fixed location in proximity to the route at a first monitored location point for receiving one or more tag reads from the RFID tag as the tracked participant with the RFID tag travels in proximity to said location along the route, and for determining a time for each tag read, identifying the tag number of the RFID tag, and transmitting a tag read message including at least a portion of the received tag reads with the RFID tag number and the determined tag read time, the timing system receiving and storing the transmitted tag read message including the tag number and the determined tag read times as transmitted by the tag reader system, the timing system the tag reader system for reading the RFID tag, the system comprising:

• a wireless location device associated with the participant, the location device having a wireless location data receiver for receiving a plurality of wireless location data from a location signal providing source, a memory for storing the received location data, and a wireless communication interface, the location device receiving the plurality of location data as the participant travels along the route, time stamping each received location data, and transmitting location information including the plurality of location data and the time stamps over the wireless communication interface;
• and
• a location detection device located at a fixed location in proximity to the route at a second monitored location point and in wireless communication with the location device for receiving the transmitted location information when the location device is in proximity to the location detection device in response to the location detection device receiving a location data download command from at least one of the timing system and the tag reader device, upon at least the timing system or the tag reader system receiving the tag read message, then the location detection device transmitting the received location information to the timing system;
• wherein the timing system stores the received location information including the time stamps as transmitted by the location detection device and associates the received location information with the RFID tag number of at least one of the one or more tag reads of the received tag read message as a function of the tag read times and the time stamps of the location information, the timing system determining a plurality of tracked locations of the participant along the route of the event as a function of the plurality of location data and time stamps provided by the location information that is associated with the tag-number for the participant.