TUCSON, Ariz. – Within the community of race timers and those who watch over them, there’s plenty of debate on the details of the systems that would produce the most accurate times for American races. On one issue, however, there is no debate. Get rid of the run-up. Panelists on Wednesday afternoon gathered at the University of Arizona Global Symposium on Racing for a session to discuss American race timing. All agreed that the run-up needs to be eliminated, having far outlived its usefulness, if it ever had any legitimate use at all. “As an outsider, and now a fan of the sport, I think it’s very important you keep things simple,” said Maurice Timmerman, the head of equine technology for MYLAPS, a timing company based in the Netherlands. “Good luck explaining to your 16-year-old nephew when you take him to the track for the first time and tell him that a mile is not a mile.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. For those already confused, the run-up is an American timing artifact in which the timer for the race starts after the horses have already begun running, in some cases, for hundreds of feet. Run-ups at tracks often differ widely, even for the same listed distance of races. Craig Milkowski, a timing analyst who helped develop the TimeformUS figures, said he would prefer that races start at the distance at which the race is published. But if a run-up is necessary – for reasons related to track configurations, for example – tracks should at least list the actual distance of the race, from gate to finish line, so horseplayers and figure makers have their hands on the most precise data.  “It’s 2025. Why can’t we know how far that run-up is?” Milkowski said. “There’s no reason for it. If you want to keep calling it a mile, fine, but just give us the data” on the actual distance of the race. Greg Pachman, the general manager of StrideSAFE, a wearable technology company that has partnered with the French company McLloyd on a timing system, said that pockets of resistance within the U.S. racing industry are basing their reluctance to do away with the run-up on concerns that iconic records – think Secretariat’s record of 1:59 2/5 for 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby – might be erased due to the shortened distance. Pachman’s recommendation: “Let’s just enshrine those records and move on.” Asked what he meant after the panel about enshrining the records, Pachman said that individual racetracks should declare that their existing records will remain records for an earlier era. A new set of records would be created for the post-run-up era. Pachman acknowledged during the panel discussion that some tracks might have to drop certain distances listed in the condition book that are favored by horsemen, especially in turf racing, where the moveable inner rail can cause problems for gate placement.  “There’s an easy solution to this. Put [the gate] on the pole,” Pachman said. “If that means you can’t run that distance anymore, then don’t run that distance anymore. If you’re serious about accurate timing, you have to do things like this.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Repole pulls no punches during Q&A In what ended up being one of the most widely attended sessions at this year’s symposium, attendees were either treated or subjected to a roughly hourlong, livestreamed question-and-answer session with the outspoken owner Mike Repole just prior to the lunch break. Calling himself the “commissioner,” Repole displayed his obvious passion for the game while frequently lobbing grenades at longstanding racing institutions and bemoaning the lack of cooperation he is getting in his efforts to “fix the sport.” He did so without identifying any specific solutions for a myriad number of vaguely defined problems. Christina Blacker, the longtime TVG/FanDuel host, often pressed Repole to elaborate on his solutions while she tried to consolidate subject matter from hundreds of questions submitted by social-media users. Repole instead responded with variously toned jeremiads underlining his belief that the industry is critically fractured at a time when many of the sport’s core metrics appear to be trending downward. Regardless of the lack of specificity, Repole certainly made an impression on the crowd, and he made no apologies for his directness. “Like me or don’t like me, I love this game,” Repole said. “I’m passionate about this game. And I want this game fixed more for my daughter, who is 10 years old, and for the next generation, way more than I want it for me.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.