ability to pan zoom and auto track on the map options may be made available to modify the metrics being shown and perform other administrative tasks such as enabling disabling observers allowing public observation setting passwords defining reporting frequencies etc additional options may be provided for enabling external devices for ancillary data collection such as heart respiration monitors or temperature humidity monitors the racer participant may also be able to enable observation of other race participants on his local display the ability to start and or stop the race either manually or automatically based on gps location may further be provided in various embodiments a plurality of metrics which may be displayed in substantially real time during the race real time performance data via the user display of an associated local device may include but are not limited to any available or displayable number of measures such as for example a current speed a current pace or stride in the example of a runner an average speed over a past specified period an average speed since the beginning of the race a current speed represented as for example a percent of an average speed as mentioned above heart rate respiration rate body temperature other biometric metrics as might be externally measured and accessible by the local device ambient temperature calories burn rate and or total calories burned over a specified period local equipment data a current position in the race relative to reference data and various subsets of these measures based on age gender elite participants or other distinguishing criteria reference data as mentioned above may in various embodiments include for example real time performance data associated with other actual participants that are currently being tracked historical.