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Reply to "Further discussion on expired courses."

Good issue! We've had this argument many times over the past 20 odd years and agree that certifying the course probably won't increase the field.

The best response we been able to develop is that in addition to the hand-full of competitive runners who really care about distance accuracy, the race director should be interested in putting forth a quality product, regardless of the quality of the end-user. A certified course is one feature of a quality road race.

Certifying is also the best defense against complaints about the course distance. Race directors are disturbed by these complaints and without a certified course there is no defense.

We all know experienced runners who, after finishing a short 5K, initially assume they've had a miraculous 2-minute improvement in their time after 10-years of racing, only to be let down by someone pointing out that the course is probably short. This same runner will support the race with an entry fee the following year because he or she "had a good run there".

Our motto is "If it's not certified, it's not accurate"
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