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Reply to "Purpose of the SCPF"

I was going to jump in earlier, now I see that Mark and Gene have said a lot of what I wanted to say. The SCPF is there in recognition that competent measurers, using the calibrated bicycle method, will get a range of results. We add 0.1% to ensure that all (or almost all) of the courses we measure are NOT SHORT, and reports over the years have confirmed that it's working.

As Mark said, we can't read too much into it; the variation may have many causes but the SCPF is there to prevent the course from being short, or from being found short. It's worth remembering that ALL measurements are like this-- their accuracy is defined as a range, not a specific point.

Gene's point is so important, especially in discussions with folks who don't do measuring: we're NOT adding 138 feet to what we KNOW to be a marathon distance-- we are adding 138 feet to WHAT WE MEASURED as a marathon distance-- this so that the expert measurer who will possibly check our course will not find it short.
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