For years, courses in New York City's Central Park have been a measurer's nightmare. The Parks Dept. restricts runners to the "rec lane," a deliniated lane that varies in width, on the main roadway that circles the interior of the park. Measurers likewise use these lane lines when determining the SPR. In practice, however, this restriction is honored more in the breach than the observation; except for runners in the lead group, who may be monitored by a referee riding in the lead vehicle, there is no one to police where runners further back in the pack run. Thus, an age group record could be set with no way of proving that the person ran the course as measured.
However, starting today, the NYRR began using wave starts to break their multi-thousand field races into smaller groups that can obey the restriction. To ensure runners stay within the lane, the entire course for today's Gridiron Classic 4 mile was roped off with stanchions and barrier tape. A photo shows the East Drive near the Metropolitan Museum.
