Nancy Eckerson: The 'ins' and 'outs' of race course certification
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pb...1/141019340/0/SEARCH
Foster's Daily Democrat
Sunday, October 19, 2014
As a runner, you know there are many variables that can affect your race such as the weather and how you feel that day. But you also know that the course distance should never be one of those variables, and if you signed up to run a 5K then you assume the course distance correctly measures to 5K. Bob Kennedy agrees and said he has always been a stickler for an accurate course and is now a USA Track & Field race course measurer, which perfectly blends his background as a runner, scientist and outdoorsman.
An avid and accomplished runner, Kennedy estimates he has run over 1,000 races of varying distances, with 124 in his specialty distance of marathon length or longer. Dr. Kennedy moved to Durham in 2010 following his career as an Ornithologist along with his wife Dr. Anne Broussard, current department chair of Sociology at UNH and herself an accomplished race walker. In 2011, interested in learning more about race course measurement Kennedy said he called Ron Fitzpatrick who was known as the guru of course measuring in NH, Vermont and Maine. Mentored by Fitzpatrick, Kennedy helped to measure three or four courses as a volunteer before starting on his own. Kennedy said he enjoys the methodical and accurate work that course measuring requires and he still calls Fitzpatrick who has since retired from course measuring to discuss complicated issues that arise.
Kennedy explained that courses are measured by riding a bike equipped with special high pressure tires and a specialized counter mounted on the front wheel known as a Jones Counter. For each course measurement, the counter is first calibrated by riding the bike four times on a USATF certified 1,000 foot course, and averaging the four rides to get the calibration constant. The bike can then be used to measure the race course taking the shortest possible route on the road by following the tangents, said Kennedy. He noted that he often sees that runners tend to follow the contour of the road and its curves during races but by not running the tangents they are actually running longer.
Sometimes there are course restrictions that need to be taken into account such as runners being required to run on a particular side of the road and these are measured as required, said Kennedy. The course is ridden twice and the measurements have to be less than .08 percent different in distance or about four feet per mile to be considered accurate, said Kennedy. The shortest distance of the two rides becomes the official race measurement.
Miles are marked by paint but unless the course specifically certifies each mile, it is the overall distance of the course that is certified, not each mile marker, said Kennedy. USATF requires that the course is not shorter than the advertised distance so generally one meter is added to the course for every kilometer of distance; for example, a 5K would have five meters added to ensure the course is not short, said Kennedy.
Kennedy creates a black and white course map with street names, details around the start and finish as well as mile markers. All the information is submitted to the state representative for USATF who checks for accuracy of the materials and completes the certification. Kennedy said he spends around 20 hours certifying a 5K, which includes discussions with the race director. The USATF website lists all certified courses and includes the maps, said Kennedy.
Runners using GPS watches and even car odometers to do their own course measurements often find differences from the race distance. With 10 runners using GPS watches you might get 10 different readings said Kennedy, especially in crowded races where runners weave around other runners; an exact match between a GPS watch and race distance is probably the sign of a short course, said Kennedy. With cars, tires are not rock hard like those required for the bike measurement said Kennedy and the difference could be as much as five percent off the precise measurement. Similarly, when measuring trail races a steel measuring tape is used on sections that are muddy or soft since the bike measurement requires a hard surface said Kennedy. He added that if there are any course restrictions added to the course that were not part of the original certification then the distance will differ as well.
State, national and world records are only valid on certified courses, and if a record is set the chances are the course will also be re-measured to be sure the course is accurate and not short, said Kennedy. While most runners are more likely to be concerned with setting their own personal records, running races on certified courses ensures that all of our race results are accurate.
Original Post