Matthew Studholme wrote:
Pete,
Do you know when the 1 m/ km start-to-finish elevation drop rule for record eligibility was introduced? Also, was it ever any different than 1 m/ km or has it always been that way?
Thanks
Matthew
Pete replied:
Dear Matthew,
I’m putting this on the Bulletin Board because I think others may be interested.
Before 1980 all certification was handled by Ted Corbitt, and was somewhat associated with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the USA’s governing body for track & field. There were no official road running records. In the late 1970’s Ken Young began to acquire data and keep records. He and wife Jennifer declared themselves the National Running Data Center and published a newsletter entitled “NRDC News.” NRDC News published regular lists of certified courses.
NRDC News of 30 September 1981 lists the drop limit at 10 feet per mile (1.89 m/km), and separation limit at 10 percent. This was NRDC’s criterion for a record-quality course.
When NRDC was absorbed by The Athletic Congress (TAC), later USATF, in 1985, the NRDC records became the official USATF road records.
After more than a year of wrangling over drop and separation, Rule 185.5 was adopted by USATF in December 1991, and the present drop and separation limits were adopted.
Fans of ancient history should check out:
www.rrtc.net
click on “Historical Archive on Runscore.com”
Those interested in the progress of modifying the rule should check out issues 33 through 51 of Measurement News.
Ken Young recalls:
Hi Pete,
I don't recall having a 10 ft/mile drop allowance but if it was in NRDC news, then it is probably better than my fuzzy memories. I do know when I seriously looked at the allowable drop problem, that I referenced the allowable drop in track and field and was working in meters/km.
The record-keeping transition is rather different than your account. In the late 1970's, I was asked by Bob Campbell (men's LDR chair at the time) to keep road records for the LDR committee. These were basically the NRDC records as Bob C gave me no caveats.
It was two or three years later that Bob Hersh, chair of the records committee contacted me and asked me to draft a set of rules for keeping road records. I did so and these were adopted at least two years before the NRDC was dissolved. I also compiled a list of marks for ratification which included many marks achieved earlier. Some of these marks had been validated by the NRDC, before there was a TAC validation program. The two big 15K's in Florida (Gasparilla and Jacksonville) were the first two courses validated by an independent remeasurement (by David Katz) and both passed.
From roughly 1982 thru 1986, there were parallel records, TAC and NRDC. Since I was in charge of the road records for TAC, these were basically the same list. The NRDC was dissolved and the files for each state were distributed to state record-keepers chosen by the NRDC. The TAC did not absorb the NRDC. TAC and the Road Running Information Center assumed the duties that previously I had carried out.
All the documentation that I have is packed away in boxes somewhere. Sorry that I cannot be more precise in when things happened.
Best wishes,
Ken
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