USATF highlights from the USATF Annual meeting
1. From now on, an American record will only be accepted if it is set in a race which has a USATF sanction. While this rule [262.3(a)] has been on the books for years, it is now going to be strictly enforced. I realize that, as measurers, this is not our responsibilty but I feel that we owe it to our customers to make sure that they are aware of this. They can get more information about sanctioning at the NC Association web site, www.ncusatf.org. Most race organizations get USATF sanctioning in order to have insurance on their race. It is my understanding that, if a race already has insurance from another entity (eg. RRCA), they do not have to pay for the USATF insurance and can still get sanctioning at a lower cost than if they also get the insurance. I am no expert on these issues and I suggest that the Association Sanctions Chair be contacted with any questions.
2. Of course, records can only be set on certified courses which have a drop of less than 1 m/km. Previously, the straight-line distance between the start and the finish had to be less than 30% of the race distance for a record performance to count* but this was changed to 50% at this year's meeting. This change was made to bring the USATF rule into line with the IAAF rule.
When they changed the acceptable separation to 50%, they also did away with proving no tailwind. If the course has more than 50% separation between the start & finish it is NOT eligible for records.
3. You should not exceed 15 MPH when using a Jones/Oerth or JR counter! While there may not be an immediate problem, eventually these higher speeds can result in failure of the internal gears in the Veeder Root counter. The real problem with this is that the failure can be intermittent, resulting in lost counts during a ride. While I realize that not too many of us exceed this speed while measuring, many leave the counter on their bike all the time and may be routinely exceeding this top speed. USE YOUR BRAKES ON A LONG DOWNHILL!! On the question of a 15 MPH maximum speed for Jones counters, this comes from the manufacturer of the Veeder Root counters. They state that this is the approximate top speed for the internal gears in the counter. The gears are plastic and higher speeds can result in bending or breaking of the teeth in the gears.
4. All race directors and timing companies should be notified about numbers 1 & 2, above. These are NOT RRTC rules but rules that were adopted by the national governing body for athletics (T&F, cross country, and road racing) in the USA in votes taken at annual meetings where all USATF Associations were represented and had a voice as well as votes.
5. All FS and Regional Certifiers must have the same name on the map and the Certificate for the race name.
6. Validation both pre and post must be done by an “A” or “B” IAAF/AIMS measurer. The choice should be someone that’s relatively close to the site. If there the above can’t be found then person chosen should be a very experienced measurer.
7. Duane Russell, Jay Wight are working on how to fill out a certificate with guidelines to help our certifiers.
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