I have to admit that I am not as involved in the running scene today as I was years ago as a runner at a race every weekend. The last race I entered was two years ago in Hughes Springs for the Wildflower Trails 5K. The race name and surrounding area had me believe it would be a run through the wooded areas there. It turns out it was on a major highway around the city. I was by far the oldest runner in the group and got second place. Some young 70+ year-old beat me. I was only about 10+ years older than he was, but we were the only two over 70, so a second-place award was my reward.
The one thing I fail to notice in race notifications lately is if the race is certified.
When a race is certified it means that the distance advertised is accurate and has been measured by a certification procedure. The only runners who care about certified races are the ones trying to set a record time for the distance. Only elite world class runners need to know if the distance is accurate. It doesn’t mean much to local runners entering a race to win an age group award or just run for the t-shirt.
For organizers putting on a race, the distance should be close to the advertised distance. There are several ways to measure the distance for a race.
The easiest is to drive the course in a car with a close watch on the speedometer. This is also the most unreliable way to measure a race course. I was certifying a race for a woman in another town and she had the start and finish marked where she wanted the race. She had measured the distance in her car. When I measured it for certification the finish was a good quarter of a mile farther down the road. She had to make some adjustments in her start and finish line.
Riding the course on a motorcycle is a little better since it is easier to follow a runner’s path over the course. Riding a bicycle with an odometer is a little better. The problem is most odometers only measure to a tenth of a mile. While a 5K course is advertised as 3.1 miles it is actually 3.1068560 miles when it is certified.
One other method is to walk the distance while pushing a measuring wheel. It will be accurate if the walker follows the straight-line distance around curves and corners. Runners wanting a fast time will run the shortest possible distance allowed and that means straight through curves.
The only method allowed by the U.S. Track and Field Association is if the course is measured with a Jones Counter on a certified measuring course. San Marcos has had three certified courses for measuring. The first was on the south access road by Thermon. The second was out at River Ridge on that straight road in front of the fire station. The last on was on the road leading to the Government Center building next to the curb.
A rider would ride the 1000 feet distance four times and get an average reading to use when calculating the numbers needed to ride a mile. The Jones Counter fits on the front wheel and about every three inches the wheel moves a number is recorded. After some calculations to determine how many counts in a mile the rider rides the course twice. The difference between the two rides has to be within a thousandths-ofa mile. Then the rider goes back to the certification course and rides it again. This is to allow for any change in temperature from the weather that may alter the pressure in the bike tire. More calculating to make adjustments if they are off a bit.
After the course is measured the rider goes back out and puts a visible landmark (usually a nail and washer and paint) in the road and a measurement distance from a recognizable landmark for the miles and start/finish line. Draw a map and do the forms.
There is a cost to get a qualified rider and official certification. This is one reason most courses are not certified.
