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Behind the Race - Part 3 Wanted: Accurately Measured Courses
By Brenda Barrera
July/August 2011
“Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road.”---definition from Wikipedia
The purpose of the USATF course certification program is to produce road race courses of accurately measured distances.
For any road running performance to be accepted as a record or be nationally ranked, it must be run on a USATF-certified course. In addition, the certification program is very important to the average road racer, as well as those of exceptional speed. Most runners like to compare performances run on different courses, and such comparisons are difficult if course distances are not reliable. No one can truly establish a personal best if the course distance is not accurate.---USATF Course Certification
If you pay to enter a road race there are a few things you should expect in addition to a safe and enjoyable experience, such as a quality event that has an accurately measured course. If you pay to run a 10K road race, then the distance should be 6.2 miles, right? Would you sign up for a race that was touted “approximately 10 miles”? You should insist and expect race organizers to have courses measured accurately and USATF certified.
We are fortunate to have several course measurers and certifiers in the Mid-Atlantic region who devote countless hours and take their responsibility seriously to assure accurately measured courses. Lyman Jordan from Silver Spring, MD, has been measuring courses for XX years. He recently shared some thoughts about accurate measurements via personal GPS systems:
While we can debate the meaning of "precisely," I would expect accuracy within 1% to qualify. In reality, GPS readings average between 2% to 10% off. I base this assertion on repeated analysis performed on GPS units by the Road Running Technical Committee of USA Track & Field.
There are several reasons why the best GPS units rarely provide "precise" measurements. One is the satellite resolution and frequency of reading data points: most GPS devices obtain readings once every few seconds that vary from right on your running path to several feet or even a few yards off the path. Viewing the exact route tracked by a GPS, you find a zigzag line whose reading points are mostly well to one side or the other of the route you have run. Over a quarter mile, the difference may be small in absolute terms, but may be off by as much as several percent. Over a 10K, the additional distance as read by a GPS can and often does result in readings that are non-trivially longer than the USATF measured distance.
Another reason for the difference is that GPS-wearers seldom run the Shortest Possible Route (SPR) on a certified course. This is the SPR within the defined course, with full use of tangents on the road. Over the years, I have seen few runners in road races who take the time to know a course well enough in advance to sight and run all the course tangents. If you have a crowded field in front of you, it may be impossible to run the tangents. You might be surprised at how much farther you run when you do not run the SPR.
I frequently hear comments such as "this 5K course was long; my GPS said I ran 3.4 miles.” When you run a certified course that has been laid out according to the USATF map, this route is what is truly precise, not your GPS. If your GPS registers 3.12 for your 5K, a likely reason is either you ran all the tangents perfectly and your unit took readings several times a second and no trees or structures interfered with your readings or the course was laid out improperly.
Now, back to the meaning of "precise." If your GPS says you just did a training run of 5 miles, go ahead and put 5 miles in your training log, even though you may have run closer to 4.9 or even 4.7. The important thing is you got in a run.
To find more information about certified courses, course maps and general procedures, be sure to check out: www.usatf.org/events/courses/certification/certifiers.asp
Profile: John Sissala
Started measuring: 1981
Trained by: Bob Thurston
Maryland USATF certifier: 1985
Number of courses measured: about 300
His role: Basically anyone who measures a course in Maryland to certification standards sends their documentation to me for review and a certification number.
Proud moments: I can claim four world bests, meaning world best because record was set on a course I measured. If a national or world best is set, a measurer--not the one who measured it in the first place--must remeasure the course. All four of mine passed the test.
Certified World Best Records
8K women: Lynn Jennings [1991, Washington, DC]
10 Mile: 3 times on Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile courses.
Most dangerous memory of measuring a course: part of Rock Creek Parkway that was used by the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile.
Why? Too many wide sweeping curves where cars are coming at you 50 mph while you’re measuring the course and this was at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday.
Not typical: Had to measure a course in DC at 2:00 a.m. (mainly Hains Point)
Background and Honors
Started running: 1978.
Accomplishments: Qualified for Boston Marathon three times. Best marathon was 3:06 (1981, Boston).
Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC): Member since 1979. Has held all of the officer positions, President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer and awarded many honors that include Lifetime Achievement (200), Presidential Citation (2004), President’s Award (2006).
Road Runners Club of America (RRCA): Maryland State Representative (1990) Eastern Director, 1990-91; 1991-92.