To Qualify, to be a "Best Times", and Just Because.

Road race courses can be certified as accurate by USA Track & Field. Courses are measured by an experienced measurer using the calibrated bicycle method--a relatively simple technique that has proven to be highly reliable and accurate.

A special digital counter (Jones/Oerth) is attached to the front wheel of the bike and records the counts, about 18,000 per mile (approximately 24 per wheel revolution). This method is usually accurate within 1-5 meters per 10K.

In order to prepare for course measurement, the bike must first be calibrated on a straight, 300m or longer, calibration course that has been measured by a steel tape. There are approximately 15 calibration courses in western Washington and another half dozen in eastern Washington. Course measurement begins with establishing a measuring constant by riding the calibration course 4 times and taking the average. Measurers use meters so the constant is expressed as counts per kilometer. After calibrating the bicycle, the course is measured by riding it at least twice, with the shortest measurement selected as the course length. The first measurement of a 10K is (or should be) 10,000m. Often the second measurement is shorter, for example 9,997m, because the measurer is now more familiar with the course and will ride a straighter line on the tangents between turns. If shorter, the course must be extended, usually by steel tape (in this example by 3 m), to make the shortest ! measurement the desired full length.. Finally, the bike must be recalibrated to ensure that the constant has not changed significantly during the time taken to measure the course. The measurer rides the calibration course four more times and determines the second constant. If the second constant is larger, then the course must be lengthened the appropriate amount to make it the desired length.

At the end of the day, the measurer will have precisely determined the location of the critical points: Start, Finish, and all Turnarounds. Special nails are hammered into the pavement at these points and the distances from these nails to at least one visible and permanent landmark must be recorded. In most cases, the exact distance (east/west or north/south) of the nail relative to the landmark is recorded. The best landmarks are hydrants and drains. Telephone poles, manhole covers and corners of "permanent" structures are also used.

Because the runners want to know their split times, the measurer will stop along the way at several mile and/or kilometer points. If a course is being measured in a rural area where few easily identifiable landmarks are available, most experienced measurers also stop at the few landmarks that do exist to record these course segments.

After the measurement is finished, the numbers from the two course measurement rides and the eight calibration rides are recorded on an Application for Course Certification and submitted, together with a detailed course map, to the state certifier. The preparation of the map can take 2-4 hours. The map is almost never drawn to scale and critical details are deliberately exaggerated. The state certifier analyses the data very carefully to ensure everything is correct. If approved, the state certifier prepares a certificate with the name of the course, its unique identification number, other course details, and the detailed map. This certificate is then added to the national course database. In principle, anyone is allowed use of a certificate for any certified course to determine the critical points and the running route.

Road running course certification in the USA is managed by the Road Running Technical Council (RRTC) of USATF. Certified courses may be found and the maps viewed at their website: http://www.rrtc.net. At that site, click on: Search Certified Courses & View Course Maps. For a state list of courses, see our web site: nwrunner.com, click of "resources."