"Certified" race courses (Read 499 times)

I've never really been concerned with exact race distance (everyone else in the race has to go just as far, right?), but noticed on my goal 5K coming up this spring that the website says the certified course is 3.18 miles long. Hey, I'm really tired at the end of a race, and really don't want to run an extra 400 feet or whatever it is extra! Guess I just didn't realize that to be certified, the distance has to be at least 3.1 miles but apparently anything over that can be certified.  I know and understand that courses vary, but it seems that a downtown city 5K sponsored by the local running club can be easily measured a little closer than that. (How 'bout backing the finish line up to that utility pole, or intersection, or fireplug, or... - and getting a little closer to 3.1?) Or am I just being picky here?

I'm still going to run the race, have fun, and contribute to a good cause. Maybe the RD wants to start and end at specific locations for other reasons. One thing I do appreciate is knowing it's (probably) 3.18 in advance. But I probably shouldn't use this long (and hilly) race for a PR try. 

BTW, if a certified course is "short" (but later to be found to be at least 3.1M) do elite times count for WRs, etc?  Of course, I would have to double my "speed" to be concerned about that!

That's just goofy.  If they're advertising it as a 3.18 mile race then maybe that's what it is, though I can't imagine why you'd pick that distance.

Normally a certified 5k is advertised as being 5k.

In order for a course to be USATF certified, there is a short course prevention factor that is added when measuring--but it's 0.1%, or 5 meters over a 5k.  There is no good reason to measure a course to be 3.18 miles if you want a 5k.

Maybe it's just a typo.

  There is no good reason to measure a course to be 3.18 miles if you want a 5k.

 

I've seen some small local races do that when they have a loop course (no out-and-back to make adjustments) and want a common start/finish line.  

To me, that's a red flag that the course will be inaccurate.

I double-checked the 5K race website, and the course map shows 3.1865 miles long. 

 

However, in fairness after further scrutiny - although the course had been certified in years past, it has moved for the 2012 race only, due to anticipated construction along the original route - makes sense!  So apparently it's not certified this year only, which may explain the longer distance.  And definitely not a PR course.

 

Thanks for the USATF link!

Are you saying that they claim it measured 3.1865 during certification, or that when they plotted the course out on one of the online course mapping tools it said that it was 3.1865 long?  If the latter, that would explain the discrepancy.  It is totally believable that an online tool and manual certification measurement would differ by that much.

I imagine that the actual running of a course is always long anyway, unless you run the exact line the measurer took, and never weave around anyone. So, if you want to be accurate and compare your own 5k races as if they are all the same distance run, it can't really be done. You could always walk out the extra distance from the starting line, mark it, and not boop your watch until you hit that spot, then you'll have a more accurate 5k time for yourself. At least this RD is upfront about the little extra.