Courses must be certified for any road running performance to be accepted as a record or to be nationally ranked. Furthermore, running a race on a certified course allows you to accurately compare your time to performances run on other certified courses because you can be sure the distances were the same.
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.
The course certification process begins when the race director decides to plan a certified race, after which he or she will ideally plan a preliminary route and hire another person to do the certifying. It does not take a paid expert to measure courses — just an individual who is able to follow the specific guidelines laid out by USATF.
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.
The most common way for applicants to demonstrate their ethnic or racial background is by producing the birth certificate or death certificate of a parent or grandparent during the certification process. The minimum documented proof of ethnicity requirement for any of the ethnic minority categories listed below is 25%.
You can search our database of known course measurers on our website at http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/certification/. Alternatively, you can measure it yourself. In either case, you may need to contact the USATF Road Course Certifier for your state.
Calculate the length of the road race course. Calculate it by adding those constants and dividing by two. The next step is to calculate the total number of counts recorded in riding the shortest possible route between the start and finish along the prescribed race route.
Boston itself isn't certified as a USATF Course for some reason, so does that mean you can't actually OTQ here?
$40.00 per Calendar YearThe USATF Adult Membership is for the athlete, coach, official, club admin, event director, volunteer, parent, fan and supporter of the sport. Adult members are aged 19 years and older. $40.00 per Calendar Year plus transaction fee. Memberships are active for the calendar year in which they are purchased.
As for certification, it is a procedure that guarantees that the marathon course has been properly measured by an experienced measurer, usually on a bicycle equipped with a revolution counter, so that marathon is at least the full 26 mile 385 yards (or 42.195 kilometers) as advertised.
Keep it simple. Avoid using elaborate or over-explicit marks. Most of the times you'd want to either point direction with an arrow or affirm direction with a dot, square or other symbol. Do, however, make sure your marks stand out against the trail background and look clearly man-made.
Steel Tape Measurement IS THE MOST ACCURATE means to measure a cross country course. But it is time consuming and generally takes a minimum of 2-3 people and 3-4 hours of time to complete every year unless you have a permanent course.
Qualifying marathons for Boston must meet the following criteria: USA Track and Field (or foreign equivalent) certified to attest to the exact 26.2 mile distance. Three or more officially entered competitors. Event must be advertised and promoted prior the race day.
Tobacco Road Marathon (3/20/22 - Cary, NC) ... Disney World Marathon (1/9/22 - Orlando, FL) ... Myrtle Beach Marathon (3/5/22 - Myrtle Beach, SC) ... Sugarloaf Marathon (5/15/22 - Carrabassett Valley, ME) ... Utah Valley Marathon (6/4/22 - Provo, UT) ... OC Marathon (5/1/22 - Newport Beach, CA)More items...
All of our timed races are on USATF certified courses and the Walt Disney World Marathon can be used as a qualifier for races such as the Boston Marathon.