No Cutting Corners

I am writing to correct a misunderstanding by Madeleine Cummings in her article in the September/October issue of your magazine. We have just gone through the certification process for our half/full marathon and 10k courses.

First, it does not cost hundreds of dollars to have a course certified. It cost $15 to have the calibration course certified, then $50 each for the marathon/half-marathon and the 10k course. Total cost of $115 for the certification, and perhaps another $30 for the steel tape and other items to aid the measurement. We already had a Jones/Oerth counter but that could be an additional cost for a club starting its own measuring.

Second, you do not need to hire anyone. Anyone can measure a course. All you need to know is on Athletics Canada’s website. Certainly, if you want your course to be measured to a standard acceptable for world records and the like you need a top grade, certified measurer, but for regular club events, including marathon courses on which one can meet Boston qualifying standards, all you need is the manual downloaded from the website, and a couple of meticulous people to do the measuring. The main cost is in time – our experience was that it takes an afternoon to measure a course.

You do not have to mark each kilometre – that’s optional.

There are two pages of paperwork – one for the bike calibration and one for the course calibration. The forms can be filled in online and will even do the math for you.

Finally, the guys at Athletics Canada are very helpful, although they are not going to let you cut corners.

I hope this information encourages other clubs to certify their courses. Mervyn Dean Corner Brook, N.L.