My reading of the regulations says that kilometre markers must be in place - mile markers are optional.
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John M. Steele Sent: 26 November 2010 11:52 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:48941] RE: Detroit Turkey Trot I don't know. But I don't think the splits have any official status, so it doesn't matter if they are metric or Customary distances. The course is still metric overall, even if laid out by clumsy conversions. Reading the procedures with the bike and Jones counter, it is really laid out in Jones units anyway, where Jones units are variable with the air pressure in tires and weight of rider. The Jones units are calibrated to a steel tape, so it is all based on conversions anyway. Looking in detail at the procedure, I have a minor concern that there is always a fraction of Jones count "stored up" in the counter at the end of the calibration ride. I would lay out the calibration course as they do and mark with nails. However I would override the course to the next integer count and measure the override with the steel tape. That would reduce the integerization error. However, that error contributes to making the course long, which appears to be perfectly acceptable. I understand that the course length must be treated as a minimum and measurement uncertainty added to the required length. What I don't understand is "freezing the technology" and assuming the proper add is 0.1% of length. If measurement error can be reduced, the bias should be reduced as well. However, they mandate that constant. To me, both issues are more important than whether the steel tape is a real metric tape or a Customary tape and calculator constant. _____ From: Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, November 26, 2010 1:40:29 AM Subject: [USMA:48940] RE: Detroit Turkey Trot No doubt the USATF has equivalent rules, but can a world record be set on a course that does not display kilometeres? _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John M. Steele Sent: 25 November 2010 21:08 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:48938] RE: Detroit Turkey Trot USATF has a very similar course measurer guide which is "remarkably dual." You can search for USATF's guide on the web. The course is laid out in the same bicycle manner using a Jones counter and nominally 1.001X long (short course prevention factor). However, the bicycle calibration course may be laid out in feet or meters, and machinations and conversions used to get between Customary and metric. The course maps specifically allow the start, finish, turn-around points, etc to be referenced in feet or meters from permanent landmarks. Most of the courses recorded on their website have splits in miles with perhaps a simple midpoint split in kilometers. The overall distance is metric. A 10K race must be 10000 m minimum, 10010 m target, and presumably 10020 m max (I'm not sure there is a hard max, but it is implied. I assert a course of length 32809 ft min, 32841 ft target, 32874 ft max complies, and would seem to be allowed by USATF, and sacrifices very little tolerance from rounding "specward." (not that I think that's a good thing, just a true thing.) _____ From: Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, November 25, 2010 3:41:02 PM Subject: [USMA:48937] RE: Detroit Turkey Trot A quick read of the rules of the IAAF for road races suggests to me the use of kilometres is mandatory, miles optional. (See http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Competitions/Competition/04/54/93/2009072308 0234_httppostedfile_200806_2_MeasurementManual_12345.pdf) This raises the question "Could a new world record be set on a track that does not display kilometres?" _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John M. Steele Sent: 25 November 2010 18:04 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:48934] Detroit Turkey Trot Well, this seemed more metric than that other Turkey Trot: *The Detroit Free Press described it as 10 K and 5 K races (with a parenthetical 3.1 miles for the 5K) http://www.freep.com/article/20101125/NEWS01/101125006/1001/rss01 *The organizers describe it as 10K and 5K races (there is also a 1 mile) http://www.theparade.org/turkeytrot/index.php I was feeling pretty smug that Detroit knew how to be more metric than Sacramento . Imagine my surprise when I look at the USATF Course Certification Map. Only mile markers are placed, and all the instructions for starts, finishes, turnarounds, etc are laid out in feet from landmark infrastructure. http://www.theparade.org/docs/turkeytrot/SanctionMap10km.pdf Does USATF normally lay out metric courses in Customary? That just seems to add another layer of complexity.
