This past weekend a change in the planned route caused the Around the Bay 30k course to be inaccurate. Around The Bay is an important race on the annual Canadian road race calendar; unfortunately steps to ensure the course was accurately measured, despite changes necessitated by roadwork, were not taken to provide an accurate course for participants. Athletics Canada firmly believes in the importance of Canadian road races, and race directors, recognizing the significance of an accurate course. Athletics Canada encourages runners to look for sanctioned and certified races when choosing their next race to ensure proper safety procedures are in place and for proper record keeping of personal bests and national rankings.
What to look for
Athletics Canada and its member branches offer course certification and sanctioning services to ensure runners are well-served by road race organizers. Course certification and sanctioning are different. Course certification checks the distance measured and change in elevation of a course. Sanctioning is a process that ensures that standards and rules will be upheld during an event. Sanctions must be renewed annually. Sanctions may include a requirement for course certification. Course certification is good for 10 years, as long as the course measured is the course run. Any change in the race course requires re-measurement for certification.
The purpose of sanctioning is to communicate to race participants, event partners and the general public that a designated event is being conducted in a fair, safe and responsible manner, in accordance with the rules and standards of the sport based on the nature of event being offered and where the event is registered as a competitive event, results achieved will be recognized by other national governing bodies for the sport and the IAAF. For sanctioning information in your province/territory, contact your local branch.
Athletics Canada believes that every runner deserves to run on an accurately measured course. Our course certification program confirms that the advertised race course distance has been accurately measured according to international standards and the measurement data is reviewed by an accredited certifier.
Course certification provides an opportunity to be able to conduct meaningful comparisons between different race courses for the achievement of personal best performances, as well as ensuring the fair administration of qualifying times and establishment of records. A properly measured course also helps timing companies to position timing equipment at the appropriate location.
