Labeling Course Distances for 5K Events
Infamous XC Course Wheeler Coach Raposo from Fla
We have some seriously talented HS Girls churning out incredible times this Fall including Lindsay Billings (who would have placed 17th in the Fulton County Boys Championship at Milton) Emma Grace Hurley of Fellowship Christian who beat Billings earlier this season by :06 at Covered Bridge. Morgan Ilse, Savannah Carnahan, Jenna Gearing, Kathryn Foreman, Avery Bussjager....
Until a few experienced 'Course Wheeler geeks' can prove a course is more than 100-200 meters short and agree upon it as a group...5K times apply unless billed as shorter by the MD. After all, how many courses give up the majority of pr's in the database including Lee County, Bainbridge, Westover, McAlpine Park, Boling Park, Clinton Farms, McIntosh Nature Preserve and many rural outlying meets that report maybe once a year or less?
Its easier to take full advantage of the 'Tangents' when one is not in a congested pack (no brainer) This definitely benefits the top runners as they are able to choose the shortest route on the course. These girls also are extremely race savvy giving them an added advantage as well.
Administrator Edit: What you all need to remember is that the shortest distance run on any course, runnning from tangent to tangent, is supposed to be exactly 5000 meters and not any shorter. Inside measurement of a course is the correct way to measure as common sense should dictate, but as is also written in our National Federation guidelines and with clear verbiage. This change came a few years back thanks to input from individuals like Coach Bob Braman, Head Men's Coach at Florida State University, and Coach Ryan Raposo (shown above); both individuals with much experience in event hosting and course measurement. That being said...
The course distance for the Lambert River Run competition is now listed as 3 Miles for all races, as decided by MileSplit, to protect the integrity of the database.
For additional reading material on proper course measurement, please see the following links:
- GPS: The Shortest Distance Between Two Points is NOT a Straight Line
- Short Course? The Truth Above Fast vs. Short
- Best Practices for Cross Country Course Measurement
And for the record, McAlpine Park is 100 meters short of a 5k race; I have measured that course personally.