Road Running Technical Council

The Road Running Technical Council (RRTC) works to establish and maintain a credible technical basis for the sport of road running. This work falls into eight categories:

1. Course Certification: This is our principal point of contact with the road running community. RRTC supervises the measurement and certification of all road racing courses in the United States (There are also USATF-certified courses in thirteen foreign countries). USATF certification is the runner's assurance that the course was measured accurately by uniform standards. Using our network of certifiers in every state, we certify about 100 new courses every month.
2. Course List Maintenance: RRTC maintains the list of all USATF-certified courses (currently about 32,000 courses). Updates are issued every month and posted on the USATF web site. Athletes often use this list when deciding where to race. Anyone who asks may obtain up-to-date lists in either paper or electronic form. Individual course certificates and maps are also available by sending $2.00 to the RRTC Course Registrar.
3. Communications: This is currently accomplished largely through the RRTC Course Measurement Bulletin Board. Previously, RRTC published a newsletter called Measurement News, many issues of which are still available online. We also maintain frequent and constant communication with foreign measurers and organizations. This has resulted in worldwide adoption of RRTC's measurement standards as described in our Online Measurement Procedures manual.
4. Education and Technical Support: RRTC sends representatives to various conferences and races, where we put on measurement seminars and educate groups of people about course certification procedures. We also meet with USATF, AIMS and IAAF officials, and respond to the needs of the runners. Recently, the RRTC Chairman traveled to Brazil and Japan, leading IAAF measurement seminars with the local Federations in both of those countries.
5. Validation Program: When an athlete sets a pending record in a road race, we check the course and timing. This is overseen by RRTC's Validations Chairman, who interfaces with the USATF Road Running Information Center and our national network of measurers. When RRIC informs him of a potential record performance, the RRTC Validations Chairman contacts an expert measurer and the race director to arrange a validation. In addition to domestic validations, RRTC has helped determine whether records set on foreign courses were valid.
6. Finish Lines: RRTC's book Road Race and Finish Line Management has considerably improved the operation of finish lines at road races. Currently, RRTC's Finish Line committee is preparing a pamphlet of information that the organizers of every road race that obtains a USATF Sanction need to know.
7. Special Projects: RRTC has conducted many international seminars on course measurement and race timing. In 1996, our big project was measurement of the Olympic Marathon and Race Walk courses in Atlanta. This was a cooperative effort by 28 measurers from six countries. Another of our projects was to put our Measurement Procedures manual online, which is likely to have a large impact on course measurement.
8. Miscellaneous Problem-Solving: We try to promote USATF/RRTC as a helping hand to road runners. As a result, people come to us with questions about USATF. We get these calls and letters all the time, and try to point people in the proper direction.