Effective Date of Certification

The effective date of a course certification is specified in the USATF Rules of Competition as follows:

Rule 240.3b

Effective date: Certification is effective as of the date that all measurements and necessary adjustments are submitted as evidenced by the postmark, although the actual review and approval of the certification may be at a later date.

In interpreting this rule, the term “postmark” date is interpreted as referring to a verifiable transmission date, which may include a date of email transmission.

It is also necessary to distinguish between cases where the course measurer is or is not a “certifier,” i.e., a person with authority to write certificates of course certification.

• When the measurer is not a certifier, the measurer will have sent data for review to a regional certifier. In this case, the effective date of certification is the date when the measurer sends data that the certifier considers acceptable.
   
• When the measurer is a certifier, the effective date is usually the date when the measurer/certifier sends the course map and certificate to the next level of review (e.g., Vice Chair or Chair of the RRTC). In this case, the certifier would enter the certificate/map transmission date as both the effective date and the date of the certifier’s signature. If timing is tight, meaning that it might not be possible to send the map and certificate before race day, the measurer/certifier may send an email to the Vice Chair or Chair of the RRTC when all measurements and adjustments have been completed. The date of this email can then be considered a verifiable transmission date and can be entered as the effective date of certification (in this case, the effective date would be earlier than the certifier’s signature date).

Note that in all cases, the effective date should not be later than the date of the certifier’s signature.