Guidelines for Setting Records in American Ultramarathons
Note: This guide is meant to assist
runners and race directors in meeting the criteria set by USATF for recognition
of record performances in ultramarathon events. It is NOT meant as a substitute for the
official rules. While every effort has been made to ensure that these
guidelines are all-encompassing, no guarantee is made as to this document's completeness.
Additional questions regarding record ratification should be directed to the AUA statistician.
Note on Setting American
Records in Foreign Ultramarathons: Any American ultrarunner attempting to set an Open or Age-Group American
Record in a foreign ultramarathon is advised first to
contact the Mountain/Ultra/Trail (MUT) Council of USATF. Some
foreign venues may not be eligible for setting American
Records.
In order to be eligible for record ratification, a
performance must meet certain criteria:
Competition
All record-setting performances MUST
occur in a bona-fide competition. That is, the performance
must occur during an organized ultramarathon for it
to be recognized. Solo ultras organized for the sole purpose
of setting a record are not considered bona-fide competition and marks set in
such events are not eligible for recognition.
The event must be USATF sanctioned.
Course
The performance MUST be run on
USATF-certified course or track. Some courses are certified but then the
race is not run on the course AS CERTIFIED. Performances are then not eligible
for record ratification. When in doubt about the status of the course, it
is best to go to an event where you know records have been ratified in the
past. The year and the location of the race are listed with all current
ultra records. You may contact the AUA statistician for additional
information if needed.
Point-to-Point Courses
The straight-line distance between the
START and FINISH lines should be less than 30% of the total race
distance. If the START/FINISH separation is greater than 30%, then the
course is considered to be "point-to-point," and the burden of proof
is placed upon the recordsetter and/or race director
to provide evidence that there was not a significant prevailing tailwind.
Since such evidence is usually difficult to provide, it is recommended that
record attempts not be made on courses whose START/FINISH separation is greater
than 30% of the race distance.
Significantly DOWNHILL courses are
ineligible for recordsetting. In order to be
record-eligible, a course's FINISH line altitude must not be greater than 1
meter per kilometer lower than its STARTING line altitude.
TRAIL courses are uncertifiable
and hence are not eligible for official national recordkeeping. Official
national records can only be set on certified tracks or road courses.
Runner
The record setter should be a USATF
member athlete.
Performance Rules
No pacing or unfair assistance is
allowed. That means a runner must run the entire distance without the aid
of a pacer. A pacer is any person not officially entered in the event who
accompanies the record setter during the race. Pacers on bicycles or on
foot, or by any other means, are prohibited. A handler (or crew), who
provides legal assistance (food, beverage, change of clothing, massage, etc.)
at regular stopping points (approved by the race director or race referee)
along the course IS permitted, but the handler or crew is not permitted to
accompany the runner for any substantial length of time or distance.
Accompaniment by handlers or crew should only last for as long as is necessary,
e.g., to exchange water bottles, items of clothing,
etc. Handlers on bicycles or in cars are allowed, but after providing aid
at each aid station they must drive or ride ahead to the next aid
station. They are not permitted to accompany the runner along the course
at the runner's pace.
Documentation Requirements
Documentation requirements exist to
ensure that the record setter has complied with the rules of the event, run the
distance noted, and has otherwise met the requirements for age group
recognition. Should documentation be lacking or if the available documentation
provides some uncertainty as to the validity of the performance, the record
will not be recognized.
Identity
For age-group records, the record
setter must provide a birth certificate to USATF. This can be provided after
the performance and will be requested by either the AUA statistician or a
member of the USATF Road Running Information Center (RRIC).
Course
The course must be certified by USATF.
The certification number must be provided when applying for record recognition.
The course must be run as it was
certified. The race director must be able to provide reasonable evidence that
the course was run AS CERTIFIED.
Timing Requirements
Fixed distance races and fixed distance
performances run in the course of a fixed time event (i.e., 100 km split in a
24-hr run) require documentation of the official finish time in the form of TWO
SEPARATE AND DISTINCT finish times, obtained using TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT
timepieces and witnessed and signed by TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT scoring
officials.
Fixed time races or fixed distance
performances set on multi-lap courses require official documentation of each
lap run. These may be provided in the form of written lap sheets or their
computer-generated equivalent. Computerized lap-recording systems must be
approved by USATF. Split times (to the hour:minute:second)
must be recorded for each lap and should show both the total elapsed time of
the event and the elapsed time for each lap. Abnormalities in the lap split
times (i.e., the occurrence of a very fast or very slow lap) should be
explained by the scorekeeper to eliminate vagueness or doubt by USATF officials
when laps are officially checked by recordkeepers.
AUA ©
2014 All Rights Reserved.
Last
modified: 03/20/2014