Certifying Your Course: Do You Need to Bother?

If you are a new race director or direct a smaller race, perhaps you have been asked if your course is “certified.” It must be important if potential entrants are asking about it, right? YES: in almost every case, having your course certified IS important. It’s a basic expectations most runners have when they enter your race. Your entrants want to know the course distance is correct so they can compare their time to other races they have run and maybe even qualify for another race like the Boston Marathon or even the Olympic Marathon Trials. Certifying your racecourse(s) may also differentiate your race from other local events, helping to attract more runners and contribute to your race’s reputation as an event that sweats the details. Getting your course certified may sound com...