The Official Distance: Why Our Courses Are Certified and Your GPS Reads Long

At Run Toledo, our commitment is to provide a No Worries Event and guaranteed quality. That means when you step up to the starting line of a Run Toledo race, you can trust that the distance is 100% accurate, certified to meet national standards.

This precision is achieved through a meticulous, old-school method that’s proven to be far more reliable than modern satellite technology.

The Gold Standard: USATF Certification & The Jones Counter

For a race to be recognized for official records—whether personal bests, state records, or national rankings—it must be measured and certified by USA Track & Field (USATF). The core of this process is a device called a Jones Counter.

What is a Jones Counter?

The Jones Counter is a high-resolution mechanical odometer mounted to a bicycle wheel. It’s not an estimation tool; it is a precision instrument that measures the distance by counting the rotations of the wheel with incredible accuracy.

The Certification Process is a Science:

1. Calibration: The counter is first calibrated against a standard distance (300 meters) measured with a certified steel tape. This step accounts for variables like tire pressure and temperature, ensuring the measurement is accurate for the day.
2. The Shortest Possible Route (SPR): The certified measurer rides the entire course, meticulously following the Shortest Possible Route (SPR). This is the hypothetical perfect line that a runner would take if they ran the exact inside tangent of every curve and corner.
3. The Safety Factor: USATF rules require a Short Course Prevention Factor to be built into the final measurement. This small buffer ensures that the official course distance is never shorter than advertised.

The result? A course distance guaranteed to be accurate within one-tenth of one percent. When we put up a certified mile marker, you know the distance you’ve run is legitimate.

Our Expertise: Offering USATF Course Measurement Services

The Run Toledo team doesn’t just manage races; we are USATF-certified course measurers. We bring this specialized, technical expertise to every event we direct.

Are you a Race Director looking to certify your course?

If you’re hosting an event and need to ensure your course meets the exacting standards for official record eligibility, our team is equipped to help. We offer professional, guaranteed course measurement services to other race directors, providing the documentation and precision needed for official USATF certification.

• Trust the Experts: Leverage our experience in measuring hundreds of miles throughout the region.
• Guaranteed Accuracy: We use the official Jones Counter method to eliminate doubt about your distance.

➡️ Contact us today for a consultation on certifying your course!

The Great GPS Debate: Why Your Watch Disagrees

When you cross the finish line and your GPS watch reads 3.15 miles for a certified 5K (3.107 miles), it’s easy to think the course is long. The truth is, the certified course is correct, and your GPS is simply measuring your unique running path.

Here are the key reasons your trusty device reads long:

1. You Don’t Run the Tangents

• The certified course is measured along the SPR—the perfect line.
• In a real race, you run wide around corners, veer to avoid other runners, and move toward water stations. Every single zigzag and wide turn adds physical distance to your run.
• Your GPS measures your true, slightly longer path.

2. Satellite Signal Drift & Error

• Consumer GPS devices rely on satellites, and their accuracy is limited (typically within 10 to 16 feet).
• In cities like Toledo, tall buildings (especially downtown) or heavy tree cover in our Metroparks interfere with satellite reception. This causes your GPS to “drift,” recording your position as a slightly jagged, weaving line when you may be running perfectly straight.
• When your watch “connects the dots” of those inaccurate points, the total distance is calculated as longer than your actual ground travel.

Our takeaway for runners in the 419:

Trust your feet, trust the official results, and trust the mile markers. Your GPS watch is an invaluable tool for pacing and training, but when it comes to the official race distance, we stand by the precision of the Jones Counter and our USATF Certified Courses—it’s part of our promise for a quality, No Worries event experience.