Courtesy: HARRA

Once again in 2002 the course that runners ran for the Cougar Classic 5K was short. This time by 72 meters and not 258 meters as in 2001. In fact the course is certified and is an accurate 5K but once again race day officials mismanaged the course by misplacement of the start line.

Runners started this year's race at an orange "S" painted on the street. Unfortunately the orange "S" was the start line for the Human Race 5K which is to be held later this fall. The Human Race course had just recently been measured and certified. The start for the Cougar Classic was to be the white start line mark at the Holman/Cullen intersection, 75 meters ahead of the orange mark and the same start line as 2001.

According to Tom McBrayer, USATF official course certifier, he had talked with U of H coaches the week prior to the race and emphasized the fact that the orange marks were for another event and that the white marks, those made by Cougar Classic race officials themselves, were the ones to be used for the Cougar Classic. On race day at least one race participant approached the starting line official and asked "shouldn't we be starting back at the start line at the intersection of Holman and Cullen?" The official "guaranteed" that the orange start line mark was correct.

The first mile marker was at a white line which would have made the first mile short by the 72 meters (16 seconds at 6 minute pace/21 seconds at 8 minute pace). The second mile mark was at another white mark which would have made the distance from the one mile mark to the second mile mark an accurate mile.

This serves as an excellent reminder to all that it is the responsibility of race day officials to layout the correct course on race day.

PS, A big thank you to Tom McBrayer for going back out both last year and this year to verify the distance that the race was short.