RULES, RULES, RULES

One of the first arguments I received when promoting USATF locally was that there is never any good to come out of bureaucracy.  My position then and now is that we do need rules to govern the conduct of our sport.  Here are four proposed rule changes that affect, well, almost all of us that are Real Runners.

Rule 144.9.  Interesting to me because I set up water and sponging stations on the track during the USATF Club T&F National Championships at Burke Stadium in 2012.  

Item 25 – Amend Rule 144.9 as follows:
(a) In races of 5000 Meters through 10,000 Meters, ((During hot weather)) the meet organizers may
furnish competitors with water and sponging stations ((in races of 5000 Meters an longer)) on the
track and in off-track events.
(b) In Track Events longer than 10,000m, refreshments, water and sponging stations shall be provided.
Refreshments may be provided either by the Games Committee or the athlete and shall be placed so
that they are easily accessible to, or may be put by authorized persons into the hands of, the athletes.
Refreshments provided by the athletes shall be kept under the supervision of officials designated by
the Games Committee from the time that the refreshments are lodged by the athletes or their
representatives.

Rule 160.7 important to those of use that put on track meets.

Amend Rule 160.7 as follows:
NOTE: The 1500m start line may be extended out from the outside bend lane to the extent that the
same synthetic surface is available.

And Rule 165.1 for those of us concerned about legitimate times.

Item 42 – Amend Rule 165.1 as follows:
Four methods of timing are official, hand timing, fully automatic timing, video timing, and transponder timing as set forth in this Rule. A timing device that operates automatically at either the start or finish, but not at both, shall be considered to produce neither hand times nor fully automatic times and ((should)) shall not be used to obtain official times.

And for you mountain goats, Rule 252:
Add Rule 252 as follows: 

MOUNTAIN RACING
1. Course:
(a) Mountain Races take place on terrain that is mainly off-road, unless there is significant elevation
gain on the route in which case a macadamized surface is acceptable;
(b) The course should not include dangerous sections;
(c) Competitors shall not use supplementary aid(s) to assist their progress on course;
(d) The profile of the course involves either considerable amounts of ascent (for mainly uphill races),
or ascent/descent (for up and down races with start and finish at the same level);
(e) The average incline should include a minimum of 5% (or 50 meters per kilometer) and not exceed
20% (or 200 meters per kilometer);
(f) The highest point on the course should not exceed 3,000 meters altitude;
(g) The entire course shall be clearly marked and include kilometer marks;
(h) Natural obstacles or challenging points along the course should be additionally marked;
(i) A detailed course map must be provided along with a profile using the following scales:
Altitude: 1/10.000 (1cm = 100m) Distance: 1/50.000 (1cm = 500m)
2. Race Types:
(a) Classic mountain races:
For Championships, the recommended distances and total amount of ascent should be
approximately:

(b) Long Distance mountain races:
Long distance mountain race courses include distances of approximately 20km to 42,195km, with a
maximum elevation of 4,000m. Participants under the age of 18 should not compete at distances
exceeding 25km.
(c) Relay Mountain Races:
(d) Time Trial Mountain Races:
Mountain races with individual start times at various intervals are considered time trials. The results
are ordered by the individual finish times.

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