HOW DO I OBTAIN AN UKA CERTIFICATE OF COURSE ACCURACY ?
Select a course and measure it as accurately as you can. (Use an OS 1:25000 map, a bike, a GPS, or, worst, a car. If used with care and by zooming in, the web facilities at gmap-pedometer or mapmyrun can give quite good distance estimates.)
Prepare a course map
Notify the police/local highway authorities and follow any safety recommendations
Ideally, 6 months before the race, contact an accredited measurer and make an appointment for a measurement. The measurer will make a charge (see guidelines) so ask for an estimate. Don't leave it until the last few weeks before the race to try and find a measurer - they are often busy people.
Supply the measurer with the following:
A map of the course (he may ask for several copies for his report)
Details of what part of the road will be available to runners. If not all the road and adjacent pavements are available, how will runners be stopped from taking short cuts? If you cannot provide means to prevent short cuts, the measurer may have to measure using the full width available, especially on right hand corners where runners often ignore a race organiser's intentions to keep everyone to the left.
Details of any other places where runners might take short cuts e.g. on pavements - several small savings here and there can add up to something significant over the whole course.
Intended location of start and finish, and how much flexibility is there for adjusting either or both.
Agreement to pay the measurer's out-of-pocket expenses.
On the agreed day meet the measurer and show him the course. It is usually best to accompany him on a bike. But a car may also be suitable. On busy roads the measurer may need someone behind him to 'protect' him from the traffic as he concentrates on an accurate measurement. Busy courses may need to be measured at a quiet time, e.g. early on Sunday morning. You may find it worthwhile to consult the Safety Code for Course Measurement in order to understand how the course measurer makes the measurement safe. The course measurer may seek your help to ensure his safety while riding, and he might not be able to complete the measurement at a single visit if he discovers hazards which he has not planned for.
After the measurement the measurer writes a report and sends copies to the race organiser and to the area measurement secretary, who issues the Certificate of Course Accuracy. Without a valid certificate and a renewal (see here) for subsequent races, any permit issued for a race advertising a specific distance would be invalid.
