30th September 2013 07:21
Udo Brandt, official IAAF “A” course measurer, measures 30 to 35 race courses per year. But in Zurich, he measured a marathon course for the purpose of an international championship for the very first time. The same was true for his colleague, Roger Kaufmann (IAAF “B” course measurer), who supported Brandt in his work with a second measuring.
Only if two independent measurements are not differing by more than a certain margin will the result of a measurement be valid and approved. For the Zürich 2014 races, this meant that Brandt’s and Kaufmann’s results taken on the 10-kilometre loop course must not differ by more than eight metres.
Before setting off, the two measurers fitted so-called Jones-Counters to the front wheels of ordinary bicycles. As even slight changes in temperature or pressure will lead the device to provide differing results, temperature variations as well as the measurers’ sitting position during the measurement had to be taken into account.
The challenging course leading up to the terrace of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology was particularly difficult, as the pressure onto the wheels changes while climbing a hill. Both before and after measuring the 10-kilometre loop, the 2-kilometre additional loop, and the two race walking courses, Udo Brandt and Roger Kaufmann rode their bicycles over a 450m calibration course on Mythenquai.
Prior to the procedure, the City of Zurich’s geomatics and land surveyor’s office had defined the calibration course by means of an electro-optical distance-measuring device.
Brandt, Kaufmann, and Zürich 2014 Head of Road Races Kaspar Egger had determined and labelled the exact positioning of the equipment defining the course on Friday already.
As required by the rules, Brandt and Kaufmann passed these positions at a distance of 30 centimetres during their ride on Saturday. They were escorted by two police motorcycles.
The official measurement was done months prior to the championships – and rather early in the morning. The two course measurers started the complex procedure at 06:30 on Saturday and completed their task 3 hours later.
The exact positions of the turnaround points on Mythenquai and General Guisan Quai (for the marathon), and on Limmatquai (for the race walking events) were determined, as well. The two measurers did a terrific job, as the measurement log proved. Their results for the 10-kilometre loop differed by a mere 1 centimetre ...
The marathon – an even longer race
According to the rules, a marathon measures 42.195 kilometres. This is a requirement for any potential world record to be validated by the IAAF. Measurers build in a factor of 0.1% to prevent race courses from being determined too short in re-measurements. As a consequence, a “marathon kilometre” equals 1001 metres during measuring. If measured precisely, all marathon race courses are therefore actually 42.237 kilometres. The extra 42 metres are designed to make up for possible measuring flaws or slight changes in the course (e.g. due to incorrect positioning of cones, barriers, etc.), that might show in potential re-measurements.
Marathon and race walking at Zürich 2014
Five events of the European Athletics Championships Zurich 2014 will be staged in the city centre of Zurich: Three race walking events (20 kilometres for women and men, and 50 kilometres for men) will lead along Limmatquai. The challenging course of the two marathon races will take the athletes through the picturesque city centre and up to the terrace of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology as many as four times (start/finish area on Bürkliplatz). Both races will be Zürich 2014 highlights. The women’s race will take place on Saturday, 16 August. The men’s event is scheduled for Sunday, 17 August. It will mark the last marathon in the career of Swiss European champion Viktor Röthlin.
Why is a marathon 42.195 kilometres long?
Originally, a marathon was determined to be about 40 kilometres, reflecting the approximate distance between Athens and Marathon. On the occasion of the 1908 Olympic Games, the race was run from Windsor Castle to the Olympic Stadium. The distance between the royal residence and the finish line at the stadium was exactly 26 miles and 385 yards – or 42.195 kilometres. The distance was used for marathon races in the following years. And in 1921, the IAAF adopted it as the official distance for the marathon.
Links:
Marathon course
Virtual tour of the marathon course