So you want to get your course measured

If you need the course for your race to be measured, make sure that you start to plan well in advance of the planned date of the race.

1. Select a proposed course and measure it as accurately as you can. (Use an OS 1:25000 map, a bike, a GPS, or, worst, a car).
2. Prepare a course map.
3. Notify the police/local highway authorities and follow any safety recommendations.
4. Ideally, 6 months before the race, contact an accredited measurer and make an appointment for a measurement.

Don't leave it until the last few weeks before the race to try and find a measurer - they are often busy people.

You should supply the measurer with the following:

• A map of the course.
• Details of what section of the road will be available to runners.
• Details of any other places where runners might take short cuts e.g. on pavements.
• Intended location of start and finish, and how much flexibility is there for adjusting either or both.

On the agreed day meet the measurer and show him/her the course. It is usually best to accompany the measurer on a bike, but a car may also be suitable. For the measurement the measurer will ride a specially calibrated bicycle along the shortest possible route, within the boundaries of the course.

On busy roads a measurer may need someone behind them to provide a degree of 'protection' from the traffic as they concentrate on an accurate measurement. Busy courses may need to be measured at a quiet time, e.g. early on Sunday morning.

After the measurement the measurer will write a report and send copies to the race organiser and to the Course Measurement Secretary for Scotland, who will issue the Certificate of Course Accuracy. Without a valid certificate and a renewal for subsequent races, any licence issued for a race advertising a specific distance would be invalid.