Background

UKA requires courses to be measured according to World Athletics procedures by a measurer who is accredited for measurement in the UK.

The measurer will ride a bicycle along the shortest possible route, within the boundaries of the course. He uses a special counter to record the revolutions of the front wheel which gives a precision of about 10 cm. To get an accurate length he has to calibrate his bicycle by riding along a short calibration course which has been accurately surveyed with a steel tape or an Electronic Distance Measuring machine.

The overall accuracy of measurement is normally a little better than 1 part in 1000, which is equivalent to 10 metres in a 10K or 42 meters in a marathon. To ensure the course is at least the advertised distance, the measurer uses a short course prevention factor when determining the official distance. For example, he will aim to make a 10,000 metre course 10,010 metres long, and the official distance which appears on the certificate will be 10,000 metres, because the measurement has established that the course is definitely not less than 10,000 metres.

Training

To become an accredited course measurer in the Association of UK Course Measurers (Scotland) you can attend a 2 day training seminar which explains the method of using a calibrated bicycle, explains the necessary calculations, and gives practice in measuring courses. At the end of the seminar, the trainee has to write up a measurement report on one of their practice measurements. If a trainee shows an understanding of the methods, and the practical and written report is up to scratch and will be appointed as a grade 2 measurer.

A training seminar was held at the Regioal Performance Centre in Dundee in March 2026, leading to three new measurers being accredited. The programme for the 2 days is below.