RUNNING : Rule Change May Have Officials Using Eraser on Record Book

An obscure but potentially significant ruling has recently been enacted that may change the face, and certainly the record books, of American road racing.

At the recent convention of The Athletics Congress, which governs track and field and road racing, a rule was passed which makes times run in point-to-point races ineligible for record consideration. The rule also modified the allowance made for downhill portions of races.

Of course, times run on point-to-point courses would be considered “records,” but only for that type of course, and would have little meaning. Times set on courses falling outside the new guidelines will now be labeled “noteworthy performances.” Further, the rules will be applied retroactively to all existing distance racing records.

Remember that last part. But first, a bit of background.

There are basically three kinds of course configurations for distance races:

Point-to-point--Runners start at point A and finish at point B.

Loop--Runners start at point A and go in a loop to finish back at point A.

Out-and-back--Runners start at point A, go to a halfway point, and return on the same course to finish back at point A.

There has long been discussion in the running community on which course is best and most fair. Each has its merit, but the out-and-back course is considered most fair. A point-to-point course may be designed so that runners may never face a prevailing head wind, for example. A loop course may be designed to skirt a horrible hill. On an out-and-back course the runner experiences the best and worst of every factor. The tail wind on the first leg will be in his face coming back. The downhill on which he could coast on the way out turns into a grinding uphill on the way back.

Course variations have also made it difficult to compare relative times. All of this has led to years of debate in the road racing community both domestically and abroad, culminating in the passage of the TAC rule.

So what? So, consider that America’s biggest marathons, Boston, New York and Chicago, are all point-to-point races. Also consider that Alberto Salazar’s American marathon record for men was set at Boston. Joan Benoit Samuelson’s record for women was set at Chicago (which may sneak in because of an rule change that liberalized the allowable distance from the start to the finish line). Also consider that Mark Nenow’s 10K American record at Crescent City fails the start/finish test.

And, while the rule does not apply to world records, the international impact is the same. Especially since Americans do compete internationally. The women’s world record was set at London, a point-to-point course. The Seoul Olympic Marathon was point-to-point. The course for the 1994 Barcelona Olympic marathon is point-to-point and with elevation variations that may not make it eligible for record consideration.

The impact this rule will have on American marathons is tremendous. According to records compiled by the Road Race Management newsletter, under this new rule the top 17 all-time performances for U.S. men are ineligible for record consideration. That appears to make the American record-holder at the marathon Tony Sandoval, with a 2:10:20 set Sept. 9, 1979.

The idea of changing start/finish lines after decades of tradition may have race directors in a snit. The Boston Marathon is actually the Hopkinton, Mass., to Boston Marathon. The New York City Marathon’s entire cachet is the fact that the race starts on Staten Island and weaves through all five boroughs. Tradition and logistics are not the only issues. Television loves the New England-in-spring look of the early stages of the Boston race and the ethnic neighborhoods of the New York course.

Apart from the start/finish problem, Boston also fails the elevation requirement. Despite its well-known landmark, Heartbreak Hill, Boston is basically a downhill race. The new rule allows for an elevation decrease of 10 feet per mile. Boston has a net decrease of 14 feet per mile. In fact, according to Basil Honikman of TAC, Boston’s dramatic drop in elevation has the effect of making it 500 yards short.

This may account for the fact that, up to the end of 1988, six of the 10 fastest times ever run by an American were at Boston.

The Los Angeles Marathon is well within the tolerance levels of the new rule. L.A. is and always has been a loop course. It is and shall remain a flat course. The elevation change for the race is one foot per mile, barely noticeable. The total change is 187 feet, as compared to Boston’s drop of some 450 feet.

This rule change may serve to boost L.A.’s attraction to elite American runners, who may not want to waste a world-class effort on a course in which they can’t get a record.

Certainly the rule will have a profound effect on the sport. However, not all change is bad. Times on the roads have long been properly called world bests, not world records, and for a reason. Unlike races on tracks, road race course have had little uniformity or even a modest adherence to worldwide standards. Only by factoring in such elements as elevation, wind and even the layout of a course can uniform standards begin to be applied to the sport.

This difficult decision by TAC is merely the wave of the future and can only help lead to the eventual ratification of road race “records” as accepted world records. While internationally some racing officials are dragging their feet on adopting TAC’s rule in their own federations, look for this idea to slowly gain worldwide acceptance.

Former marathoner Dick Beardsley, whose 2:08:54 is second all-time among U.S. men, is struggling to recover from an injury that mangled his leg and left him with a goal of walking again, much less running.

Beardsley, who lives in rural Minnesota, suffered the injury in a farm accident Nov. 13. He was transferring corn to a crib on his farm near Shafer when his coveralls became caught in a tractor power takeoff, a drive shaft used to power farm implements. He suffered a broken right wrist, broken ribs, cuts on his calf muscles in his left leg and severe ligament damage to the left knee before he was able to turn off the machine.

Although the accident was horrible, Beardsley had been working with a physical therapist three times a week at his farm and his recuperation from the surgery had been progressing well.

Then disaster struck again. Last month Beardsley, 33, developed a severe postoperative infection in the site of the original surgery and was admitted to a hospital after developing a fever. Beardsley’s agent, Bill Wenmark, said the infection had not invaded the knee joint or gotten into Beardsley’s blood system, which was good news.

The road ahead is long, however. The second surgery sets his rehabilitation back several months. It may take Beardsley years to get out from under the medical bills. He had no health insurance at the time of the accident.

Running Notes

The Los Angeles Marathon has added a 5K race, to start a half hour after the marathon runners. Like the marathoners, the 5K runners will finish in the Coliseum. The March 4 race will get substantially more television coverage than last year. KCOP Channel 13 has increased its total coverage to 8 1/2 hours, with a half-hour preview show the night before the race, five hours of race coverage and a three-hour highlight show. Last year’s coverage was a total of 5 1/2 hours.

The Long Beach Marathon’s annual series of clinics begins Jan. 9. Race director Joe Carlson will outline the program for the weeks leading up to the race. The clinics are conducted in cooperation with the Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department and will be held at Recreation Park Community Center at 7:30 p.m. Information: (213) 494-2664. . . . The Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K is going strong in its 12th year. The Jan. 28 race usually draws a large field, this year about 15,000 runners are expected. In addition to the 10K race, there is a companion 5K walk, which is in its second year.