The purpose of the USATF course certification program is to produce road race courses of accurately measured distances. For any road running performance to be accepted as a record or be nationally ranked, it must be run on a USATF-certified course. In addition, the certification program is very important to the average road racer, as well as those of exceptional speed. Most runners like to compare performances run on different courses, and such comparisons are difficult if course distances are not reliable. No one can truly establish a personal best if the course distance is not accurate.
A USATF Sanction is an official designation issued by USATF, through a local Association, which approves and licenses the holding of a competitive track and field, long distance running, or race-walking event in the United States. USATF Sanctioned Events are provided with liability insurance. Only USATF Sanctioned Events are eligible for National and World Records. Learn more here.
For a road running performance to not only be accepted by USATF but recognized and ratified by USATF, the performance must have occurred on both a USATF certified course and a USATF sanctioned event. With new standards and requirements for world and national ranking, it is imperative that events have both a USATF course certification and a USATF Sanction for athletes to recognize the full benefit of running at a particular road race. While both programs work independently of one another, only events that have both a USATF course certification and a USATF Sanction are record eligible. For athletes, check here for the list of sanctioned events to see if your next race is record eligible.