7/14/2003: A NEW VOICE FOR INTERNATIONAL ROAD RACINGThe sport of Road Running has too often been treated as a second-class activity, in comparison with Track and Field Athletics. It has lacked a voice that will stand up for the best interests of the sport, helping to ensure its rational and systematic development.
For this reason a number of individuals from across the globe, with extensive backgrounds in road racing, have formed an international Association of Road Racing Statisticians [ARRS] with the goals of:
¨ Establishing valid criteria for road record-keeping
¨ Maintaining a list of world road records based on these valid criteria
¨ Promoting communication and the exchange of information with regards to road racing.
The aim of the road record-keeping criteria will be designed to encourage and recognise marks made in women-only races which will in turn, enhance the status of women's road racing. It will also recognize a maximum separation of 30% between the start and finish to ensure that records represent valid achievements.
Such an association offers a tremendous opportunity for the development and promotion of the sport and will be of great benefit to Road Racing. Further details of the draft ARRS road record list can be found at www.mattoleriver.com/ARRS.htm
The founder members are road running statisticians, journalists and experts from around the world. Most of these individuals are active, very experienced runners with numerous marathons, and in many cases ultramarathons to their names. They are:
AFRICA
Riel Hauman (South Africa), the premier South African road running statistician and writer, and author of Century of the Marathon 1896-1996ASIA
Ken Nakamura (Japan) - the foremost Japanese road running statistician.
EUROPE
Ian Champion (Great Britain), race director of the world famous ultra classic, the London to Brighton race, and a distance running historian and archivist.
Andy Milroy (Great Britain), global road running historian, writer and statistician, author of “The Long Distance Record Book” and the primary originator of the Ultra Marathon Race Handbook, the accepted rule book for Ultrarunning.
Indro Neri (Italy) - Editor of the Italian running magazine "Podismo" since 1976; co-director of Run The Planet (www.runtheplanet.com) since 1996; Journalist and author of several books on running,
Gunars Akerbergs, (Latvia) road running and marathon statistician, www.marathon.lv
Wim van Hemert (The Netherlands) is a veteran sports journalist having covered Olympic, World and European Championships for over thirty years. Co-founder of the Rotterdam Marathon, he has written several books about the marathon, and has a strong interest in marathon statistics
Zbigniew Jonik (Poland) has a Master of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. He maintains both track, road and indoor performances statistics for Poland and world lists for men and women .
Sergey Krashnoshchekov (Russia) maintains Russian rankings at the marathon, and collects national long distance road performances. He also maintains biographical information on leading Russian runners on his website www.geocities.com/Colosseum/7583/atlas.html
Luis Arribas (Spain) is Editor of the Spanish e-News site www.CorreryTirar.com, writing for Spanish-speaking runners worldwide. His special interest is marathon statistics, trail races and ultra distance.
Birger Falt (Sweden) is a race walker at the highest level and competed in the 1999 World Championships at 20km; he is a race walking and long distance running statistician and also a course measurer .
Tomas Magnusson (Sweden) now resides in Switzerland. His main interests are in international athletic championships, including long distance, and researching and collecting full results.
NORTH AMERICA
David Blaikie (Canada), road running journalist and writer, well known for his highly respected website, Ultramarathon World, www.ultramarathonworld.com , is also author of “Boston: The Canadian Story”
Pete Riegel (United States) Former IAAF Measurement Co-ordinator for the Americas; Chairman of the USA federation Road Running Technical Council for many years, founding editor of Measurement News, the Newsletter that disseminated good practice in course measurement world wide.
Ken Young (United States), long time road running statistician and record keeper who set up the United States road running record system while director of the National Running Data Centre in 1980; editor of the Analytical Distance Runner weekly e-newsletter, www.mattoleriver.com
For further information:
Contact : Andy Milroy: a.milroy@virgin.net
Ken Young: kcy@inreach.com
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