Projects by USATF Coach Brian Cavanagh

Distances of USATF Certified race courses are of the highest level of accuracy and are guaranteed accurate. Distances of all other race courses are not of the same level of accuracy. A distance that is off by one tenth of a mile for a 10k could mean being the runner's time is wrong by 30-60 seconds. Race Directors who refer to their race as "certified" must provide the USATF certification number. To search for whether a course is certified or not, go to www.usatf.org/events/courses/search

A number of people have asked me about the accuracy of courses after they used a GPS watch.
Consumer-quality GPS receiver watches and other devices (not professional surveyor quality) will not give you an accurate measurement of a course's length. To test this, try wearing a GPS watch when running a series of 10k's (25 laps) on separate days on a professionally-surveyed 400 meter track, running one foot out from the curb or inner white line for lane one. Your GPS receiver will collect data from satellites about 20,000km (about 12,427 miles) away. Based on a technical analysis I did, I figured that your times for a 10k on a track could be off by 1:04-3:34 at 5:00/mi to 10:00/mile. That is a lot of error. A consumer-quality GPS will make more errors on any course which has turns compared to one which is one straight line from point to point with no turnaround. In the latter case, your GPS will measure between 6-10 meters longer or shorter than an accurate course.

Here are some of the sources of error in using a GPS:

Ionospheric effects ± 5 meters
Shifts in the satellite orbits ± 2.5 meter
Clock errors of the satellites' clocks ± 2 meter
Multipath effect ± 1 meter
Tropospheric effects ± 0.5 meter
Calculation- und rounding errors ± 1 meter

Altogether this sums up to an error of ± 15 meters (10k time off by 5:21 to 10:42 at 5:00/mi to 10:00/mi). With corrections by professional surveyor systems like WAAS, which mainly reduce ionospheric effects, but also improve orbits and clock errors, the overall error is reduced to approximately ± 3 - 5 meters (10k time off by 1:04-3:34 at 5:00/mi to 10:00/mi). WAAS has not been developed to the increase the accuracy of consumer-grade GPS's. Sources: http://www.kowoma.de/en/gps/errors.htm

Article on USATF course measurement and why it is needed - complete with drawing of Jones-Oerth device, explanation of measurement procedures, sample certification map, sample application for certification of a calibration course, explanation of USATF course numbers. Written and explained clearly by Brian Cavanagh.

Race courses and calibration courses measured in Sullivan, Orange, Ulster, Dutchess & neighboring counties of New York & Pennsylvania:

USATF Certified (accurate):
USATF certified courses are accurate until Dec 31 of the year that is ten years after the date of certification. The two digits after the "NY" in the course # represent the year the course was certified. All courses were measured by Brian Cavanagh unless otherwise noted.

100 K relay (62.137 Miles; divided up into ten relay legs of 6.213712 miles each):
100k Catskill Mountain Rd Relay (10x10km legs) (w/ Steve Holmbraker); Ulster & Sullivan Co's, NY; USATF# NY02057AM; the only USATF Certified single loop 100km course in the United States! Ten x 10km relay legs of unequalled beauty.

21.098 K (Half Marathon, or 13.109 Miles):
Beaverkill Mountain Half Marathon Road Race; Lew Beach, NY (12 minutes northeast of Livingston Manor in the Catskills); USATF # NY07080JG.
Celebrate Life Half Marathon (w/ Ed Homenick); from The Lodge [Hotel], Rock Hill, NY; USATF# NY10002JG -used in 2010 and later. Course designed by Kathleen Rifkin & Brian Cavanagh.
Dutchess County Classic Half Marathon; Wappinger, NY; USATF Certified Course# NY09048JG

15 K (9.321 Miles):
Hudson Valley 15k; Blooming Grove - Washingtonville, NY; USATF # NY08049JG; course layout by The 7:19 Club: Todd Jennings, John Finnigan, Gary Arne, Rich D'Ambrosio

10 K (6.214 Miles):
Tri-State Classic 10k (2009); Port Jervis, NY - Montague, NJ - Port Jervis, Matamoras, PA, Port Jervis; USATF#NY09061JG. Course redesigned by Debbie Valentine with assistance by Brian Cavanagh.
The Classic 10K Road Race; Middletown, NY - measured by Bill Norton for race in and after 2006; USATF# NY06008JG

7 K (4.350 Miles):
Jingle Jog 7K (2008 and after); (w/ Bob Harris) Salisbury Mills, NY; USATF# NY08047JG; course layout by Todd Jennings.

6 K (3.728 Miles):
Rod MacDonald 6k; Walden, NY; USATF# NY10032JG. This is the 44th course I've done USATF certification measurement work on.

Course no longer used:
5K4 CAITLIN: (w/ Bob Harris) Applewood Winery, Warwick, NY; USATF# NY08015JG
CASA 5k; Bethel, NY; USATF# NY01047AM
CASA 5K for Children Race (2008) (w/ Dennis Toscano); Monticello, NY; USATF# NY08054JG
Celebrate Life Half Marathon (2008 & earlier); from former Dodge Inn Restaurant, Rock Hill, NY; USATF# NY03058AM
Orange Classic 10k (w/ Steve H, Kathleen Rifkin, Ed Homenick); Middletown, NY; USATF# NY02058AM
Run For Our Future 8k; Fallsburg, NY; USATF# NY02039AM
Safe Harbors Broadway Run 5k; Newburgh, NY; USATF# NY07018JG; used in 2007, replaced in 2008 by Off Broadway 5K
Safe Harbors Broadway Run 1 Mile; Newburgh, NY; USATF# NY07019JG; used in 2007, replaced in 2008 by Off Broadway Mile
Tri-State Classic 10k; Port Jervis, NY; USATF#NY95035AM; Frank Giannino measured & mapped (expired 12/31/05)
Tri-State Classic 10k; (2006-2007) Montague, NJ - Port Jervis, NY - Matamoras, PA; USATF#NY-06053-JG. Frank Giannino deserves credit for the original course lay out.
Tri-State Classic 10k (2008); Port Jervis, NY - Montague, NJ - Port Jervis, Matamoras, PA, Port Jervis; USATF#NY08039JG. Course redesigned by Debbie Valentine with assistance by Brian Cavanagh.
Walden 8k; Walden, NY; USATF# NY03038AM

History
In the late 70's through the 90's, Brian coached track & field and cross-country on the elementary, middle, high school, college and post-collegiate levels, coaching four NY State Champions (5km, decathlon, two in marathon), one national champion, and an Ironman triathlete. His state champion decathlete competed in the four-man bobsled in the 1980 Olympics. He received his USA Track & Field Coaching Certification in 1986.

In the late 80's, Brian was VP of Sullivan County Rails to Trails Conservancy (SCRTC), inspected all sixty-five miles of potential rail trails in the county, wrote and presented a report summarizing what was needed on each section of trail. To help further the Genesee Valley Greenway project (Rochester, NY area), he represented SCRTC at the invitation of the National Parks Service and the New York Parks and Conservation Association. He also provided input to the Long Path Committee of the NY-NJ Trail Conference which led to a successful rerouting of the Long Path onto the Sullivan County Rail Trail along the Basha Kill wetlands area.

In the late 80's and early 90's, Brian wrote a series of coaching articles for the Orange Runners Club, wrote workout schedules and coached numerous runners in the club.

In the early 90's, Brian layed out, measured, marked and organized the only double-leg road relay in NYS, the 100km (62.2 mile) Catskill Mountain Road Relay for five and ten person teams. He continued to organize the race each year until 1999 when his wife Addie and infant son Kieran needed Daddy at home. In 1999, he handed over the reins to others, in 2000 became the first person to run the race solo, then came back to help organize the relay in 2001.

In 1996, Brian envisioned then founded The Trail Builders Project which cleared or created eleven miles of trails in Sullivan County from 1997-1999 by recruiting and coordinating the efforts of eighty-nine volunteers who put in over 700 man-hours on state and county publicly owned land. Brian made numerous trail maps and proposed an interconnecting countywide trail system using existing trail segments. In 1996 and 1997, Brian wrote articles for Hudson Valley Sports Magazine and was one of the original event organizers for Eventure, a series of outdoor adventure competitions organized by Barry Levinson which included professional bike race promoter John Vande Velde (whose son Christian raced on Lance Armstrong's USPS team in the Tour de France in 2001). Barry, John and Brian were like-minded in that they saw the potential for great events in this region. They realized that promotion, money and hard work would be the keys to success.

In 2001 and 2002, Brian did USATF (USA Track & Field) certification measurements for several road race courses for running so that they would meet the high national standard for accuracy for road races. A precise 400 meter calibration course was laid out in July 2001 under Brian's guidance with the assistance of former Orange Runners Club President Steve Holmbraker and professional Surveyor Bill Norton, both members of Sullivan County's new running and walking club, the Sullivan Striders. USATF granted official certication status for this calibration course on August 29, 2001 which allowed course measurers to precisely calibrate the Jones-Oerth counter with which road race courses are measured. Since the Jones-Oerth counter registers 20-24 counts per wheel revolution, the high degree of resolution in measurement produces more accurate courses than an odometer would.

In the fall of 2001, Brian was a founding member of a new marathon committee which included Orange County Sporting Goods' Frank Giannino, whose inspiration it was to create a major marathon in the Hudson Valley region. Frank is friends with Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray, whose transcontinental running record Frank broke in the early 1980's. Frank had been in discussion with Dave about what it takes to create a major marathon, then Frank approached Keith Yeates, president of the Orange Runners Club, then discussed it with Brian. All liked the idea very much and felt it "would fly". Two other experienced and knowledgeable invitees to the inaugural marathon committee were ORC members Steve Holmbraker and Barb Linton, Assistant Commissioner for Veteran's Affairs in Orange County. Together, the group brainstormed ways to create a major marathon in the region. Keith and Frank drove to Boston and met with professional road race directing consultant Dave McGillivray to seek further input on developing the race. Brian began to pursue route development.

Summary

Brian Cavanagh has done accurate professional road race course layout and measurement via Jones-Oerth device on bike (USATF certification method), designed web sites, course elevation profiles and maps for road races and trail users, and directed and consulted for races. Contact him by email at: acavanagh ( at) hvc.rr.com for work on your event. (Note this spam-free way of listing email address; change the "( at)" to "@".)