olympian task: measuring 26.2 miles, to the inch - best distance measurer

Amy Berg.
Month, 2007 late Tuesday night to yesterday morning, the Beijing Olympic Games started a year ago, two
Older men ride their bikes through Central Park to take part in a key detail of America's top men's marathon.
David Katz, 55, and Hugh Jones, 52, in wet and almost completely dark environments, along four-
The miles in the middle of the park are equipped with calculators, notepad and measuring devices attached to the front shaft.
This device, a 9-year-
In the 1970 s, old boys helped develop, allow Katz and Jones to measure 26 miles and 385 yards along the most direct path followed by America's best distance runners at the November Olympic men's marathon in New York. 3.
Most courses-
Except about 1. 3 miles —
Will run on the road of Central Park.
Katz and Jones are unknown among the world's expert surveyors.
To ensure that the race meets the expected distance, the surveyors may know the class better than the runners who took the race.
"I think the ads are boring," Jones said . "
"But it's cool for us.
"The American track and field listed 27 surveyors in New York, but Katz turned to Jones, who lives in London, to work with him to calibrate the Olympic trial course.
Jones is one of the four international survey administrators of the International Athletics Federation, the world governing body of athletics.
He came to New York on a borrowed bike to help his friend Katz.
Mr. advertising
"Jones is one of the best surveyors in the world," Katz said . " Katz has been measuring courses since 1976.
"It's interesting to measure with such an excellent surveyor.
There are too many places to make mistakes.
It's great to work with people who get the same number.
"Unlike most road races in Central Park, the Olympic trial course will use two lanes.
The extra width provides different ups and downs and gives runners the chance to go straight on the curve.
A new set of certified measurements is therefore required.
Jones and Katz measured 400 on Tuesday.
Directly measure the instrument with a steel tape measure near the East 90 Street engineer's door. At 10 p. m.
, They ride back and forth along the same section, calibrating the measuring equipment on the bike, which calculates the rotation speed of the wheel.
By four riding distances, the distance between the expansion calculation and correction of the tape measure in 85-is averaged 36mm
The temperature during the day, they are able to calibrate the standard for the rest of the measurements at night.
In order to measure the "shortest path" authorized by I"A. A. F.
They have to ride along the tangent line or what Jones says is "a wise route" and keep the exact notes.
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As a result, Katz and Jones combined 44 years of measurement experience to bypass the curve in overgrown bushes, and shouted to a wave runner: "Go offline!
We are measuring!
"When a group of teenage boys in vests rode their bikes close to 102nd Street transverse, the two stopped to wait for them to pass, instead of changing their own route.
Catts and Jones have been careful not to move their front tires an inch.
The measuring device on the two bicycles is the Jones counter, and every Olympic marathon has been recognized international since 1976.
It was invented by Alan Jones.
Has nothing to do with Hugh)
In Binghamton, New YorkY. , in 1971. His 9-year-
When demand increased, the old son Clain helped him build it.
Clain eventually manufactured and sold 2,300 of the equipment in nine years and then sold the business to the New York Road Runner club in 1982.
The profit helped 43-year-old Jones pay for his undergraduate education at Cornell University.
Graduated from agricultural engineering in 1986.
"People talk about another device about every year, I think, O. K.
At last there was something that replaced the Jones counter, "Crane Jones said in a telephone interview with Monte Bozeman yesterday.
He is an assistant professor of soil chemistry at Montana State University.
"It doesn't look beautiful, but it works.
"After their work at Central Park was completed, Katz and Jones waited until about two in the morning. m.
In order for the traffic to subside enough to be safe and relatively uninterrupted in the middle of the midtown road, they were there to draw possible sections for the Olympic trial course section outside the park. At 3 a. m.
They went back to the New York Road Runner's office on the Upper East Side and sorted out their numbers.
AdvertisementKatz and Jones have "signatory status" so their measurements are automatically certified.
But because they were particularly serious, they invited an independent surveyor to accompany them last night because they marked the midpoint of each mile, every five kilometers and course.
Next week, Katz said he would submit a certificate of accuracy and a certificate of manual
A map of the course was drawn to American track and field officials.
Speaking of measuring the sealing surface for the glory of the movement, Katz said: "This is an art . ".
"It's a great feeling when these parts are assembled together.
"A version of this article appears on the print on page f 6 of the New York edition, with the title: Olympic mission: measurement 26.
2 miles to inches.
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