We all took notice of the “IAAF Road Race Gold” label being proudly displayed next to this year’s Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon logo, but what does it really mean?

Let’s take things from the beginning, IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded on 17 July 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, under the name of International Amateur Athletics Federation. Since October 1993, it has been headquartered in Monaco. It retained the word “amateur” in its name until 2001 when the IAAF’s name was changed to its current form. Included in its charge, amongst others, are the standardization of timekeeping methods and world records.

Each year, IAAF grants recognition to a number of running events as being among the foremost competitions of their type. Races are divided into three categories: Gold, Silver, and Bronze Label Road Races. They are also divided into three types: marathon, half marathon, and other classic distances. Based on the criteria, the best races are awarded the Gold label. Amongst those to hold Gold Label status are all five annual races that make up the World Marathon Majors and the World’s Best 10K.

Requirements

Eligible races categories: Marathons, Half-Marathons, other “official distances” for which World Records are recognised: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 100km and “Classical” races over non-standard distances (i.e. Paris – Versailles over 17.6km).

Races must have an ‘international elite field’ with a minimum of five men and five women participating in the competition in the relevant Label category. Elite runners must be of at least 5 different nationalities (note: this could be, for example, elite men from 3 countries and elite women from 2 countries for mixed gender races).

Courses must have been measured within the 5 years preceding the race by an IAAF/AIMS “A” or “B” Course Measurer and an International Measurement Certificate issued by the International Measurement Administrator

Full electronic timing must be in place to provide split timing and final results.

The event must be broadcasted on a live or delayed basis on television within the country, or delivered to a good standard through online streaming. Gold Label races must be broadcast in a minimum of five countries, while Silver Label races must have live coverage available on a national broadcaster. A centre must be specifically provided for media personnel, and TV monitors and commentary facilities must be present for Gold Label races.

The race organisers must have a dedicated website with published results and must hold press conferences to support the event.

Race must have been established for at least 2 years prior to application.

The race must be organised in a way that minimizes ecological damage to the surrounding areas.

All traffic must be closed off from the race course at all times during the competition.

There must be adequate medical provision for the number of runners at the race.

A number of doping tests must be carried out after each race.

All prize money and bonuses offered should be equal, irrespective of the athlete’s nationality or gender – however, race organisers are allowed to offer additional bonuses to competitors from the host country in order to boost local participation.

All Gold Label Races must provide a giant video screen

The complete regulations document can be downloaded here [pdf].


How are long-distance races measured?

AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) works in partnership with IAAF, and together have adopted the calibrated bicycle method as the only approved method for measuring road races. In this method, a simple geared device known as The Jones Counter, which counts the revolutions of a bicycle wheel is used. The device is calibrated by a measuring tape at least 30 meters long. Next, the bicycle is ridden over the race course to determine its length. Finally the bicycle is recalibrated by riding again over the calibration distance. This is done to check for changes in bicycle wheel diameter due to temperature changes, air leakage and other causes. The method’s overall accuracy, depending on calibration and other factors, is normally better than 1 part in 1000, that is, about 42 meters over the course of a full marathon. The extra 42 meters are there because international rules state that all races must be measured one-tenth of 1% long, a provision known as the Short Course Prevention Factor. The point of it is to err on the side of safety to ensure that the course cannot possibly be found to come up short in case of a record. If an independent measurer did find the course to be short, the record would be invalidated.

IAAF Label Road Races 2013

The labels are valid for one year and a new application must be filed for the preceding one. These is the list of events that were awarded the labels this year.

IAAF Gold Label Road Races:

Amsterdam Marathon

Beijing Marathon

Berlin Marathon

Bogotá Half Marathon

Bogotá Women’s 12K

Boston Marathon

Chicago Marathon

Dubai Marathon

Frankfurt Marathon

Fukuoka Marathon

Giro di Castelbuono

Great Manchester Run

Great North Run

Great South Run

Hamburg Marathon

Istanbul Marathon

Lake Biwa Marathon

Lisbon Half Marathon

London Marathon

Nagoya Women’s Marathon

New York City Marathon

Paris Marathon

Portugal Half Marathon

Prague Half Marathon

Prague Marathon

Roma-Ostia Half Marathon

Rome Marathon

Rotterdam Marathon

Seoul International Marathon

Shanghai Marathon

Singapore Marathon

Tokyo Marathon

Vienna City Marathon

World’s Best 10K

Xiamen International Marathon

Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon

IAAF Silver Label Road Races:

Osaka Women’s Marathon

Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon

Beppu-Ōita Marathon

Hong Kong Marathon

Daegu Marathon

Great Ireland Run

Madrid Marathon

Ottawa 10K

Ottawa Marathon

Freihofer’s Run for Women

Olomouc Half Marathon

Prague 10K

Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon

Dam tot Damloop

Cologne Marathon

Great Birmingham Run

Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Marseille Cassis 20K

Venice Marathon

Yokohama Women’s Marathon

Turin Marathon

San Silvestre Vallecana

IAAF Bronze Label Road Races:

Maraton de Santiago

Pyongyang Marathon

Brighton Marathon

Nagano Marathon

Düsseldorf Marathon

Hannover Marathon

Riga Marathon

Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Edinburgh Marathon

Corrida de Langueux

Vidovdan 10K

Gold Coast Marathon

Siberian International Marathon

Paris 20K

Beirut Marathon

Alpes-Maritimes Marathon

Valencia Marathon

Corrida de Houilles

Official worldwide IAAF Label Road Races Calendar & Results: 2013 || 2014