-- sample race documentation file
--
-- lines that are blank, or begin with two - characters are ignored
--
-- this file is divided into sections- one section for each type of information

Section 1 -- general information
race name: blue water 1hr race walk       -- the name of the race
race date: 2009-12-31                     -- the date of the race in yyyy/mm/dd format
events contested: 1hr, 30min              -- list all primary events 
postal: 30min, 1hr                        -- which postal events were contested
race director: bruce leasure              -- name of the race director

Section 2 -- location of the event
city: Minneapolis                         -- city 
USA state: MN                             -- USA only - 2 letter postal code for the state
province:                                 -- non-USA only
country: USA                              -- country

section 3: -- Course 
-- leave lines that don't apply to you blank
-- or put "--" in front of them
-- duplicate lines if you are using multiple courses
certified: 2km loop - USATF MN-1234-RR
certified: 100m loop - USATF MN-1235-RR
-- surveyed: 400m outdoor track - University of St. Thomas

section 4: judges
-- certifying organization
USATF
-- judge name            level      certification number
bruce leasure           masters       1234567
lisa johnson            national      2345678
charlie smith           association   3456789
joanne bossie           association   4567890

section 5: -- whole lap counting method
-- put a description here of how you count whole laps
-- if using human lap counters, include the number of athletes each lap counter handles
6 athletes per lap counter
lap counters record split time for each lap for each athlete
video camera pointed at finish line & large race clock is backup lap counter

section 6: -- partial lap counting method
-- put a description here of how you indicate the end of the time period to the athletes
-- and to the officials, how you mark where the athletes are at the end of the time period,
-- and how you measure the partial lap distance for each athlete.
Any athlete  completing a 2km loop with less than 15 minuets remaining in the time interval
is given the option of walking on the 100m course. Only partial laps on the 100m loop are 
counted.

The large clock, counting down the remaining time in the interval, is visible to each athlete
on each 100m lap. 

When the athlete desires, the athlete picks up a small plastic bag marked with the identirying
characters on the athletes bib (often a number or the athlete's name). This plastic bag 
contains a small amount of sand to act as a weight.

When one minute is remaining in the time interval, a whistle is blown to prepare the
athletes and the officials for the end of the time interval

when the time interval expires, an air-horn is sounded. Every athlete carrying a plastic
bag drops the plastic bag on the track where they are. 

A measuring wheel is used to measure the 100m loop. Starting at the beginning of the loop,
the distance from the beginning of the loop, the distance to each plastic bag is measured.
This distance is recorded as the partial lap distance.
 
We also record the distance measured by the measuring wheel for the 100m loop. We use this
measurement to compute the correction factor for the measuring wheel: 

     100m / measured distance = correction factor

Notice that the correction factor is greater than 1 if the measuring wheel measures a lap
length less than 100m and greater than 1 if the measuring wheel measures a lap length greater
than 100m.
 
We then multiply the measured partial lap distance for each athlete by the correction factor
to obtain the actual patial lap distance.