The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that collects, analyzes, and publishes

statistics Statistics (from German: '' Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, indust ...

regarding

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road records for standard race distances and to establish valid criteria for road record-keeping. The official publication of the ARRS is the '' Analytical Distance Runner''. This newsletter contains recent race results and analysis and is distributed to subscribers via e-mail. The ARRS is the only organized group that maintains records on indoor

marathons The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

History

Ken Young (November 9, 1941 - February 3, 2018) of

Petrolia, California Petrolia is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California, northeast of Cape Mendocino, at an elevation of above sea level, within ZIP Code 95558, and area code 707. Petrolia was the site of the first oil well drilled in Calif ...

was a retired professor of

atmospheric physics Within the atmospheric sciences, atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, chem ...

and former American record-holder in the indoor marathon who currently holds two of the top 10 marks in the event. Ted Haydon, a former track coach for the University of Chicago Track Club and the United States in the 1968 Olympic Games, reportedly staged an indoor marathon for Young so that he could make an attempt at a world record in the indoor marathon. Young also earned a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

geophysical science Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

s with a minor in

, and taught at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

. Young was the founder and director of the National Running Data Center (NRDC), self-described as "an independent, non-profit organization devoted to the collection, analysis, publication and dissemination of long-distance running information." This group pioneered and developed road racing records in the United States. After the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

passed the

Amateur Sports Act of 1978 The Amateur Sports Act of 1978, signed by President Jimmy Carter, established the United States Olympic Committee and provides for national governing bodies for each Olympic sport. The Act provides important legal protection for individual athletes ...

The Athletics Congress USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

(TAC), now known as USA Track & Field, replaced the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

as the national

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

for the

sport of athletics Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking. The results ...

. Although the records maintained by Young and the NRDC were initially "unofficial", The Athletics Congress recognized them as its official records at their annual meeting in late 1979. In 1986, the official record-keeping for TAC would be assumed by TACStats, later known as the Road Information Center.

References

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External links

Association of Road Racing Statisticians - Official websiteAssociation of Road Racing Statisticians - Facebook

History

References

External links

See also