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Chisholm’s Laws of Racing

By Herb Chisholm* 

  1.             All hilly courses are certified. 

  2.             No matter how many port-a-johns are available for a race, there are never enough. 

  3.              Any damn fool can run downhill (maxim of Tony Plansky, cross-country coach, Williams College,             1935-1965). 

  4.               A “challenging course” will be mostly mountainous. 

  5.               A “scenic course” will be hilly. 

  6.               If the temperature at race start is 39 degrees, the chances of being underdressed or overdressed are   90 percent. 

 7.                The more turns in a course, the greater the chances for an off-course maneuver. 

  8.              If the top age group is not specified in a race flyer, it will be at least 10 years lower than your current      age. 

  9.             The course is guaranteed to be short if TAC Certification No. is not listed on the race flier. 

10.             If the nature of the awards is not described in a race flier, they are definitely medals or trophies. 

11.             If the depth of awards within each age group is not specified in the race flyer, cutoff will be one above your finish position. 

12.             A race is a “non-event” if results are not sent to USATF/RRIC.

*Former Chairman, Masters Long Distance Running, PVA/USATF. 

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