History
How running courses are measured: the Jones counter and certification, from calibrated bicycles to world records
· 5 min read
In short
- Accurate, standardised methods of measuring running courses developed significantly during the 1960s, thanks to the pioneering work of Britain’s John Jewell and American Ted Corbitt.
- The Jones counter, developed in the 1970s by Alan Jones and his then nine-year-old son Clain, simplified the calibrated-bicycle method. Instead of laboriously counting wheel spokes, the measurer could simply read a number from the counter.
- The device has been used to measure almost every Olympic marathon course since Montreal 1976.
- Road running world records have been recognised only since 2004, when World Athletics officially accepted the Jones counter measurement method as sufficiently accurate.
When people hear the words precise measurement, most imagine a laser or a satellite. Yet running courses are measured using something surprisingly ordinary: a bicycle and a small mechanical counter.
The pioneers of the 1960s
Accurate course-measurement methods began to develop in earnest during the 1960s. Britain’s John Jewell conducted extensive research into different ways of measuring roads and published a groundbreaking paper on the subject in 1961. American Ted Corbitt was working on the same issue at the same time. Before then, less standardised methods such as measuring wheels or estimates were used.
A simpler method from the 1970s
The British cycling federation had previously used a calibrated-bicycle method with a front-wheel revolution counter, but fractions of a revolution had to be calculated laboriously by counting spokes manually. Alan Jones and his then nine-year-old son Clain improved the device into a counter that records fine mechanical increments proportional to the wheel’s rotation. After calibration over a known distance, these increments can be converted into distance without the time-consuming task of counting spokes by hand.
How courses are measured today
The process begins on a calibration course of precisely known length, which is used to calculate a factor for converting revolutions into metres. A bicycle fitted with a Jones counter is then ridden along the tangent—the shortest possible line around the entire course. Read more about this principle in Why your GPS watch shows a different time.
From Montreal to the present day
The Jones counter was used to measure the marathon course at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and has since been used for almost every subsequent Olympic marathon course. World Athletics has officially ratified road running world records only since 2004. Learn more in Records in running and sport.
Why it also matters for small events
Certification confirms that a course is not shorter than its stated distance, giving runners greater confidence when comparing personal performances across races, although elevation and weather conditions also affect full comparability. For smaller local races, certification is worthwhile if you want participants to treat their times seriously beyond your event. How to choose a timing system for your event explains how to select a suitable timing solution.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the Jones counter?
Father and son Alan and Clain Jones developed it in the 1970s, when Clain was only nine years old. They improved the calibrated-bicycle method previously used by the British cycling federation.
How does course measurement with a calibrated bicycle work?
The number of revolutions made by the bicycle’s front wheel is measured over a calibration course of precisely known length, producing a conversion factor for metres. The bicycle is then ridden along the tangent—the shortest possible line—of the entire course, and its length is calculated from the number of wheel revolutions.
Since when have road running world records been recognised?
Only since 2004, when World Athletics officially accepted course measurement using a Jones counter as sufficiently accurate for record ratification.
At which events has the Jones counter been used?
It was used to measure the marathon course at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and has since been used for almost every Olympic marathon course, as well as thousands of city running events worldwide.