TheAssociation of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent,non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishesstatistics regardingroad running 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.[1] The official publication of the ARRS is theAnalytical Distance Runner.[2] 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 indoormarathons.[3]
Ken Young (November 9, 1941 - February 3, 2018) ofPetrolia, California was a retired professor ofatmospheric physics and former American record-holder in the indoor marathon who currently holds two of the top 10 marks in the event.[3][4][5]Ted Haydon, a former track coach for theUniversity of Chicago Track Club and the United States in the1968 Olympic Games, reportedly staged an indoor marathon for Young so that he could make an attempt at a world record in the indoor marathon.[6] Young also earned aPhD ingeophysical sciences with a minor instatistics, and taught at theUniversity of Arizona.[4] 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."[7] This group pioneered and developed road racing records in the United States.[4]
After theUnited States Congress passed theAmateur Sports Act of 1978,The Athletics Congress (TAC), now known as USA Track & Field, replaced theAmateur Athletic Union as the nationalgoverning body for thesport of athletics.[8] 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.[7]
In 1986, the official record-keeping for TAC was assumed by TACStats, later known as theRoad Information Center.[9]