The ACU maintains and validates all Canadian records set by Canadian ultramarathoners.
Through December 2022, Canadian records were maintained in two categories, native and open. From 2023, records are ratified and maintained only for Canadian citizens.
For a record to be ratified, the following criteria must be met:
- The athlete must be a Canadian citizen (proof of date of birth and citizenship to be provided by birth certificate or passport)
- The course/track must be accurately measured and have a current certificate (to be provided with the application for a record claim)
- A course must not drop more than 1m/km (measuring elevation change between start and finish)
- The straight line distance between start and finish must be less than 50% of the total distance (termed "separation")
- The event must have a minimum of three participants (i.e., it does not need to be three persons of the same gender/sex) in order to be eligible for CAN Open and CAN Age Group records. Note: World Record standards are set by the IAU and are not necessarily the same as national record standards. For example, as at August 2022, the IAU requires three participants (starters) of the same sex as the person claiming a World Best/World Record performance.
- In races that start on one day and finish on another, the age of the athlete at the start of the race shall be the age considered for an age record.
- Confirmation that a race referee was present throughout the event (per application)
- Provision of all laps in a multi-lap event including sufficient information to verify that there were no erroneous laps
- Regarding intermediate distance/time records the following apply:
- For fixed distance races (50km, 100km, etc) intermediate distances will only be recognised if the runner finishes the total programmed distance.
- For fixed time races (6hr, 12hr, 24hr, etc) the claimant can set an intermediate distance or time record without having to complete the programmed timed race.
IAU labelling of the race (bronze, silver or gold) is not currently required for a CAN record application (but might be required in order to be eligible for travel grant money at World Championships).
It is the responsibility of the athlete to coordinate with the relevant race director to complete the Record Application Form and send documents directly to the ACU Records officer
Record Application Form (Dec 2024 version) click here for Word Doc or click here for pdf
For the most current Canadian Records Click here