V8 N. 51 Pete Riegel R.I.P.

Here is a note received recently from Gary Corbitt about the passing of Pete Riegel, not a household name but one whose gifts may have benefitted you over the years.  Pete from Columbus, OH was one of the men who along with Ted Corbitt were responsible for raising the standards of course measurement and certification.  He was also a very talented man in other fields.  Here is Gary's note and Pete's obituary from the Columbus Post Dispatch.

Ted Corbitt’s greatest contribution to the sport of long distance running was his leadership in developing the process to accurately measure road race courses across the United States.  Pete Riegel extended the work of first generation course certifiers and record keeper; John Jewell, John Sterner, Aldo Scandurra, Ron Daws,Norman Brand, Tom Osler, Alan Jones, David Senechalle, Robert Letson, Ken & Jennifer Young and others.  Pete followed these pioneers and mentored the next two generation of course certifiers with both his founding of Course Measurement News, and willingness to help others.  To quote Jim Gerweck “If Ted Corbit was the George Washington of course measurement then Pete Riegel was certainly its Jefferson.”

In my quest to preserve the history of long distance running a person like Pete was a tremendous blessing. At a point when I was beginning to organize my father’s collection, Pete provided me with a CD that had all the major documents related to course measurement history already electronically stored.  This showed his profound respect towards properly preserving running history.  For this I say thank you Pete.

I also thank the many course certifiers who today continue to build on the foundation set by the pioneers of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Gary Corbitt

Curator: Ted Corbitt Archives

Historian: National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA)

Riegel, Peter - Obiturary

Peter "Pete" Riegel, 83, beloved husband to Joan for over 59 years, dad to Stuart (Bonnie) and Thomas (Tina) was known for his complete support and love for family. A mechanical engineer, Pete retired from Battelle Memorial Institute's Columbus Laboratory in 1995 after a 25-year career in research. His professional achievements include his work on the development of deep-sea diving equipment for America's aquanauts at Sea Lab, as well as improvements to safety equipment for air flow in coal mines. A widely recognized patent includes the non-drip nozzle on gas station hoses that prevents gasoline spillage. Pete was a dedicated long-distance runner, finishing hundreds of marathon and ultra-marathon races. He combined his love of running and analytical background to help perfect the current international system for measuring road race courses. Known world wide for his contributions to the sport of distance running, he headed the US team to design and measure the marathon courses for the 1984 and 1996 U.S. Olympics, as well as the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials race held in Columbus in 1992. Pete brought a scientific approach to measurement and certification. Pete was friend, mentor and teacher to hundreds of new measurers through scores of international measurement seminars. Pete also founded and edited Measurement News, the newsletter of the Road Running Technical Council of USA Track & Field, and was a founding member of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Says his wife, "Our lives with you were truly an adventure!" Funeral services will be private. Arrangements by SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST CHAPEL. Please share memories of Pete with his family at www.schoedinger.com.

Published in The Columbus Dispatch on June 3, 2018