I realize the race organizers said it was definitely 3.1 miles, but there is no way it's a coincidence that we happened to have the fastest girls 5K and fastest boys team 5K average on the same day. I'm sure it's a fast course but that doesn't pass the sniff test.
Also this is what the Milesplit article said:
It also should be noted that course directors said afterward, quite clearly, that John Hunt Park had been measured scientifically down to the last meter, with a fully-credentialed 3.1 course.
"Since it is so wide, you can cut off a lot of distance there," she said.
Does this mean they measure from the middle even though you can run the tangents? Is that how xc measurement works?