Skipton AC Handicap
- 14th November
- 28th November
- 9th January
- 13th February
- 13th March
- (27th March reserve in case of postponed for weather, etc.)
What is a handicap?
Each runner gets a target time relating to their ability. People are set off running in reverse order of pace with the ‘least quick’ going off first and ‘least slow’ last.
Since the quicker runners will gradually be catching up the slower runners, the finish is something of a stampede!
Runners will be awarded points in finish order.
How do I get handicap points?
In each race:
- 1st gets 100 points, 2nd 99 points, 3rd 98 points, etc.
The overall winner will be decided by:
- Your cumulative points across the race series. If you do all 5 races your best 4 will count. If you do 4 races or fewer, it is just your total points.
- Bonus points for each race:
- Beating your course PB (for the season) (20 points)
- Running faster than your target time (10 points)
- For volunteering, recording places / times or marshaling (50 points)
- Plus running and / or volunteering at all 5 races (50 points)
Taking part
The club handicap will show in the route rota from November onwards. There will be no other club run that night.
If you are unable to make the night of the handicap, then please submit a time recorded on the course during the week before or the week after the handicap date and you will be included in the results.
If you are not ‘racing’ that night, please volunteer by either helping with the timing / places or by trotting out around the course and standing somewhere to help keep people safe and to encourage the runners.
Estimated times
The route is 4.3 miles. For the first event, an estimate of a fair pace (minutes per mile) will be used. Thereafter your recorded finishing times will be used to inform your handicap target time (but your PB does not become your handicap time).
- New runners who join in will be given an educated guess as a target time / pace based on whatever evidence is available (e.g. a parkrun time). Please help to re-assure people that it ‘all comes out in the wash’ in the end!
- As near as is possible, the handicap format gives all abilities the chance of winning. This is about doing well, relative to how you run.
- Re the target times and other aspects. Please resist putting undue pressure on the volunteers. Banter is fine, bribery may be acceptable but anything other than a smile at all times is not!
The route
The route is a total of around 4.3 miles comprising 3 loops: a ‘top loop’; a ‘CVT loop’ (CVT = Castle View Terrace); and a ‘Hayton loop’. Here is a link to a video which describes key points on the course with maps and descriptions of each loop below:
