Many thanks to John ROSS for organising the 2012 Grand Prix! Final results are here Final 2012 Grand Prix Standings.
Following on from the very successful introduction of the WAVA Handicap System for the 2012 Grand Prix, this format will again be used for the 2013 Grand Prix. The competition will run from January to November and includes the following races:
1. 9th February-Wrekenton NEHL cross country 2013 Grand Prix After NEHL Wrekenton
2. 10th March-Run Northumberland Half Marathon 2013 Grand Prix After Run Northumberland Half Marathon
3. 7th April-Blyth 10k 2013 Grand Prix After Blyth Valley 10k
4. 21st April-Wallsend Harriers Terry O’Gara 5k 2013 Grand Prix After Terry O’Gara 5k
5. 27th April-Hawkshead Trail Race 2013 Grand Prix After Hawkshead Trail Race
6. 14th May-Woodhorn Museum 10k 2013 Grand Prix After Woodhorn Museum 10k
7. 29th May-George Ogle Memorial Race 2013 Grand Prix After George Ogle Memorial Race
8. 9th June-Blaydon Race 2013 Grand Prix After Blaydon Race
9. 9th July-Bridges of the Tyne 5 Mile (event sold out.)
10. 6th August-Morpeth 10k (forms are on the noticeboard at Willowburn and are here http://morpethharriers.freeservers.com/entryfrom2013v2.pdf)
11. 21st September-Simonside Fell Race (no pre-entries, just turn up on the day!)
12. 20th October-Gibside Fruit Bowl Trail Race (very popular 6 mile trail race which sells out every year well in advance. Entry forms are on the noticeboard at Willowburn or you can enter here http://www.runbritain.com/RaceDetail.aspx?eventid=b80dc955e4&raceid=be0acd55eb.) Note that the race starts earlier this year, at 9.30am.
13. 27th October-Jedburgh Half Marathon (club trip-entry forms on the noticeboard at Willowburn or here http://www.jedburghhalfmarathon.org.uk/entry.html)
14. November-Norman Woodcock Memorial Race (more details to follow)
Once again any 2 marathons will also count as counting races just like this year. Finally please see the note below regarding the inclusion of Parkruns.
As you can see the chosen races are over various distances and terrains. Some are old favourites whilst others present the opportunity to try new and different challenges.
Alnwick Harriers Grand Prix 2013 Rules
- Your best 9 Grand Prix WAVA scores will count towards your total Grand Prix score.
- The highest score will win the League.
- There will be awards for the top twelve positions.
- A maximum of two marathon scores can be included.
Enhancements for 2013
PARKRUNS
Your best Parkrun score between January and November 2013 will count as a top nine score.
BONUS POINTS
Once nine races have been completed, 10 bonus points per additional race completed will be earned.
This bonus will reward runners for their additional commitment and act as an incentive to compete in more than the nine ‘counting’ events.
There are 14 Races in the 2013 Grand Prix, plus two Marathons and one Parkrun. Therefore if a competitor ran every race in the series they would earn 80 Bonus points.
HOW “WAVA” WORKS
It uses world record information set by people of all ages, male and female.
For example the world record Marathon time for a 60 year old male is 2:38:15. If you’re a 60 year old male and run a marathon in 4:30:00 you would earn a score of 56.73%, because you ran at just over half the record pace.
Here are some more examples of what the scores would be for 40 and 42 minute times, for a 10k race, for 40 and 50 year old male and female runners:
|
40 min 10km |
42 min 10km |
|
| Male – 40 yrs old |
71.02% |
67.64% |
| Female – 40 yrs old |
78.56% |
74.82% |
| Male – 50 yrs old |
76.74% |
73.09% |
| Female – 50 yrs old |
86.70% |
82.57% |
The basic idea is to give everyone the same opportunity based on a performance level for your age.
The final example illustrates how the first five places of 2011’s Les Allcorn 10k would have been recorded using the handicap system.
Top 5 Alnwick Performers Top 5 WAVA Performers
1.Mark MILLER 39.17 1. Lesley MILLER 78.00%
2. Adam SPILLER 39.29 2. Jim LILLICO 75.52%
3. Jim LILLICO 40.26 3. Sarah SYERS 70.11%
4. Graham BELL 42.12 4. Adam SPILLER 70.09%
5. Stuart MORRIS 42.23 5. Mark MILLER 68.86%
Lesley Miller’s time of 44:53 was the performance of the day and would have moved her from 8th fastest to the highest scoring Alnwick Harrier – 78.00% in the handicap format.
Next years league will once again be calculated using your 9 best scores.
The above example also shows how important every inch of your race will be as the Handicap System has resulted in a difference of only 0.02%, between 3rd and 4th positions .
A major objective of the Grand Prix is to see as many red, black & yellow hoops as possible, promoting Alnwick Harriers on the north east roads, fells, trails and mud!
Racing is one of the best forms of training possible, granted that we can’t all be ‘bombing along’ at the front and the WAVA Handicap system gives you all a genuine chance to have fun and perhaps win a prize, into the bargain!
So get involved and start planning your racing calendar for 2013 now! Please note that in the unlikely event of a tie, at the end of the Grand Prix, the Committees decision is final. Regular Grand Prix updates will be provided, throughout 2013, via the website and at Willowburn.
ALNWICK HARRIERS GRAND PRIX 2011
2011 saw the first ever Alnwick Harriers Grand Prix, which took place over 14 events throughout the year. Members were split into 4 divisions, 2 male and 2 female.
The events for 2011 were:
Liversedge Half Marathon (February 13th)
Dunbar 10k (April 2nd)
Blyth 10k (April 3rd)
North Tyneside 10k (April 24th)
North Shields Poly 10k (May 11th)
Druridge Bay 10k (May 29th)
Blaydon Race (June 9th)
Newburn River Run (June 22nd)
Tynedale 10k (July 6th)
Morpeth 10k (August 2nd)
Blyth Links 10k (August 30th)
Norham 10k (September 25th)
Jedburgh Half Marathon (October 30th)
Brampton to Carlisle Race (November 19th)
Winners are shown below!
Group 1 Male
Mark MILLER 76 (1st)
David HINDMARSH 63 (2nd)
Cris ATWELL 63 (3rd)
Group 2 Female
No winners
Group 2 Male
John ROSS 70(1st)
Phil LEE 61 (2nd)
Mark DOCTOR 57 (3rd)
Group 2 Female
Lisa WILLIAMS 77 (1st)
Sue BOLAM 70 (2nd)
Anne ALLAN 68 (3rd)
