Handicap Run
Information
The Handicap Run is a 5K and takes place on the 3rd Wednesday of every month .
How it works
The slowest runner starts first and the fastest runner starts last. If all runners ran according to their previous times, everyone would finish together. The winner is the first person who crosses the line, and they are awarded the monthly trophy. During lockdown, runners simply run their own 5K and submit their time. The winner is the runner whose time + handicap is the shortest.
We calculate when each runner starts as follows. We take the average of their most recent 4 times from the last 12 months. If we have fewer than 4 times, we use as many as we have. We then work out how much faster they are than the slowest runner in the list. Eg if they are 10 minutes faster than the slowest runner, they start 10 minutes after them. This is their handicap.
Runners who haven't run the handicap in the last 12 months run for a time. We use this time to calculate their handicap for the next time they enter. During lockdown, people can submit a 5K time from the last 12 months and use this to calculate their handicap. However, this makes them ineligible for the annual competition.
Registration
Runners are registered at the start at 6:30pm. The run will start at about 6:40 and be finished by 7:30.
Organisation
The run needs 3 people to do the organising. 1. Starter/Timekeeper 2. Finish position recorder 3. Assistant position recorder. All three organisers look after the runners clothes which need carrying from the start to the finish. It would be great to have a few more volunteers to take turns with this.
Location and Parking
(April-Sept) Cotleigh Village Hall. Park in the hall car park, or by the church if the car park is closed not just outside the hall on the road. The route is one loop of quiet lanes.
(Oct-Mar) Meet at finish point just off Old Elm Rd (see map below) not the play area start.
Park on Old Elm Road, side roads (without blocking driveways) or at Tesco. It is a 3 lap course shown below but currently run backwards (clockwise). The route is only a mile in length so the finish is about 150m from the start to make it 5K.
Annual competition
The monthly handicaps are part of an annual competition. Each month, finishers will receive points calculated as follows: finish position x (10 / number of runners)
E.g. if there are 12 entrants, the runner who finishes last will receive 10 points, and the winner will receive 0.83 points.
At the end of the year, anyone who has run 5 times or more is counted for the annual competition. We take the 5 lowest scores of each eligible runner, add them up: whoever has the lowest total is the overall winner.
How it works
The slowest runner starts first and the fastest runner starts last. If all runners ran according to their previous times, everyone would finish together. The winner is the first person who crosses the line, and they are awarded the monthly trophy. During lockdown, runners simply run their own 5K and submit their time. The winner is the runner whose time + handicap is the shortest.
We calculate when each runner starts as follows. We take the average of their most recent 4 times from the last 12 months. If we have fewer than 4 times, we use as many as we have. We then work out how much faster they are than the slowest runner in the list. Eg if they are 10 minutes faster than the slowest runner, they start 10 minutes after them. This is their handicap.
Runners who haven't run the handicap in the last 12 months run for a time. We use this time to calculate their handicap for the next time they enter. During lockdown, people can submit a 5K time from the last 12 months and use this to calculate their handicap. However, this makes them ineligible for the annual competition.
Registration
Runners are registered at the start at 6:30pm. The run will start at about 6:40 and be finished by 7:30.
Organisation
The run needs 3 people to do the organising. 1. Starter/Timekeeper 2. Finish position recorder 3. Assistant position recorder. All three organisers look after the runners clothes which need carrying from the start to the finish. It would be great to have a few more volunteers to take turns with this.
Location and Parking
(April-Sept) Cotleigh Village Hall. Park in the hall car park, or by the church if the car park is closed not just outside the hall on the road. The route is one loop of quiet lanes.
(Oct-Mar) Meet at finish point just off Old Elm Rd (see map below) not the play area start.
Park on Old Elm Road, side roads (without blocking driveways) or at Tesco. It is a 3 lap course shown below but currently run backwards (clockwise). The route is only a mile in length so the finish is about 150m from the start to make it 5K.
Annual competition
The monthly handicaps are part of an annual competition. Each month, finishers will receive points calculated as follows: finish position x (10 / number of runners)
E.g. if there are 12 entrants, the runner who finishes last will receive 10 points, and the winner will receive 0.83 points.
At the end of the year, anyone who has run 5 times or more is counted for the annual competition. We take the 5 lowest scores of each eligible runner, add them up: whoever has the lowest total is the overall winner.
