What is the Grand Prix?
The Grand Prix is an internal club event run over 12 races between January and December, usually this is one per month but this depends on race availability during the summer and December when typically there are not so many races. Distances will vary and range from 5Km to a half marathon, but majority will be 10Km. Races typically but not always take place on Sundays.
Scoring
- A moving average system (see below for an explanation) is used to calculate a personal predicted time for each race
- For each race you participate in your base score will be 15 points. For every 1% that your actual time differs from your personal predicted time you will have 2 points added or deducted, up to a maximum of 5% (10 points). Therefore your minimum score will be 5 points and your maximum 25 points.
- Your overall score for the year is the sum of your best 8 scores over the year.
- New members and those not having completed 3 previous races will be awarded 15 points for their first race and this time will then be used to calculate predicted times for the next race.
Gold Cards
Each competitor will have 2 “Gold” cards, one for each half of the year (6 races each). Each card can be used to double your points in a race that you decide on. You will need to declare to the GP scorer (Paul Fletcher) or a member of the committee that you are going to use a “Gold” card before the race starts (This includes at the race itself so the decision can be left until the day).
Race Weightings
Race weightings are between 1 and 10 (determined by the committee), where a fast flat race such as the Brighton 10K is 1 and a slow, hilly cross country race such as the Blackheath and Bromley mob match is a 10.
Predicted Times
Personal predicted times will be published in advance of the race and sent to the Beckenham running yahoo group email.
Results
The race results and scoring will be published after each race and before the next race. The overall score for each runner will automatically include the best 8 scores and any indicators of any Gold Cards that have been used.
Moving average calculation
Your personal predicted time is based on your previous performances (All race distances) along with a race weighting using the following steps:
1. Calculate a predicted time for an easy 10K based on the last 3 (or fewer if a new member) previous GP races
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- Convert each race time to the equivalent time for an easy 10k by taking the actual race time and dividing by the race weighting and multiplier and then adjusted for distance using the Runners World formula (see below).
- Predicted easy 10K is the average of these times
2. Use predicted easy 10K to calculate race prediction
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- Scale predicted easy 10K to race distance using Runners World formula
- Predicted race time = ( ( (race weighting – 1) * multiplier ) + 100 ) x ( ( Scaled predicted easy 10K ) / 100 )
multiplier is derived by taking the average difference in times from a 10K with a race weighting of 1 (Brighton 10K) and a race weighting of 10 (Blackheath and Bromley mob match) from the previous year’s Grand Prix results and then dividing by 9 (number of gaps between 1 & 10). The results from 2013 produce a multiplier of 1.95 that will be used for 2014.
Runners World formula is T2 = T1 x ( ( D2 / D1 ) ^ 1.06 ) where T1 is the given time, D1 is the given distance, D2 is the distance to predict a time for, and T2 is the calculated time for D2.
Full details of this formula are available on Runners World
Emails
Please send all Grand Prix related emails (“Gold card”, missing result etc.) to grandprix@beckenhamrunning.co.uk
