Some ramblings about Run Britain and some more STATS!
As many will have seen on the Facebook page I have an interest in the Run Britain rankings system.
It is not perfect by any measure but trying to compare XC to 800m track races in any meaningful way does not lend itself to perfection or keeping up with the changes to athlete’s profiles is a time consuming business for the small admin team.
If this type of database had always been available what a treasure trove of information it would have provided for runners. Being able to look back at old results and compare with others all in place!
It is possible to find old results in various places, social media, club websites, newspaper archives etc. but it is all time consuming. I have long ago thrown away all my old paper copies from the early days of my running.
To me the biggest imperfection in the system is that not all races are listed. This is partly due to the politics of running, ie the split between ARC and UKA and partly due to the fact that many races are classed as charity or fun runs and do not have a race license or permit at all.
I have little time for the politics, running is straightforward and is no place for it. There are surely some simple compromises that could be made to settle differences, which mostly seem to circle around money and bureaucracy.
The issue with charity and fun runs is perhaps a bit trickier. If it is advertised as a race in any way I think it should have a license.
Just for interest I have compiled a list of top 50 age grade runners from the 7 clubs that compete in the Interclub series races.
Preston
Jamaine Coleman 24th U20
Patrick Dever 35th U20
Rob Affleck 16th V40
Gary Pennington 8th V45
Gethin Butler 39th V45
Helen Clitheroe 4th V40
Rachel Scott 22nd U20
Alan Appleby 27th V65
Judith Deacon 43rd V70
Thornton Cleveleys
Mike Walsh 29th V80
Lytham St Annes
Joanna Gourney 38th V45
Sylvia Gittins 26th V70
Chorley
John Swift 17th V75
Wesham
At the moment they have no top 50 runners although a couple only just miss the cut!
Blackpool Wyre and Fylde
Bev Wright 13th V55
John Winters 6th V80
Red Rose Road Runners
Ken Addison 17th V60
Joe Swarbrick 25th V60
Jill Jefferson 33rd V55
Carol Douglass 5th V70
Apologies for any errors as this is taken direct from the database without any further checks.
It does show how strong the 7 clubs are in the older age grades.
Where is all the young talent?
Hopefully with activities like the RRRR’s junior section more juniors will come to the fore in the near future!