Championship Rules 2024
Eligibility for Club Championships
- Runners who are first claim members of Marlborough RC will automatically be entered into the Club Championships on completion of their first qualifying event.
- Runners must commit to volunteer at a minimum of one of: Marlborough Downs Challenge; Ridgeway Relay; Avebury 8/9.
- The eligible races for the Club Championship will be made available before the onset of the season. No other races will earn points towards the Club Championship.
- The Club Championship co-ordinator may substitute Club Championship races through consultation with the Club Committee in the event of race cancellations, clashes etc.
- It is the runners’ responsibility to enter races in good time. No concessions will be made if entry limits prevent anyone competing in a Club Championship race.
- To earn Club Championship points at external races in the calendar, runners must compete under Marlborough RC.
- Runners finish times will be used to calculate an age graded score. Ages used in calculation will be the runners age on the day of each race.
- Official race finishing times will be used in age-grading calculations.
- To encourage participation, one Club Championship point as a minimum will be awarded for each eligible race completed.
- For each eligible race, Club Championship runners will earn the following points based on their club positions, according to age-graded times: First = 5 points; Second = 4 points; Third = 3 points; Fourth = 2 points.
- Runners may enter as many Club Championship eligible races as they wish, however only their best 10 races will be counted towards their final points total.
- Each runner will have one Wildcard that they can play at any eligible race during the Club Championship season. Runners will score double points for the race in which they have played their wildcard. Intention to use the wildcard must be communicated to a member of the club committee BEFORE the start of the chosen race.
- There are opportunities to earn bonus points, which will count towards a runners’ final total in addition to points from race results.
- 1 Point: ‘Club Best’ – Club Best performance from the previous 2 years will be retained for all age categories, male and female (SEN, V35, V40, V45, V50, V55, V60, V65, V70). They comprise a set of standard running distances (5000m track, 5km, 5mi, 10km, 10mi, Half Marathon, Marathon). A runner can claim a maximum of 1 point for each distance in the Championship season if they set a new best time or beat a current one. If a ‘Club Best’ is bested multiple times in a season, each runner is eligible for a point. The current bests will be available to view here alongside the seasons Championship races.
- 'Club Bests' can be set at any event with official timing (not just the Championship events), including events such as parkrun. Enduring ‘Club Bests’ will be vacated at the start of each Championship season (retaining the previous 2 years) in order to increase the availability of bonus points.
- 1 Point: 10k Volunteer – Runners are encouraged to assist in the administration of the monthly club 10k as many times as they would like. Runners can claim a maximum of 1 point per season for volunteering in this capacity.
- 1 Point (x3): MRC Core Event Volunteer – Runners can claim 1 point for each of the Marlborough RC core events (Marlborough Downs Challenge, Ridgeway Relay, Avebury 8/9), for which they volunteer.
- 2 Points: Marathon+ Finisher – Runners can claim 2 points per season for the successful completion of an official marathon or ultramarathon distance race.
- 1 Point (x2): MRC parkrun takeover – Runners can claim 1 point for each MRC parkrun takeover they assist in. This is a great opportunity to promote our events and the club to potential new members. We will liaise with Marlborough Common parkrun to assist at two events over the year. Expect one in the spring to promote the MDC and one later in the year TBC. A point will be available for volunteering in any capacity, or for volunteering as a pacer and running your agreed pace to within 20 seconds of the target time!
- Runners will be divided into Club Championship age categories based on their age on 1st Jan 2024. Senior (up to 45 years), Veteran (45 years and over).
- Age categories will be further divided by gender (MS, FS, MV45+, FV45+).
- At the end of the season, final points will be calculated, and prizes will be awarded to winners of MS, FS, MV45+, and FV45+ categories.
- The final points tally is a combination of a runners best ten Championship race results, plus any bonus points accrued.
- In the event of a tie for final points in any category, head-to-head race performances will be used to determine the category winner. If a winner can still not be determined, average points per race gained over all Club Championship races (not just the best 10), will be used to decide the winner.
- An ‘In The Running’ prize will be awarded to the runner(s) who competed in the most Club Championship Events throughout the year.
- A ‘Hi-Viz Hero’ prize will be awarded to the runner adjudged to have made exceptional contribution to the club through volunteering and club promotion.
- An ‘Outstanding Performance’ prize will be awarded to the runner adjudged to have completed the most exceptional athletic achievement of the year.
- Runners must be willing to allow their Date of Birth and gender to be shared with Club Championship co-ordinators to enable age-grading and Club Championship category to be determined.
- An Excel spreadsheet containing full name, date of birth, gender, points eligibility, finishing position, finishing time, age-graded times, and points awarded for all competitors in each race will be maintained by the Club Championship co-ordinators. A request can be made to view this spreadsheet at any time. A request may also be made by an individual to have their data removed from the spreadsheet.
- Any disputes must be made in writing to the Club Championship co-ordinators no more than one month after the event in question.
- Adjudication will be made by the Club Chairman. In the event of adjudication, the Club Chairman decision is final.
