Club Races

Handicap Race

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HANDICAP BUT DIDN’T LIKE TO ASK!

The handicap is a 2-mile race which is run on the first Tuesday of every month and is open to all members of the Club, including Juniors. The idea is that members are sent off at different times according to their predicted speed so that, in theory, everyone should cross the finish line at the same time. Of course it never works out quite like that as runners are aiming to run faster than predicted in order to overtake those who started before them and outstrip those who started later.

The Course
The course follows the roads forming the external perimeter of Dulwich Park. The start is at a BT wiring box on Lordship Lane almost opposite Melford Road. It keeps bearing left down Court Lane, into Dulwich Village and finally back along the South Circular Road (Dulwich Common). The finish is at the large double posted road direction sign just before the Harvester Car Park. As you cross the finish line, your time will be taken, then you will be given a token recording your finishing position. It helps the race assistants if you can keep your position after crossing the line and also if you can remember who was in front of you. We know that it is very difficult to remember these things in the excitement and exhaustion of the end of the race, but it does help. When all the runners are in, you will be asked for your token and your position will be recorded. You are then at liberty to go off on a warm-down run, distance run or to the pub, while the race officials go back to the club to compile the results.

Times, points and prizes
The first time that you run you will do what is called a scratch time. This means that you can’t win but you are giving the handicapper an idea of the time at which he should be starting you off for the future. After your first race, you will be given a start time which will be recalculated every month based on your latest performance. You will also get a 30 second time penalty added if you won the previous month or if you achieved a personal best time. The decision of the handicapper about a person’s starting time is final – please do not argue with him.
The winner of the race is not the person who runs the course in the fastest time but the person who crosses the finish line first – so anyone can win even if they are not ultra-fast. Juniors and seniors run the course together although they score separately. Each month there is a cup for the winning junior and the winning senior. Each runner (excluding scratch runners) also gets points which are calculated according to where they came in the race. So a person who came 12th would get 12 points and a person who came first would get 1 point. For any month you do not run your points will be equal to the number of people who ran that month plus one. The points are added up throughout the year and there are annual trophies for the junior and the senior with the lowest number of points at the end of the year. There are also cups for those who come second and third. It is possible to win the annual trophy without winning any individual monthly race. You also get attendance points for each handicap race which go towards the score for the annual attendance trophy.

It is all great fun and a good chance to see how much you are improving each month. See you on the start line!

Club Championships

The Club holds many internal races, called Club Champs throughout the year. These races are every distance, from 1 mile up to a full marathon. Some are organized locally by ourselves, while for other, we piggy-back onto existing races in the South London area.

All members (and guests) are invited to join in, and prizes are awarded to the winners in each class.

Below is a full list of all the distances we run every year.

	1 mile
	5 km *
	5 miles
	10 km
	10 miles
	Half marathon
	20 miles
	Cross Country

* this event is usually followed by a slap-up meal at the local café – highly recommended.

Junior Champs

This will take place at the same time as one of the senior Champs. The distance will be about 1.5 miles, with the usual club prizes to be won.

Summer League

The club participates in a mini-league with half a dozen other running clubs in the London Area.

Men’s Cross-Country

The club participates in a men’s London Cross-country league. These generally take place during the winter months. They are held on a Saturday. All members (and guests) are invited to join in, and prizes are awarded to the winners in each class.

Women’s Cross-Country

The club participates in a women’s London Cross-country league. These generally take place during the winter months. They are held on a Saturday. All members (and guests) are invited to join in, and prizes are awarded to the winners in each class. For further details, see the Contacts page.

The Attendance Trophy

There are two trophies, one for Seniors and one for Juniors. You earn points towards it by taking part in certain events during the year. The Attendance Trophy will be fought over 15 months to align with our new race year. Races fall into different categories, with different point totals:

Monthly Handicap 4 points Club Championships 8 points Summer League 12 points Cross Country League 12 points

At the end of the year, the Attendance Trophies are awarded to the Senior and Junior members who have amassed the most points. There are smaller prizes for 2nd and 3rd places as well.

Summer League and Cross Country Medal scheme

We know how competitive you all are so we are offering an extra incentive to take part in the Summer League and Cross Country fixtures. Each series is made up of four races. Medals will be awarded for attendance. Members taking part in two out of four will receive a Bronze medal, three out of four a silver medal and all four, a Gold medal. Medals will be awarded on Trophy Night.