Exciting news! We are looking into organising a new event for WRR club nights – a club time trial!
What Is It?
• The time trial is open to all WRR members (& is free)
• The event is inclusive – don’t be deterred by the word “time trial”
• The course is a flat and fast 3.5 (ish) mile loop, near WWSSC (see map below)
• The time trial will use a staggered start, where runners are assigned start times based on predicted pace. The times are assigned such that all runners are expected to finish at the same time (8pm). For example, consider two runners:
Runner A, predicted pace 12 min miling. Start time: 19:18 (predicted run time of 42 mins)
Runner B, predicted pace 6 min miling. Start time: 19:39 (predicted run time of 21 mins)
• Based on prior experience at another running club, we anticipate this will become a popular session for all WRR club members.
• The intent of the time trial is to provide a series of events over the same course, for WRR members to improve their time from month to month. The staggered start times add a fun competitive element with everyone having the chance to be the first to cross the finish line!
When?
The intention is that the time trial will run as a series in 2023, taking place over the summer months, one event per month for 5 months. Hopefully on a Thursday club night, involving as many members as possible. The last event in the series will be the final, where the winner for that season will be crowned. Who knows, once the time trial series is up and running, maybe we will even purchase a new trophy for the annual time trial winner!
This year we are organising 2 test events to assess members’ interest and general appetite for the event. These test events will take place on two Tuesday evenings – in place of the effort session (thank you Dan and Steve for accommodating). The dates will be:
• Tuesday July 19th
• Tuesday August 23rd
Where?
The course map is below.
• Start/Finish: This is in Colletts Way, just on Downs Road, a short distance from WWSSC.
• Road crossings: There are road crossings on route (see the red circles on the map) and the course will NOT be marshalled. All runners must take responsibility for their own safety as they cross the roads (as they do on other club runs). Waiting for a short while for a safe gap will have minimal impact on anyone’s time, just enjoy the few seconds extra rest.
We will organise some group runs (amongst the Thursday run options) to show people the route at some point before the first test event.
Who?
As noted above, the time trial will be fully inclusive. All WRR members who would normally run on a club night (Tuesday or Thursday) are welcome. This includes all pace groups and those who would normally participate in the Tuesday loopback group.
If the trial is successful, in 2023 we will ensure that we also accommodate any walking groups that might want to participate.
How?
• For the first test event, we will need to collect names and predicted times/paces for all runners who would like to participate. This will be done (most likely via Spond) in the 1 or 2 weeks beforehand.
• For runners unsure of their predicted time or pace, do not worry! Just let us know your time for any recent parkrun and we will assign you an appropriate start time!
• Thereafter, all start times will be adjusted based on runners’ actual times (using a top secret algorithm to thwart any attempts to game the system!)
• New members or runners who have not run in a previous time trial event will be able to register their interest via Spond.
• Before each event, we will publish a list of names and start times. No-one will need to work this out for themselves!
• All runners will have their position and times recorded via a sophisticated system (ahem!) at the finish funnel.
Look out for announcements in Spond regarding the forthcoming test events. We hope to see as many club members as possible participating in what will hopefully be a fun & competitive event!
In the meantime please feel free to fire any questions to fphoward@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Fraser Howard & Chris Colbeck