Who is below scratch and how did they get there?
How is your runbritain handicap score looking? If you have run in a runbritain licensed event or a parkrun since the beginning of 2010 you will have a handicap score between MINUS 8.0 to 36.0. How are you doing?
The handicap scoring system is now in its sixth year and the national ladder is more full than ever but we still have room for more and are eagerly anticipating passing the 60,000 mark!
The scoring system, which has been developed in conjunction with the team behind the Power of 10 website, rewards regular racing and factors in a degree of difficulty for slower courses. It works just like a golf handicap system as a measure of the course difficulty and your ability on that course.
This is the time of year when we do a quick stock-check on how British runners are performing. The table below looks at the number of runners below scratch, how that compares with last year and what it takes to be the ladder leader in each category.
|
Category |
Number below scratch |
2014 Number below scratch |
Category leader |
Points of interest |
|
M15 |
50 |
47 |
Joshua Hulse (-2.224) |
Joshua raced middle distance events on the track, for the first time, this summer and took his handicap score from 4.0 to -2.2 |
|
W15 |
1 |
0 |
Tilly Simpson (-0.128) |
Tilly has been competing on the track for a few years now and took her handicap score below scratch for the first time when she ran 2:07.8 for 800m, on 21 June, just one day after running the same distance in 2:07.9 |
|
M17 |
287 |
271 |
Ben Greenwood (-4.804) |
Ben represented GB & NI at the World Youth Championships, this year, and took his score to -5.0 when he ran 1:51.58 for 800m in that competition. |
|
M20 |
444 |
464 |
Kyle Langford (-5.899) |
Kyle, a middle distance runner, has been below scratch since he registered his first performance on the handicap scoring system and has taken it further below each year: 2011 -1.3; 2012 -4.4; 2013 -5.8; 2013 -5.8; 2014 -5.8; 2015 -6.0. |
|
W20 |
5 |
5 |
Bobby Clay (-0.744) |
Bobby first went below scratch in 2013 when she hit -0.7. She hit that score again in 2014 and has had it as low as -0.9 in 2015. |
|
M23 |
332 |
331 |
Charlie Grice (-6.482) |
Charlie has been below scratch since he registered his first performance on the handicap scoring system and has taken it further below each year: 2010 -5.0; 2011 -5.3; 2012 -5.8; 2013 -6.1; 2014 -6.3; 2015 -6.6. |
|
W23 |
8 |
21 |
Laura Muir (-2.461) |
Laura was top of the women’s overall ladder this summer when she was competing at the World Championships in the 1500m. She is currently 2nd. Her handicap score went to an all-time low of -2.8 when she ran sub 4 minutes (3:58.66) at the Diamond League on 17 July this year. |
|
MOpen |
1000+ |
1000+ |
Mo Farah (-7.975) |
Mo set the lowest ever handicap score of -8.0 at the Great North Run, this year. |
|
WOpen |
57 |
66 |
Lynsey Sharp (-2.515) |
Lynsey took the top spot on the overall ladder from Laura Muir after consistent sub 2 minute 800m races through August and into September at the World Championships and the Diamond League. |
|
M35 |
228 |
216 |
Paul Martelletti (-4.731) |
Paul’s lowest score of -5.3 was set at the Brighton Half Marathon in February. After a few months off racing through the summer, he has managed to stay at the top of the M35 category. |
|
W35 |
3 |
3 |
Alyson Dixon (-1.872) |
Aly took her handicap score to an all-time low of -1.9 when she ran 2:29:30 at the Berlin Marathon last month. |
|
M40 |
130 |
131 |
Anthony Whiteman (-5.367) |
Anthony won the World Masters Championships 800m and 1500m. His time of 1:51.01 in the 800m final gave him an all-time low score of -5.7 |
|
W40 |
2 |
3 |
Jo Pavey (-1.340) |
Jo recorded her lowest score of the year (-1.4) at the Great Scottish Half Marathon on 4 October. |
|
M45 |
60 |
46 |
Ian Hudspith (-4.485) |
Ian is 2.2 ahead in this category. His recent -4.5 score takes him back to the standard he set back in December 2013. |
|
M50 |
17 |
17 |
David Heath (-2.506) |
David’s impressive scores that were as low as -2.9 this summer were as a result of running sub 4 minutes for 1500m and sub 2 minutes for 800m. He won the World Masters 800m and 1500m and also won the M50 1500m at the IAAF World Championships. |
|
M60 |
1 |
1 |
Martin Rees (-0.790) |
Martin has the all time best times in the M60 category for 5k, 5 miles, 10k, 10 miles and half marathon. This year he ran 74:20 for the Half Marathon and 33:18 for the 10k |