Men’s Running has teamed up with runbritain and Polar for a new campaign to promote the runbritain rankings system (runbritainrankings.com).
Every week, from 5th March onwards the results of all runbritain-licensed road events (including parkruns) will appear in full on the runbritainrankings.com website by 12 noon. For the first time, they will have a final additional column alongside your result.
The column will be concealed by a running clock graphic and, underneath it, will have the percentage improvement or increase of your runbritain handicap score from that race result. It can be uncovered by clicking a computer cursor on the clock.
The runbritain handicap score works like a golf handicap. It ranges from scratch to 36.00 and changes every time you complete a runbritain licensed event, including parkruns. Some elite runners even have a current score below scratch. Mo Farah currently tops the runbritain National Running Ladder with Minus 6.7. Gemma Steel is the leading woman (345th overall) with MINUS 2.6.
Every time you race, your handicap score changes. Regular racing is rewarded in the weighting of the score and you don’t have to run a personal best time to improve. If it was a hilly, windy or multi-terrain course, this will be factored in, with a degree of difficulty attributed to the net score.
It’s completely free to claim your runbritain handicap score once you have one racing performance. Your free runbritain runner biog page will tell you your best distance, your progress graph, your position on the National Running Ladder, a head-to-head comparison with any other runner and your ranking by age band and postcode area.
Then, when your results appear online next month all you have to do is ‘click your clock. Click your cursor on the clock on the results sheet and find out your percentage improvement or increase in that race. The top 10 leaderboard will be displayed until the competition closes at precisely 12 noon each Wednesday from 4th March until October. The most improved runner by percentage will win a beautiful Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. It’s free, it’s easy, it’s about you. #clickyourclock
runbritain handicap score by numbers
7.3 Nell McAndrew’s runbritain handicap score this month
11.5 BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth’s current score
14.6 James Cracknell’s score (he hasn’t raced as regularly as Sophie)
28.3 TV presenter Jenni Falconer’s current score
29.1 BBC presenter Sian Williams’s current score
3,479 number of road races, plus all parkruns licensed and insured in UK through runbritain in 2014
51,985 number of runbritain handicap scores claimed at end of Feb 2015
198,174 number of runners listed on the runbritain National Running Ladder
3.7 million – number of finishers in runbritain licensed events in UK in 2014, including parkruns
