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Brass Monkey 2010
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Happy New Year!
I managed a place in this race this year having missed out last year, I drove to Green Hammerton on the Sunday to guarantee my entry. To find out that running clubs were posting the entry form on their own websites must be of huge embarrassment to Knavesmire Harriers and this has totally messed up the entry for this year's race.
I know people that hand delivered their entries on the Monday who didn't get in compared to people that posted theirs on the Monday who did. It seems that this year must have been awful for Malcolm as he was really let down by other clubs not sticking to his request but it also shows the back scratching that goes on with clubs getting priority to the race - why should they? I think some of this mess was brought on by KH themselves.
Club runners already get a few quid off races, I always assumed this was some sort of compensation for wearing one of those awful club vests though! There are plenty of good runners out there that don't want to join a club but want to test themselves in a race, why should they get the scraps in an open to all race? If there does have to be back scratching at least come clean about it because what's gone on here looks very dodgy.
Club runners already get a few quid off races, I always assumed this was some sort of compensation for wearing one of those awful club vests though!
Club runners do not `get a few quid off' races. They have already paid a £5 affiliation fee to England Athletics (or the ARC) to go towards the costs of public liability insurance race organisers are covered by. The £2 unattached levy goes straight to the sport's governing body for this purpose also.
There are plenty of good runners out there that don't want to join a club but want to test themselves in a race, why should they get the scraps in an open to all race?
Unless the forms were posted on a members only section on all the club websites they were freely available to all who took the trouble to get themselves organised to enter the race.
If there does have to be back scratching at least come clean about it because what's gone on here looks very dodgy.
Why is it dodgy? The organisers can decide how they want to allocate places and the methods they choose to use. If you do not like the way Knavesmire Harriers operate it, you could always try organising your own smoothly run half marathon in the York area in January. There must be the demand for places and you would have the glow of satisfaction of not doing any `back scratching' and avoiding accusations of being `dodgy'.
And anyway, it's only right that club runners do get first pick for races.
1. Most decent races are organised by running clubs whose members give up time to collect entries, do risk assessments, measure the course, act as timekeepers and marshals, get sponsorship etc.
2. Club runners have made a commitment to supporting the sport all year round, not just one off races.
3. Inter-club competition helps keep the sport healthy in a way that a group of non-affiliated individuals would not.
4. For those who do not have the time / lifestyle or desire to join a local club, there are many `virtual' clubs like RRC or Northern Vets people can join for a nominal fee.
......touched a nerve there!
All I'm saying is that if the allocation goes out to other clubs first then tell everyone - being sneaky looks bad and in this case caused a mess.
Sorry to see you took the bait about running vests - I was only having a little joke. I'll take your point 1 above as I've run races organised by run10k that have been shocking. As for your other points, I just laughed.
No nerves touched; I was merely trying to respond to your post in a clear and logical way as you had raised some points I thought needed addressing.
I disregarded the comment about running vests in my reply and was responding to the point about the different costs of entering a race for affiliated and unaffiliated runners.
As for laughing at the other points; your perogative. It doesn't really engage in the discussion you started though, does it?
The embarrassment would be that they got in a mess and the reason is because other running clubs disregarded instructions not to publish the entry form - or so I was told, maybe I'm wrong and this is normal and no-one has a red face. I just feel sorry for those that didn't get in who know they had an application in before some could have been received. If I hadn't got a place this year knowing that my application was in before accepted ones then I would be very tempted to run it without a number. I wouldn't use the drink stations obviously but would sneak a peak at the clock!
It may all be a bit academic if this weather continues!!
Whilst York is low lying it often gets foggy, lingering frosts when the temperatures start to rise a bit as I have often found when driving to York station for an early morning train
Personally, speaking as a non-club runner, I don't see anything wrong in KH letting local clubs have priority - it is a nice way to say thanks to those clubs that have put on other events during the year and which KH have in turn supported - eg in the Harrogate 10K KH had 30+ runners last year giving a good boost ot the field numbers.
I hope no ones training is too disrupted by the weather - it's not long now!!!
it's not just the roads (and I will see about some of the lesser ones now as I try and get some miles in !!) but car parking areas, access to the race course and buildings etc - a logistical nightmare when there could be more snow at any time.
Fortunately on the higher ground here in Harrogate there has been little snow for a couple of days now but still pretty cold...........................
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....................................real Brass Monkey weather
!!!!!
Would be a real shame if the race is cancelled (although completely understandable in this Arctic blast).
Do you think KH would try and reschedule the race, given its popularity? Or would the logistics make it too much of a headache?
Slight thaw here in the Midlands too!!! Just wish I'd been able to keep up my pre-Christmas training - whole thing's gone to pot over the last fortnight ... do you think this unplanned "taper" will be good for my PB challenge?
Having skimmed through some of the above posts, I'd just like to say that I entered via the post and got a place. Seems to me like the system KH have in place is fair .... I've missed out in other years, but that's just the way it is in popular races. Just hope I can do justice with the place I've got this year
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I'm pretty sure the event will go ahead, the big thaw has begun in York - it's awful today and there is slush everywhere
It's been raining in York all morning, I heard the further west you go the better it gets (if you like snow that is).
well it snowed in Harrogate until 1100 whilst simultaneously thawing leaving a real mess though roads are clear if very wet. Still many inches of snow on fields and gardens and most footpaths
The next problem will be flooding - and some of the roads on the course have been known to have a lot of water on them as well as the main car park area on the grass near the start.
But plenty of time for things to change - in either direction!!
Beetroot
I can do without "exciting" in a course -flat and fast will do for now
Don't forget there is that huge hill over the railway line to run
map of route from KH website
Numbers are due to be posted out this week