Rolls-Royce Harriers Running Club

Championship Scoring System

This page explains how the RR Harriers Club Championship scoring system works. Winning the Club Champion is a great achievement. Every member of the club is eligible to win the Championship. There are Championship trophies for the highest-placed lady and the highest-placed man, and for male and female veterans in several age groups. 

The Championship runs annually and the season runs from mid-September to mid-September.  Each new season starts with the Handicap race, the date of which is announced in the middle of the year. This race marks the end of the previous years Championship.

Points towards the Championship can be earned in a number of different running events.

1. Road races (Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 miles and 10K) - a maximum of 200 points (max 50 points per event).

2. Track Races (5000m, 3000m, 1500m) - a maximum of 150 points (max 50 points per event).

3 The Broome Cup and Handicap Races - a maximum of 100 points (max 50 points per race).

4 Cross Country League Races - a maximum of 154 points ( max 22 points from 7 races).

5. Fell and Ultra running events - a maximum of 150 points (max 25 points from 6 events).

The points calculation for males and females is separate and additional points are also awarded based on age. You can earn extra points by volunteering to act as a marshal or timekeeper at a RRH organised event (5 points per event). You can also bag an additional 20 points for breaking a club record though you will need to run pretty fast to do this!

Road and Track Races

For these events Championship points are awarded for each runner's best time of the season over the various distances (Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 miles, 10K, 5000m, 3000m, 1500m) calculated from the score tables below. The championship will be updated throughout the season, and any improvements in times will be scored accordingly. So if you run 5 x 10K events only your best time will be taken into account.

Points table - Men

Points table - Ladies

Cross Country Races

The club organises two annual cross-country races, the Broome Cupand the Handicap race. Points for these races are awarded based on times run as per the two tables above. (Note: the course of these races change from time to time, and the committee reserves the right to amend the score table to reflect these changes). 

The club also competes in two local cross country leagues - the North Midlands Cross-Country League (NML) and the Derby Runner Cross-Country League (DRL).  For these races points are not based on times run but on finishing position relative to other RR Harriers.  This applies separately to men and ladies, and also to juniors in each of their age categories.  Your score for the season is the sum of your best three results in the NML and the sum of your best four results in the DRL as per table below.

Fell Races and Ultra Events

Fell races and Ultra events are scored according to their category (short, medium or long for each discipline), with a maximum of 25 points for each as explained below.

Fell Races

The majority of fell races in the UK are listed in theFRA race calendar but there are some exceptions such as the annual Dovedale Dash held at Thorpe, Derbyshire and some other local races. 

Fell races are categorised in two ways. Distance S(short), M(medium) or L(long) and degree of difficulty / amount of climb (A,B or C). Thus fell races will usually be labelled using two letters e.g. AL ,BM, CS. For the purposes of the RRH Championship distance is the category used:-

• Short (S) races are 10K or less
  
• Medium (M) races are between 10K and 20K
  
• Long (L) races are 20K or over
  

​​Because every fell race is different then championship points are not based on absolute times or finishing position but on your finishing time compared to the winners time with a separate calculation for men and ladies with a maximum of 25 points available at each distance.

Points (Men) = Winning Male time divided by Your time multiplied by 25.

Points (Ladies) = Winning Female time divided by Your time multiplied by 25.

Example: The winners time is 48 minutes. Your time is 60 minutes. Winners time divided by Your time is 48/60 = 0.8. Multiplied by 25 this would be 0.8 x 25 = 20 points. To this you can also add age bonus points (see later).

Some fell races are relay races and the FRA organises an annual fell running relay usually held in October in which the RR Harriers have a long tradition of competing. Again the scoring method is similar. If you take part in a fell relay your points will be based on your time compared to the winners time on that relay leg as per the above calculation.

If you take part in many fell races then only your best scoring event at each distance will count towards the Championship, that is 3 events with a maximum score of 75 points.

Ultra Events

Ultra events are defined as any event or race longer than the Marathon (26.2 miles or 42K). There is a massive choice of Ultra events to choose from and compete in these days in all parts of the UK and indeed the world and popular distances include 50K, 50 miles, 100K, 100 miles or even longer in some cases. Unlike the FRA for fell races there is no single reference point for ultra races but most are advertised online and have online entry.

As for fell races there are three distance categories for ultra events.

• Short are over Marathon (26.2 miles) and less than 35 miles in distance.
  
• Medium are at least 35 miles and less than 50 miles in distance.
  
• Long are at least 50 miles or over in distance.

Because every Ultra event is different then championship points are based not on absolute times or finishing position but on your finishing time compared to the winners time exactly the same as the calculation above for fell races with a separate calculation for men and ladies.

If you take part in many ultra races then only your best scoring event at each distance will count towards the Championship, that is 3 events with a maximum score of 75 points.

Challenge Events

A special category of fell or ultra events is the challenge event. These are not organised races but events like the Bob Graham Round in the Lake District or the Welsh and Scottish equivalents (sub 24 hour rounds). A number of club members have completed the Bob Graham Round over the years. These rounds have established record times. If you complete a round then championship points will be awarded based on your time compared to the record / fastest known time at the date of your completion. 

Points for Age

Growing old might not do any good for your outright speed but the good news is veteran runners (men over 40, ladies over 35) have bonus points added to their scores for their best times as per the table below.

Breaking a Club Record

It doesn't happen very often but you can earn 20 bonus points for breaking a club record. This applies to all the fixed distance races. If you want to know what time you will need to run then the current record times are:

Club Records - Men

Club Records - Ladies

​Marshalling and Timekeeping

The club relies heavily on volunteer marshals, timekeepers and recorders at our races. Without volunteers some of these events could not take place. To provide an incentive and reward, five championship points are awarded each time someone performs one of these tasks. So if you are unable to run a RRH event, perhaps because of injury, then please consider volunteering as a marshal and bag those 5 points.

Some Hints and Tips

So after looking at the tables for the fixed distance races your first reaction may be surely only the fastest runners in the club win the Championship each year. In fact this is rarely the case and instead the most consistent runners, those who turn out and run a in wide range of races usually turn out to be the winners. The winter cross country league races are a good example. Turn out in your club vest and you are guaranteed a good points return regardless of your time or finishing position. Maybe your running background is mostly park runs with the odd 10K. The track races are always good fun and well worth doing, both from a personal satisfaction and points view, and running on the track will improve your speed for your next park run or 10K.  Maybe the thought of fell races or ultras is scary and beyond your capabilities. You do need some specialist kit, your road running trainers won't cut it on the fells but if you are interested in any aspects of running and need some advice then please contact our Club Captains.