Might I ask if anyone knows why the adult championship races and the junior ones are not organised so as to enable competing parents with competing children to kill two birds with one stone? Going to adult races with the youngsters in tow leaves the kids with an unfulfilled day and vice versa. Wouldn't it make good sense to try and have all age groups at the same venue on the same day? It would be inspiring for the kids aswell to see their adult counterparts competing at the highest level.
I think that you'll find that some Senior Champs Races do have Junior ones - although not junior champs races.
I think this year all the FRA Junior Races except one have a senior race alongside them.
BOFRA has all ages covered.
So there's plenty of options.
I think the Senior Champs races by their nature have to be quite testing and would often be too tough to stage a set of junior races. They are A category terrain.
OK. This is probably a crazy idea and god knows how you would work out a fair handicap system(!)... how about a race where the juniors can compete against the adults with a fair chance of winning?
I think that would be a good idea!!!Originally Posted by Pilgrim
but what age is Junior?
AS U8 are restricted to 800m and all other ages have such issues, it would be difficult.
I would say though that the juniors need to start taking on the adults in Senior races when they get old enough.
I know Mel Hyder at Helm Hill has done this for the last year or two and my own WPette this year.
It stands them in good stead for later years.
Races such as the Darwen Tower ones, Stacksteads, Rivington etc are perfect.
and the Bunny Runs of course!
I think it's more to do with logistics. If you have any idea what a heck of lot of work is involved in organising a race, make it a championship race of one or the other sort, and I think you'll get the idea why they're not combined. Especially junior championships - there are so many races (OK not that many in each race) I'm amazed that they happen at all!
I didn't say it was a sane idea!
I was thinking (primarily to myself but voiced it here) that it would be fun for the juniors to know they were competing directly against mum/dad/whoever in a "fair" race. The junior would still run a junior course etc but with a handicap system to rank the juniors against the seniors. A monstrous task to work out a fair handicap system I know!!!!!!! - doesn't change the fact it's a nice idea!
WPette does competee against me actually - she did me in a 5K Trail - The Sue Ryder Run and also in the FRA Junior at Stacksteads last year.
I think when they get to FRA U16, they should have a go at a few of these shorter fell races.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote