Held every 2 months instead of a training session we race a 3 mile handicap which is free to enter for all club members. It is your chance to beat the handicap and claim victory.

As it is a handicap race, every runner has the chance of finishing first regardless of ability (prospective members are also welcome but please contact the Club Secretary in advance). It is you against your predicted 5k time. We are currently using signup via the Spond app to speed up the process on the evening. Please click attend in Spond if you are wanting to run.

The Handicap Course – Updated July 2024

As traffic is increasing on our traditional Wallsend course we have made the decision to spend some time to locate a suitable long term course for the handicap/Ringtons Cup.

We will be trialing a new route from August 2024 at Balliol and Gosforth Business Park.

This event is largely traffic-free but is ran on shared paths with other pedestrians and cyclists. When crossing the roads please be aware of road traffic. Please be wary of your surroundings. We do not have right of way.

Previous Handicap Results

29th October 2024
13th August 2024
4th June 2024
13th February 2024
19th December 2023
24th October 2023
17th August 2023
13th June 2023
7th February 2023
22nd December 2022
18th October 2022
16th August 2022
14th June 2022
1st February 2022

Handicap Explained

The handicap is a 3 mile race but with a staggered start. Runners will start on their handicap time which are in your Spond profile. If you do not have a handicap time please let someone ins the club know and we can arrange one for you. Handicap start times are based on previous results, parkrun times and local race results. 

The clock will start with the slowest runner. Everyone else will then start in order of slowest to fastest based on their predicted 5k time. The idea is everyone finishes at the exact same time if each runner runs their predicted time exactly. However, the handicap is designed to encourage improvement for all runners regardless of their ability and gives everyone the chance of winning. An example of a handicap race if we have 4 runners running, this is what the results will look like:

Position

Name

Time

Handicap

Actual Time

1

Adam Adamson

29:30

5:00

24:30

2

Brenda Benson

29:40

0:00

29:40

3

Carl Carlson

29:45

6:00

23:45

4

David Davidson

30:00

7:00

23:00

In the above example, Adam Adamson starts 5 minutes after Brenda Benson but finished 10 seconds quicker than Brenda running 5:10 quicker over the distance. Carl and David were close behind but could not catch Adam and Brenda in time over 3 miles. David in fact ran 3 miles at the exact time he was predicted to run it.