Club Handicap

Held every 2 months instead of a training session we race a 5k 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 relocate to a suitable long term course for the handicap and Ringtons Cup at Balliol and Gosforth Business Park.

We will be using the 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.

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Previous Handicap Results

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Handicap Explained

The handicap is a 3 mile race but with a staggered start. Runners will start on their handicap time which will be published prior to the race. If you do not have a handicap time please let someone in the club know and we can arrange one for you. Handicap times are initially created from previous results, parkrun times and local race results. Your handicap time will then only change after each handicap race if you run the race. If you do not run the handicap race then your handicap will remain the same.

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:

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.