Club Runner of the Year

Club Runner of the Year

Here’s the final Runner of the Year for 2023 table, Mick Jeffrey, Sean Hornby and Paul Tranter in the podium positions.

Note that only results from races appearing on the club news page are included in the Runner of the Year and Rankings list.

If you’d like your result to be included please make sure you email  details of the race winners time and your result & other Otley members running to info@otleyac.org.uk

A brief explanation for 2024:

  • The Runner of the Year (RoY) is an award presented to the best all-round athlete in the club irrespective of age or sex
  • After another interesting and competitive Runner of the Year in 2023, it has been decided to keep the format the same for 2024
  • However from 2024 the Committee have agreed to include the summer Harrogate League races and all of the club handicap races, these will slot into the appropriate road or off road categories.
  • Races have not been pre-selected so can be planned to suit each individual
  • An equal emphasis has been adopted for off-road and road races.

The races are divided into 6 categories:

  1. Off-road with a distance of up to and including 10k
  2. Off-road with a distance of over 10k
  3. Road races with a distance of up to and including 10k
  4. Road races with a distance of over 10k
  5. Park Run – One race may count
  6. Track – One of the two Club track races may count.

Off-road includes cross-country, trail and fell races. All the cross-country races would be in category 1.

Note on Road or Off Road

Because of the reduction in the number of road races and the increase in multi-terrain type of races. An clarification has been needed in the categorisation of the road and off road categories.

The road category includes where the race is run over hard packed gravel, such as the Fewston Handicap. Not run over any soil / mud.

To count in an off road cateogory the race shouldn’t have any more than 25% run on road or hard gravel. Note this is a guideline, I don’t expect you to measure and work it out the percentage exactly!

For example the Wharfemeadows handicap, I would regard that as road, I’m guessing there’s probably a little bit more than 25% on the grass fields, but the majority is on tarmac or hard gravel paths.

When writing the report for multi-terrain races please give your own honest assessment of which category the race is.

Members may submit any races that fall into these categories.

10 RACES to count with at LEAST ONE RACE IN EACH of the OFF-ROAD and ROAD CATEGORIES (CATEGORIES 1 TO 4).

Categories 5 and 6 are optional.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE FOR 2013:- 10 races out of a maximum of 14 to count. Remember only 1 track event and 1 Park Run/Chevin runSunday can count.

No veterans-only races to count.

Results must be posted on the Otley AC website stating:
Date, type of race (eg trail, fell, road), winner’s official time and your official time.

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS COMPETITION

Scoring:

Points are awarded on the following basis:

Your personal time as a percentage of the winner’s time. This is then multiplied by an age/sex related factor.

For example: on 25th January 2024, the Mythical 10km race took place…

Name – Time – Percentage of Winner’s Time – Age/Sex Factor – Points
Ben Runner (aged 35) – 31.00 – 100% – 1.0286 – 102.9
James Jackson (aged 30) – 34.30 – 89.9% – 1.0084 – 90.6
Kate Harrismith (aged 65) – 40.00 – 77.5% – 1.4803 – 114.7

New from 2024 the club handicap races

These will be included and scored as above based on the fastest individual run time of the day and this score will then be muliplied by a ‘club only factor‘ of 90%.

Based on the January’s Harewood handicap this meant the scores roughly equated to peoples normal parkrun scores.

Here’s a list of all the winners since the runner of the year started in 1989.

2023Mick Jeffrey
2022Mark Hall2011Mick Jeffrey2000Mark Hall
2021Mark Hall2010Mick Jeffrey1999Julian Mawson
2020Scott Harrington2009Tom Hannah1998Ian Fisher
2019Mark Hall2008Ian Fisher1997Ian Fisher
2018Mark Hall2007Ian Fisher1996Tony Allen
2017Mark Hall2006Ian Fisher1995Peter James
2016Mark Hall2005Ian Fisher1994Joan Cubbon
2015Mark Hall2004Kath Robertshaw1993Malcolm Pickering
2014Mark Hall2003Ian Fisher1992Ian Fisher
2013Scott Harrington2002Mark Hall1991Ian Fisher
2012Mick Jeffrey2001Ian Fisher1990Malcolm Pickering
    1989Mick Barton