We are into our summer track races season starting on Wednesday evening this week, giving us a chance to sharpen up our speed. Here are the details:
Each evening will have a number of races of the same distance with runners from a fairly narrow band of standards in each one – which means that if you have never actually finished first in a race, these could be your opportunities. See also below details of a relay event.
Wednesday 27 July 2011 at Irishtown Stadium – the Aviva Mile series. First race will be at 7.30pm and registration will be open from 5.30pm to 7.00pm.
Wednesday 10 August 2011 at Irishtown Stadium – the Irish Life and Permanent series of 3,000m races. First race will be at 7.30pm and registration will be open from 6.00pm until 15 minutes before the start of each race. These races will have staggered starts (i.e. handicap races) based on BHAA standards – in theory every person should finish simultaneously in each race. We’ll see.
Wednesday 31 August 2011 at Tallaght AC Stadium – the Zurich series of two mile races. First race will be at 7.30pm and registration will be open from 5.30pm to 7.15pm. A goodie bag is promised for all participants in this one.
And now details of the relay event. As part of the three BHAA track events this year, we have arranged with the race organisers to stage a team relay at each event. The format is a simple 4 x 400 metre relay which will be held between the normal races on the night. The distance of each leg is short enough to enable runners to compete in the main race of the evening as well and we should see some fast racing and a good spectacle on the night.
Teams – 4 runners from the same company or sector team (as for any other BHAA race). Each runner must have a standard and there can be any mix of genders in the team.
Standards – As at Trinity, the overall team standard is the sum of the runners’ standards. The teams will be grouped by standard, with staggered starts, to ensure a level of fairness. The initial expectation might be to run two team relay races.
Prizes – The BHAA Committee will provide a prize fund for the teams who compete within the series.
In order to plan for expected team numbers on the night we’d be interested to know if your company or team would be interested in taking part in the first event at the Aviva mile next Wednesday evening. A simple form will be available on each night for the teams to register and allow the correct standards to be calculated. Depending on the response, it may be necessary to limit the entry to one team per company. Why not give it a go?
If you are interested in entering a team in the relay, please send an email to Paul
O’Connell (paul.t.oconnell@gmail.com).
Enjoy the bright evenings and the warm summer weather.
The Editor