Runners come
into contention for Runner of the Month if they improve
a personal best (PB) time in their current age category during the month in question.
A first time for a particular distance in a new category is recognised as an
improvement.
The
following International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) road distances
are recognized: 10 km, 15 km, Half Marathon, Marathon and Ultra Marathon. For
cross country and trail running all ASA approved races qualify.
Only races
recognised by a formal national or provincial athletics body with results
available in the public domain will be considered. It is the responsibility of
the club member to inform the club of a PB.
Athletes in
the same age and sex category are compared using the IAAF scoring tables. In
all other cases times are age graded using the World Masters Athletics (WMA)
scoring system.
The WMA
system uses tables of age factors and age standards to put all club members,
regardless of age and sex, on a level playing field. This permit valid
comparisons to be made between people of different ages.
The scoring
tables of the WMA are used, because it is currently the only scoring system
recognised internationally. The process by which these tables were combined
involved analysis of masses of actual performance data. This system has been
judged to be a valid indicator of a runner’s performance, and is built into
electronic timing equipment worldwide.
When
determining the Runner of the Month a calculation is done by multiplying the
runner’s time by the factor determined for his or her age and sex by the
tables. This equals the runner’s age-graded time. The age-graded time is then
expressed as a percentage of the world record time for the particular event. This
score allows us compare your personal performance against other people's
performances even though they might be a different age and a different sex to
you - the higher the score the better the performance.
The scores can also be compared across different race
distances - to allow you to, for example, compare a 10 km time against a
marathon.
A number of
online calculators are available which runners may use to calculate their own
performance. Before using these calculators, please make sure the calculator
uses the latest set of WMA tables.
In the event that no runner improves in a given
month, the club committee will award the title. In such cases criteria other
than running may be considered.