OMM vet handicap - how we should be doing regional events?

[SeanC]

Those of you who haven't done the OMM might want to look at the results this year for the vet handicap competition? I wonder if such a competition is what we need to liven up regional events... or... replace age classes.

Things I like about the OMM handicap competition.
- It's not a second class competition - it gets it's own listing and (presumably) prizes.
- There's a decent number = greater status.
- No age classes - every year you get older you get more veteran points so no advantage to being first year in your age class.
- There doesn't seem to be any bias towards the younger or older team.

See http://www.theomm.com/events/omm2013/

[RS]

Sounds like a good idea and worth a try. Surprised no-one else has replied to post.

[madmike]

I would favour a BMI handicap over age handicap - but like the idea

[AndyC]

I would favour a BMI handicap over age handicap - but like the idea

seconded - but I'd prefer straight mass

[madmike]

I would favour a BMI handicap over age handicap - but like the idea

seconded - but I'd prefer straight mass

RAFO tried out a BMI handicap at the sprint race before the Harvester at Penhale a few years ago with a formula invented on the spot by Geoff Ellis.

He didn't quite get it right though as the lightest fastest man was 56Kg and the heaviest (but not slowest) was around 95Kg. The handicaps awarded were such that our light and fast orienteer would have needed to run 3.2Km in 3 mins 20 secs to beat the hippo-like heavier man.

Straight mass, hmm don't forget the Chairman of SEOA who is incredibly swift for his mass, you might not win that one

[EddieH]

It is not against any rules to try it. It is up to a club or region to decide to put it on if they think it's a good idea. (I'm really talking about the age thing not the weight.)

The only thing is that to get it to work you're going to have to do more than simply put on an event with those criteria. You'd need to have prizes, or titles that grab people, or a league structure. Without any of those it is likely to get lost in the standard event bit.

[SeanC]

Yes I agree Eddie. I think it could work particularly well for weekend multi-day events. For these events you could borrow the whole format, making the leading competitors on day 1 start early in a chasing start on day 2 so prize giving can be earlier and better attended.

It also makes immediate sense at regionals that are currently displaying results by course. But you'd need to display the handicap results separately and prominently so it wasn't just a by the way thing. Popular regionals that display results by age class such as the November Classic, there might be some resistance as there will be less winners.

I think clubs tend to be too conservative with their big event formats, perhaps for fear of deterring the regulars and incurring a huge loss for the club? But get the innovations right and the effect can be spectacularly successful... I'm thinking of the London City Race in recent years.

[Glucosamine]

I would favour a BMI handicap over age handicap - but like the idea

seconded - but I'd prefer straight mass

Funny how everybody thinks others have the advantage. As something of a featherweight (in boxing terms at least) but with short legs, I've always favoured inside leg measurement for handicapping - especially in autumnal forests where the grot has not yet died back. The heavier among us seem to be able to employ the bull-in-a-china-shop approach - I seem to grind to a halt once the bracken gets me in its hold.

More seriously, veteran (and gender) handicapping seems to work well for single-course parkruns. The issue seems to be how to make them work for a range of courses. I'm generally going to be faster per km for a short green (if I don't make a big error) than for brown - but if we are going to compare, then how much faster?

[JK]

I like the idea of a combined BMI + age for events like annual club handicaps and similar fun events (summer BBQs).

Of course since the BOF Rankings are so accurate they could be used effetively for similar purposes.

And as for "inside leg" I don't think that is much of a disadvantage unless on a long steady descent or in deep Veg. Why is this? Well my legs are v.short for my height therefore my torso is longer than normal with more room for innards ... so for my height I have a proportionately bigger heart (hence low RHR - 34 at fittest, 42 now when I am unfit) and bigger lungs (20% bigger than normal). Too bad that I think I also have a 30% bigger stomach which has now inflated my belly to 70% bigger (hence interest in BMI related handicaps)

[Freefall]

BMI and age are all very well but what about some index based on injury level - for example I can claim intrusive knee surgery in 1977 and keyhole knee surgery in 2003. The snapped achilles in 2006 must be worth lots of points.

[JK]

BMI and age are all very well but what about some index based on injury level - for example I can claim intrusive knee surgery in 1977 and keyhole knee surgery in 2003. The snapped achilles in 2006 must be worth lots of points.

Well Nick Barrable had knee surgery not so long ago and he seems to be running well.

I think your snapped achilles would have been pretty nasty though - that is what put an end to my Mum's sporting career. In response to that I can offer a severed patella tendon and broken patella in 1985 . I was told I'd never run again and would always run with a limp, but 3 years later I was limping round the Saunders Scafell (since I had won a Bowfell prize I didn't drop down)