Golden K Miles and Open TracK Challenge 5 - 9 Sep 2011
Published on: 18th August 2011
A simple format, easy-to-enter, low-key open challenge that is all about athletes of all standards challenging themselves and having the opportunity to compete on a regular basis throughout the summer.
Plus.....
Golden K Miles
For various reasons, track and field competition has traditionally not perhaps been as easy to enter and take part in as other forms of athletic competition such as fell racing, cross country and road running.
The aim of the Keighley & Craven Open TracK Challenge is to change this.
This involves changing the format and arrangements a bit to make sure that everyone is welcome to take part, has something to suit what their talents are (at every level) and to have good time.
One of the limitations with T&F (and the frequency of available competition) is the wide scope of events and the heavy requirement for judges, officials, timekeepers and the like. At top level competition this will frequently remain the case, but in Keighley we wish to create conditions for frequent competition at a basic level so that athletes of all ages, standards and abilities have a regular opportunity to put their training to the test.
As with the associated Keighley & Craven Open Kross Challenge in Cliffe Castle Park during the winter, this is about competition and self-development, the ability to pit yourself against athletes of a similar standard whether male, female, old or young, and thus measure your progress over the season and, eventually, over the years.
See how much you can improve, experiment with race tactics outside of key races, try out new shoes/blocks/run-ups/equipment, recuperate after injury, try and beat that special person (the rich variety of local clubs in the Bradford Athletics Network encourages such healthy competition!!) or just enjoy the atmosphere and pretend you're at the Olympics!!
We have some great facilities at University Academy Keighley, with more to come. For 2011 we will concentrate on alternate middle distance and sprints/jumps evenings, with the emphasis being on the participants themselves to do their event(s) and then help with the basic officiating duties to enable club and school colleagues and friends to do theirs - a real co-operative effort!
Open TracK Challenge Forma
There are two types of OTC events for 2011:
OTC 1, 3 and 5 are Middle Distance events;
OTC 2 and 4 are Sprints/Jumps events.
The schedules for the OTC5 Middle Distance events are shown below. Both types of event follow the following basic timetable:
16.15 - 18.00hrs School-aged participants
This is designed for participation by UAK and other local primary and secondary school pupils in an "after school" environment with events specifically tailored to such activity. Therefore these races and competitions will be restricted to U19s only but will still be seeded according to predicted performances rather than age groups. The minimum age is Year 3 pupils. As part of the 2010 Oakbank/K&C schools cross country events and as part of the Open Kross Challenge, pupils in many schools from Year 3 onwards have been issued with unique numbers that it is hoped they will continue to use in the Open TracK Challenge events as well. Note that participants in the school-aged events are welcome to compete in open-age events later in the evening if they wish (?1 per event or ?2 for as many as you like).
18.00 - 18.30hrs Events for athletes with disabilities (incl. wheelchair events)
One of the key threads in the development of sport and athletics at University Academy Keighley is meeting the challenge and opportunities for the integration of disability and paralympic sport. The juxtaposition of UAK and Beechcliffe Special School at the Keighley site has already led to a range of fabulous facilities for all types of athlete that will ensure the maximum potential for innovation and development. The idea at OTC events is to integrate athletes with disabilities as far as possible in the open events (either for school-aged or open age events) and to have specific events for those with disabilities as an integral part of the overall event (ie, in the middle rather than at the end). It is also to be encouraged, dependant on the eventual demand by disabled athletes (who have priority) to open, say, wheelchair events to athletes without disabilities but who nonetheless wish to compete on level terms to truly integrate these aspects of our sport.
18.30 - 20.30hrs Open-aged (seeded) participants
This is open to adults and youngsters, female and male, and will be based on a series of events at each distance seeded in terms of predicted performance. Such seeding is entirely up to the participant and the initial guidelines (see below) can be revised in the light of experience. The idea is that everyone gets a good race in the company of people operating at roughly the same level of performance. There are no prizes for being overly modest, running in a slow race and then winning by miles! Results will be portrayed in terms of personal times (like the Open Kross Challenge) rather than in terms of positions in races - the idea is to improve personal performances by being stretched just that little bit further in a competitive race. Runners who have competed before or have competed in the Open Kross Challenge and received a unique number for that will be given that number in OTC5.
All event timings are approximate. All categorised elements will start at advertised times (16.15, 18.00 and 18.30). Note that OTC5 will be immediately followed by the Golden K Mile Challenges (see below) and it is very much hoped that all OTC participants will stay and watch these races.
Golden K Miles
University Academy Keighley
Friday 9th September 2011, 7.00pm
(Follows Open TracK Challenge OTC5, see separate details)
Qualification Criteria
Open to anyone who is aged 16 years or over on the day of the event;
Maximum of 10 athletes per event;
£5 per athlete to enter;
Athletes will be accepted on the basis of providing details of their best 1 mile/1500m time since 1st January 2011 (indoors or outdoors). The 10 fastest athletes wishing to enter the event will be chosen on the basis of relevant and valid performances up to and including Sunday 4th September 2011;
Athletes that do not qualify in the top ten prospective entrants will be held on a reserve list and contacted immediately if and when a space arises. All entries are entirely at the organiser's discretion.
*There is a prize pot of £1,000, the value of which will be shared equally between the winners of each Golden K Mile event as follows:
o Women's Wheelchair Golden K Mile
o Men's Wheelchair Golden K Mile
o Women's Race Walk Golden K Mile
o Men's Race Walk Golden K Mile
o Women's Golden K Mile
o Men's Golden K Mile
Contact: John Dennis at sportjohn@blueyonder.co.uk
