Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 113, December 2018 | Page 22

OUT OF
THE By BOX
Norrie Williamson
Brought to you by B4 Play Products
NEW RULES, NEW FUTURE
Over the past few years, South African athletics visibility has not only improved in track and field, but also on the road,
both with improved performances by athletes, and perhaps more importantly, with the growth in international level road
events. And this has led to some rule changes.
R
If you doubt that potential, consider how many of us watched an Amsterdam,
London, Berlin or New York Marathon this year on television? The international
viewership of an IAAF label event is considerably bigger than Comrades, which is
why they are more attractive for corporate support. And as more, higher ranked
international runners participate in our SA events, so the potential for sponsors
increases, as do the rewards, incentives and prize money for the athletes. Although
Comrades and Oceans will not lose the passion of local viewers (and sponsors),
the growth and finance will be in events that attract more global audiences.
However, competing at the international level means abiding by international rules,
which is why there have been significant changes to the 2019 ASA rules, not
only aligning us with the rest of the world, but bringing greater recognition (and
eventually reward) to ambitious runners. These changes affect runners of all levels,
and it’s vital to understand the reason for (and potential of) these rules.
RULES FOR CONTENDERS
Any race that has AIMS membership, IAAF or IAU Label, offers more than
R500,000 in total prize money, or appears on the national fixture list and has an
elite/professional seeding batch, will require athletes competing for prizes to abide
by the IAAF branding and advertising rules. The detail is contained in IAAF Rules
8 and 143, but in practical terms this means that corporate vests with 40mm high
branding cannot be used by these runners.
Meanwhile, IAAF Rule 100 means that the majority of runners will line up a few metres
behind the elites, and continue as normal. In large events, for instance, the mass
runners will focus on mat to mat times, enjoyment, and the freedom to run for their
own best time. Rule 100 advises technical officials
to be less critical in application of rules for non-elite
participants. For example, it is unlikely that an official
would be concerned about pacing amongst the
masses.
Normal weekly club races, with a few hundred or
even thousand runners, and low prize money, are
unaffected, but the recommendation is that any race
with more than 6000 runners should apply to be on
the national list, and initiate an elite/seeding system,
which should also include those with good age
category times that see them competing for podium
positions. Those “in contention” are then placed in the
front at the start and able to see who they are competing against.
This would typically be less than 100-150 runners, and the criteria for being
accepted into the contenders batch would be set out on the entry form or page,
and based on previous race results. For instance, if there are top 10 overall prizes
and three each in the age groups, the criteria is likely to come from the 15th or 20th
overall placed time and the 6th place in the age group in the previous year.
COMPETING WITH THE BEST
This means up-and-coming athletes can compete against the elite and professional
athletes, as defined in ASA Rule 7, and will share the same advantages of a
seeded start and special warm-up area, but must also abide 100% by the rules. By
comparison, the mass of the field can take their time at the start, as the focus for their
times will generally be on mat-to-mat. In large events, this improves safety at the start.
It will be important to check if you have a proven performance better than the
seeding criteria (normally a table on the entry page or web), then declare yourself
a “contender.” If you are not fast enough for that, then line up with the rest of the
field.
Other ASA rule amendments that road runners should note:
•
•
Temporary licenses can be purchased for any race distance up to and
including 42.2km.
Temporary licenses will not be accepted for runners who wish to be
counted as part of a club team.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and South Africa in ultra-distance running and triathlon, and he is an IAAF-accredited coach and course
measurer. You can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
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ISSUE 113 DECEMBER 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Marathon
aces such as the Sanlam Cape town Marathon
and FNB City Series, that have or soon may
have IAAF Label status, together with the AIMS
status of the Mandela and Maritzburg Marathons,
are spurring greater global interest in road running in
South Africa. For decades Comrades and Two Oceans
have dominated the broadcast figures in SA sport and
road running, but the fact is that to be an IAAF Gold
Label event in 2018, the Cape Town Marathon had to
have a ‘broadcast’ into five territories. Suddenly we
are comparing a mere three million national viewership
for Comrades with the potential viewership, and hence
sponsorship potential, of a global audience.