ASK YOURSELF WHY
C o l u m n
The Points Start Here …
These are the threshold times that athletes must beat in order to be eligible to score World Ranking Points in races .
Distance Men Women
5km 15:20 18:30 10km 32:30 39:00 15km 50:00 1:00:00 10 miles 54:00 1:05:00 21.1km 1:12:00 1:27:00
The Durban International Marathon offers a massive points bonus this year
42.2km 2:37:00 3:05:00
The application for ranking status is made through the national federation to World Athletics . In the case of South Africa , this would see an organising club ’ s application go through a provincial office , to ASA , and fed through to World Athletics . This should happen at least 60 days before the race date , and an application fee of just $ 25 ( approximately R480 at the time of writing ) applies .
The important consideration here is that the introduction of even smaller club events as ranking races would see a number of up-and-coming athletes signing up for the faster local events , simply to get points and entry onto the system , so everybody wins – athletes as well as events and sponsors .
Images : Tobias Ginsberg , Cecilia van Bers , Delarey Ferreira
All Events Not Equal
Of course , it can be harder to place in the top five , 10 or 20 depending on the level of the race . For example , competing in the Johnson Crane Marathon in Johannesburg would be a club event , which is ranked as F status , whereas competing in the Durban International Marathon , which is a World Athletics ( basic ) Label event , moves the status to an E level event . Furthermore , the Durban race includes the ASA Marathon Championships , which elevates it to a B level , specifically for those who have been selected to represent their provinces .
This year , the Durban International Marathon is also set to host the CAA Southern Region Marathon Championships , which will see teams and individuals from 14 Southern Region countries compete for regional titles and team medals . This will then push the race up to an A level event – the only level above that are global and World / Olympic levels ! The higher the status , the greater the ‘ bonus ’ points available to those athletes who achieve the top spots . For example , there are no bonus points for an F level event , but the winner in a basic Label marathon earns 10 bonus points . On the other hand , those in the Southern Region Champs will earn 70 bonus points !
Once points are scored by an athlete , their ranking in the marathon distance is calculated as the average of their two best scores . This number of events increases for shorter distances , as it is obviously easier to compete in more shorter scoring races in a season than it is for a marathoner . The point is that the winner of the Southern Region Champs on 28 April can benefit by a massive 70 bonus points , which due to the averaging rule , could mean up to an extra 35 ranking points . ( At the time of writing , that would mean an athlete who wins in 2:10:30 would be elevated from 202nd place to 120th , and would then be in the top 40 , automatically sealing his Olympic selection , despite being two minutes outside the time qualification criteria . That is the power of ranking and event status !
Federation Frustration
The sad fact is that , as yet , athletes are not gaining the full advantage of this system . This is true in the vast majority of African countries , but particularly in South Africa , where the structure for race organisations is through the provincial and club structures . While the majority of track and field events in South Africa have been enrolled by ASA on the global calendar , there are very , very few of the 560-plus sanctioned road events in the country have been listed .
One reason for this appears to be around the communication channels : Whereas a dedicated results coordinator has been appointed by the Track and Field Commission to handle these applications to World Athletics , road running does not appear to have the same position . And even if the Road Running Commission does appreciate the potential impact of the system on athletes . that message does not
Some SPAR Grand Prix races have registered for the points system
appear to have gotten through the hierarchy to provinces and then to clubs , race organisers and athletes .
For example , in my home province ( KZN ), and other coastal venues , there are numerous 10km and 21km races that could easily become ‘ ranking races .’ Since every race on a provincial fixture list is already ‘ sanctioned ’ by ASA , there are no additional steps needed until after the race , when the results need to be passed on to World Athletics in an excel format . It really is that simple !
Win-win for All concerned
If this process is followed , national athletics federations will have more athletes higher in the world ranking , and easier selection choices . Race organisers , even at the lowest of levels , will have the opportunity to attract the better and up-andcoming athletes , and the athletes can gain points and positions , and in some cases , earn money at local events , rather than having to invest in intercontinental travel . These gains are all before one considers the possibilities of media coverage , and resultant increased commercial interest .
Right now , it ’ s only the Label races , national championships and a few other races that are leading the way in South Africa . Hats off to the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series organisers , and some of the SPAR Women ’ s Challenge organisers , who have listed their events , but this is open to any organiser who typically has any athlete with finishing times under those in the table on this page . However , until the entire sport is aware of the potential of this system , it ’ s the athletes that are losing out the most .
About the Author
Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events , then represented South Africa in triathlon . He is a World Athleticsaccredited coach and course measurer , and travels all over the world to work on events , including the Olympics . He has been appointed by World Athletics as Technical Delegate to a number of the world ’ s leading Label events in Africa , Asia and the Middle East . He has authored two books ( Everyman ’ s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner ’ s Guide to Walking & Running ), and counts 20 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals , as well as multiple wins at distances from 100km to 1000km . You can read more from him at www . coachnorrie . co . za .
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