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Post by Peter on Nov 13, 2011 0:20:10 GMT
Ian Baird has come up with an out & back 5km course from the Citadel which I think, could prove popular! It would be fast & give runners unable to race on a weekend, the chance to test their fitness! And runners of all abilities would be welcome! It could be monthly, fortnightly or even weekly! What do you think?
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Post by Peter on Nov 13, 2011 0:27:39 GMT
Oops had a wee problem couldnt see my posting, doogh!!!
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Post by barry on Nov 13, 2011 14:11:30 GMT
This is a great idea - think we initially thought about trail course but marshalling this, especially at bypass or in winter bit difficult. We also talked about speaking to parkrun organisers, but this is a big commitment in terms of time - every Saturday 5/6 people, laptops for timing etc. Whereas if we do our own thing once a month, it would be a great way of getting club name out there and attracting the runners we see going round themselves all the the time - if we could get council support and a sponsor to chip in for race numbers / water at end we could have a nice wee event on an easily marshalled course - - all we need is 4/5 people on a rotating basis once a month. Been good to see road runner numbers buildingat the club recently - this would be a good event for us all personally and an excellent way of attracting new people to the club. Think in longer term this might also benefit 10k and trail race - simply having more people involved and connected on a monthly basis means our events have more visibility. I would be happy to get involved in this - but the above is only an opinion . The Gaffer and others have all spent time and resource organising events and they are as never as straightforward as they initially seem. However by starting this as a low key event with 20/30 people (locals / Ayrshire club members etc) we could see how it builds. Cannot be beyond us to have an early Saturday morning event - first Saturday of the month or similar. Would be good if we could make this a free to enter or small donation to charity...to do this though we would need some kind of support from a local business. As an aside PROMATHON what a great name - it's that or the Kevin Bloy Hawaiian Tropic 5K Experience - bring in the female contingent
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Post by johnnystrac on Nov 13, 2011 22:34:27 GMT
Happy to be involved. Could possibly speak to the local spar retailer at Doonfoot and ask him to sponsor. A decent banner would be around £100 and could see about stock donations etc. Like the name suggestion also
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Post by kevbhoy on Nov 14, 2011 0:20:43 GMT
Aye I'm happy with the Kevin bloy Hawaiian tropical 5k got a good ring to it! , think this is an excellent idea anything that brings in a few new blondies can only be good for the club . Seriously I think there is a huge amount of runners out there that with a bit of advertising and this event we could explain that running clubs are for all levels!...count me in as long as this doesn't affect the hill running career
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Post by tonimac on Nov 14, 2011 11:38:14 GMT
Here's my opinion for what it's worth:
Great idea but as Barry says, it's not as easy as you think to put on an event! Can you guarantee you will have enough volunteers on a regular basis? Remember how hard it is to get enough for the 10K / trail race. I'm happy to help out when I can but it might mean you lot won't actually be able to run if you're required to help out all the time.
I'm also not sure how much support you'd get from local clubs as they all have their own monthly 5K time trial, although the fast, flat course might be appealing. I suggest you do a bit of market research here. I definitely think the location is great for attracting Saturday morning 'joggers' who might stumble across it and make it a regular part of their training. And if you want to take the parkrun approach you don't really need numbers - especially initially - I would just time everyone and take their names at the end. This wont become a problem until you start getting overwhelmed with numbers. I think you're best keeping the costs down as much as you can and making it a free event (like the parkrun). You know how tight runners are!!
I'm not sure the drill re getting permission from the council. I'm sure it shouldn't be too much of a problem but I'm not sure if you'll need to pay for a permit or anything. Messrs Laing and Baker will know more about the logistics than anyone. The only problem might be if you start getting in the way of dog walkers / old dears with sticks!
Don't mean to sound negative, I think it's a great idea and it's great to see the club really taking off (I just hope I can join you again at some point in the future)!! I just think you should have a good think about this in terms of whether you can sustain it, before jumping in.
As for sponsorship, I'd love to put my name to it for a bit of publicity so will be happy to negotiate spondoolies if you're interested (could even provide post-race massage when the weather is suitable)?? Let me know what you think and keep up the good work...
Toni
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Post by tokenenglishman on Nov 14, 2011 20:00:50 GMT
And mine...........
Need to decide 1. Make it an official Parkrun? 2. Make it an Ayr Seaforth event? 3. Make it an independent event?
Weekly/ Monthly?
Weekly is a big time commitment maybe start with monthly?
Starting up
Could run it as a low key one off event in the first instance. Maybe Saturday 31st December, could hand out flyers at the Turkey Trot. If folk like the idea then word of mouth would soon see numbers rise.
Need to decide who is going to organise it. Suggest 2 or 3 organisers with other folk to help as required. Results If not an official Park run then maybe email out results to the participants. Weather Not the most sheltered of courses, a bit of a breeze may put folk off. Great idea, I think the way to go is to start small and then see how it grows. If the numbers are small (20 - 30) then it can probably be run without any outside involvement. If it is to be run as an Ayr Seaforth event then we would have to go to the committee for them to OK it, then it might be worth listing it on the SA website, get Council approval etc I think that entry should be free as costs could be zero I would try help out ( not organise ) when I can Sorry for the ramble but those are just my thoughts on the matter
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Post by runiain on Nov 15, 2011 16:52:06 GMT
My original idea was low key with a possible 3 volunteers and a max of say 30 runners,in which case there would have to be limited entry. That would mean pre entry of some sort and of course free entry.I thought it could start say once monthly as a timed run and not a race which could mean no permit required, but with the permission of the council.The volunteers would be, two for timing and one stewarding the turnaround point.The course would be on the pavement all the way. I was on the prom on Saturday at 9 am and cycled the course, only three dog walkers, mainly in the car park area and beyond ,by that time the field would be stretched out.
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Post by Peter on Nov 16, 2011 9:37:23 GMT
I agree with Ian, think an initial low key event would be the way to go! Then perhaps monthly! We need to control the entry numbers so no fun runners,at least not in the early events so no flyers! Entry perhaps invitation, via txt, email or the forum with perhaps NAME, AGE & CLUB? Results with age grading for widest appeal! Safety & the goodwill of the public are a priority as a poorly organized event with any incidents could prejudice any future permit application! Start time to agree, earlier the better, Lead bike & perhaps track etiquette, ie, single file to cause the minimum disruption to other prom users! Would welcome any suggestions! Do you think our friends at Aerodynamic would perhaps like to be involved? As the course, after all, is their baby?
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Post by tonimac on Nov 16, 2011 21:44:24 GMT
What would be the purspose of this? In your original post you seemed to be wanting to encourage "runners of all abilities" to take part, and perhaps join the club. These fun runners might be a bit miffed if they ask to join in and are told it's "invitation only". Would you exclude the slower runners from the clubs? It's tricky I know! The Ayros might want to use it as a time trial if you did it every month, although I'm not sure any of them would be willing to give up their time to help out as they ususally cycle on a Saturday morning.
I think you need to have a wee sit down and discuss the options, benefits, challenges etc. I'm happy to give you my input. Good luck...
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Post by runiain on Nov 17, 2011 10:03:30 GMT
W
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Post by Runiain on Nov 17, 2011 10:09:34 GMT
Toni you are right in what you say,my original vision was that this should be non elitist and open to beginners ,i'm afraid that some of you have grasped the baton and are off and running with their own agendas.
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Post by barry on Nov 17, 2011 13:03:21 GMT
Yep
that was my understanding - open to all. Not sure if anyone has a particular agenda Ian . Ultimately it is your idea and baby - I would be glad to take part if nothing else, sure we would all support this endeavour.
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Post by killiescott on Nov 17, 2011 17:58:04 GMT
Hi guys, haven't posted here in ages so sorry for butting in.
This sounds kinda similar to what we ( Killie ) did around 18 months ago. The subject of a monthly time trial cropped up on the way back from last years Lochaber Marathon - Lawrence was in the car co-incidently - so last August we began an out and back 5K on a cycle path. We started with around 20 runners, improving each month and we peaked at over 60 one month.
In the Winter due to the light we revert to a 3k in the Kay Park, last month we had over 40 at it I think. Having said that we have had around a dozen so it's swings and roundabouts.
Anyway, my point is, we have it each month and its now part of our club way of life. It's almost set in stone as the last Tuesday of the month so everyone has a choice - if they want to do it, they do it. If not, they don't, pure and simple. What we find is that a lot of people not running tend to help out. We also keep on the website a history of every result.
We start in groups of either 2's or 3's, depending on how many are there, with a 10 second gap between each start. We send on paper the quickest out first ( reason being theres not major overtaking and bumping and barging if we set the on paper slower athletes out first ). Theres no age or ability limit, everyone gets encouraged to run, and it gives everyone a benchmark or goal each month without the pressure of a race as it is after all you against the clock. Juniors also take part if they want and often do.
Anyway, as I say, apols for jumping in here, just thought I'd give you an insight to our own Monthly event.
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post by barry on Nov 17, 2011 18:47:55 GMT
Thanks for sharing that Scott.......so Kay Park on a dark night - bet that inspires PB's across the board !! I knew there had to be a secret sauce to Killie's XC success.
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