World Championships qualification

UK Athletics have finally published their qualification criteria for this year's World 24 hr Championships.  It's near the bottom of this page on their website.

Basically athletes should achieve the required standard between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012 and those all important standards are:

Men - A standard ... 238 km (147.9 miles)
Men - team standard ... 230 km (142.9 miles)

Women - A standard ... 214 km (133.0 miles)
Women - team standard ... 204 km (126.8 miles)

Right, that's one less thing for me to worry about.  I ran further than 238 km when winning the race in Perth back in September 2010.

So, apart from relief, what are my initial thoughts ?

1 - the men's standards have risen quite a lot since last time.  They were 236 km and 225 km (146.6 and 139.8 miles).

2 - I don't have the figures to hand but I think the women's standards have fallen by a single kilometre.

3 - Runners without the necessary standard have only 34 days to make the grade.  I'm guessing that there will be about 8 or 9 European races in May in which to do that ... but how many have an IAU label ? [two I think].  And how many still have places available ?

4 - By way of contrast, the UK qualifying standard for the Olympic marathon was announced back in summer 2011 with the final date to achieve the standard being 22 April 2012.  That's about 8 or 9 months and probably quite a few marathons to choose from in which to do the business.

5 - Oh well ... I guess that until we have 24 hr races in the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games they'll always be seen as not quite as important even though we train just as hard (if not harder) ... grumble, grumble, grumble.

6 - Four men and two women have the A standard.  In date order they are:  Lizzy Hawker, John Pares, myself, Emily Gelder, Richard Quennell and Jim Rogers.  Also, Jen Salter, Pat Robbins, Sharon Law, Marie Doke, Debbie Martin-Consani and Angie Sadler have the team standard.

There are seven women in that list and as there'll be a maximum of six men and six women going to Katowiche at least one of them will be staying at home unfortunately.

So, there it is.  A bit late I think but at least I have the necessary standard and now it's down to the selectors who meet at the beginning of June and announce the team on Tuesday the 19th.

As a final point it would appear that in order to get the A standard for the 2013 World Championships I would have to break my pb sometime this year.  I know I can do that.

only because I was asked ...

Recently I was asked about the UK team for this year's World 24 hr Championships.  I must admit that I hadn't given any thought as to who might be included in that team other than I hope I am ...

So, here are my thoughts:

UK Athletics usually have selection criteria along the lines of -

men ... A standard 236 km ... team standard ... 225 km
women ... A standard 215 km ... team standard ... 205 km

and, in theory, what happens is that anybody who has the A standard is automatically selected but if there aren't  enough to complete a team then those with the team standard are also considered - but only if there are enough to make a full team.

For example if one man has 240 km and two more men have 227 km each then only one man will be selected.

Of course there is a time frame in which runners are expected to reach the standards and this is usually in the 18 months before selection date.  For this year's World Championships I would expect that to be something like:

1 Jan 2011 to 30 June 2012

Between those dates the qualifying performances so far are:

John Pares ... 244 km
Pat Robbins ... 231 km
Steve Holyoak ... 226 km

Liz Hawker ... 247 km
Emily Gelder ... 220 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 208 km
Jen Salter ... 206 km
Marie Doke ... 206 km

Because there wasn't a World or European Championships last year it is possible that the qualifying period will be extended back to include the Perth race (Sep 2010) or even the last World Championships (May 2010), in which case the following should be added to the list:

Richard Quennell ... 246 km (May 2010)
Jim Rogers ... 244 km (May 2010)
Chris Carver ... 238 km (Sep 2010)
Paul Hart ... 228 km (Sep 2010)

Angie Sadler ... 205 km (Sep 2010)

As there has been no announcement yet about selection there is a possibility of a few more qualifying performances in the first half of this year.

And of course the selectors usually reserve the right to use other long ultras to help with their choices.  Overall then I would suggest that only John Pares and Liz Hawker have earned their place in Poland and as for other runners ... your guess is as good as mine at the moment.

I do know that the team management were hopeful of getting selection sorted by the end of last year but obviously the people at UK Athletics didn't like that idea - probably down to funding.

I also believe that we have some very good ultra runners in this country but very few road and/or track 24 hour races.  Only one at the last count.  In recent years we have lost races in Hull and Doncaster for example.  I know that Pam Storey is looking to stage some races but if we had a few more then the performances would only improve.

So ... who wants to organise a road or track 24 hr race in Britain ???  Count me in if you do.

Selection Criteria

Here it is ... the selection criteria has been announced for England in the following ultra races next year:

- Commonwealth Championships - 24 hr race and c.50k trail race
- Anglo Celtic Plate 100k

Personally I'm only interested in the Commonwealth Championships 24 hr race and I read that selection will be in two waves:

(1a) for those men who have run over 230k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(1b) for those women who have run over 205k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011

(2a) for those men who have run over 225k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
(2b) for those women who have run over 200k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011

I would imagine that only performances in race with an IAU label will be taken into consideration therefore I believe the following men from England have met the criteria:

Richard Quennell ... 246.121k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
 ... 234.813k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
Jim Rogers ... 244.108k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
 ... 228.214k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
me ... 238.286k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010) and
 ... 231.506k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
 and also ... 222.760k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Pat Robbins ... 231.086k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
 and also ... 215.818k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)

The following men would also be in with a chance of selection as they have run over 215k:

Keith Straw ... 221.882k ... Cleveland (USA) (4 Oct 2009)
Chris Finill ... 219.032k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Neil Bryant ... 218.425k ... London (18 Oct 2009)

The women who have met the criteria so far are:

Sharon Gayter ... 226.489k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Vicky Skelton  ... 212.683k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
 and also ... 198.098k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Angela Sadler ... 205.984k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Marie Doke ... 203.985k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
 ... 201.631k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)

The following woman should also be in with a chance of selection as they have managed  a performance of over 185k:

Sandra Brown ... 187.119k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)

Of course there is still quite a few months in which other runners can register a qualifying performance ... but I'm confident of my selection.

As only five men and five women can be selected it appears that for the women it's quite straightforward but not so for the men at all.  And then there's 'current fitness' to take into account when the selectors meet next April and June.

I would suggest we have a couple of good teams though.

some thoughts ... and coffee !!!

I didn't really want to explain what I thought the differences were between Britain's selection policy and that of Australia because I think it would be better if I kept out of the politics surrounding these things.

However, since Anth asks, my thoughts - in brief - are:

1. in last September's Commonwealth Championships the Australian men finished first, second and seventh.  UK men were third, fourth and fifth
2. in general the Australian men seem to be running far greater distances than the UK men and do much better in championship events
3. things are slightly different for the Australian women who seem to be of a similar standard to British women
4. therefore it seems strange to me that the Australian athletics authorities have a lower qualifying standard than UK Athletics
5. and to pay your own travel and kit expenses for representing your country seems insane to me ...

Writing about these things reminds me that the UK selectors met two days ago to choose the team for the World 24 hr Championships in Brive.  I wonder what their decision was.

For me, last week was an easy training week.

Day 1 - 50 mins cycling and stretching
Day 2 - 5 miles at 10k pace, strength training and stretching
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - 23 miles, 50 mins cycling and stretching
Day 5 - strength training and stretching
Day 6 - hill reps (x 16), 50 mins cycling and stretching
Day 7 - 7 miles fartlek, strength training and stretching

During that week I was drinking a wonderful coffee from the Sanani region of Yemen.  Chocolately, spicy, winelike, almost dark roast ... fantastic.

selection criteria for another country

Australia have recently published their selection criteria for the upcoming World 24 hr Challenge.

I imagine it's a bit different to what most runners are used to ... but it makes interesting reading all the same.  See it here.

future plans coming together - slowly

Weather here is getting much better now.  The snow has almost gone and temperatures are above freezing again.

Running has been much easier although I do think the past few weeks have offered unexpected benefits in the form of extra strength training - for body and mind.

As far as racing goes, there are one of two things in the pipeline - all in the very early planning stages at present.  The first of them is the World Championships 24 hr in Brive for which I hope to be selected to represent UK.

[Although I wouldn't be surprised if the selectors decided against sending a full team].

There is also an interesting document on England Athletics website.  It is entitled '2010 Selection Policy Ultra Distance' and qualifying criteria are specified for 50k, 100k and 24 hours.  Does this mean England are planning to send a team to a 24 hr race later this year ?  If so, which one ?

I note that the A Standard has been set at 225 km. I ran 231 km only four months ago and 228 km in October 2009 so I see no problems at all for selection to an England team this year.

The document can be found here. Click the link on the right hand side of that page.

Also planning for next year - and even 2012.  A 48 hr race is probable for 2012 and another very long charity run for the year after.

In the meantime there's lots more to achieve - the foremost being 150 miles in 24 hours.

selection policies

UK Athletics have announced their selection policies for 100k and 24 hr championship races in 2010.  Find them at the bottom of this page on their website.

Interestingly, the 24 hr policy mentions that, in the not too distant future, a trial race may be used as part of the selection procedure ... hmmmm.

I've put a link to that on this page along with the selection policies of USA and Ireland for comparison.  Those for Canada and Australia haven't been announced yet but I'll link to them in due course.

Also added a wee bit to this page.

Just found a rather good satellite photograph of UK taken yesterday morning. Notice how everything is white ... deep snow over the whole country.

Selection Criteria

Yesterday I found, on the England Athletics website, details of the selection policy for next year's Commonwealth Championships at 24hr.

Selection Criteria 24 Hour Commonwealth Championship

Keswick Cumbria between 17 th Sept to 20 th Sept 2009.

Up to six athletes Female and six athletes Male will be considered for selection.

A Standard (Individual) Men 225kms Women 200kms
B Standard (Team) Men 215kms Women 185kms

Selection date and considerations

The selection date will be on Saturday 20th June 2009, or shortly afterwards
Important – England Athletics will only consider performances in IAU Label Races
Athletes who wish names and relevant performances to go forward for consideration for selection should forward details by email to
Wilsonanne691@aol.com or write to Norman Wilson,61,Darell Close,Quedgeley,Gloucester.GL2 4YR by no later than 1st June 2009

Qualifying Period

1st May 2008 to 31st May 2009 it will be necessary for current fitness to be evident prior to selection and to be injury free.



After reading this, very carefully, one or two things spring to mind:

1) 225km seems to be very harsh. I've just checked and last year only five runners from the Commonwealth achieved that distance (three Brits and two Aussies).

2) It seems William Sichel was correct in that the selectors will only consider performances in races with an IAU Label.

3) Between now and the end of May 2009 I am able to compete at least three times over 24hr if necessary. My next race - Tooting Bec (London) definitely has an IAU Label.

4) How exactly would 'current fitness be evident' to the selectors.

5) I know I can run 225k. It's only 8.4 laps more than I achieved in Hull when I was easing down for the last 4 hours. See the race report from Hull for details (http://www.hull-race-report-2008.blogspot.com/).

I also found out more details of a couple of new ultra races to be held in Perth, Scotland on 13 September. Apparently Scottish Athletics are looking to stage an IAU World Championship in the next few years and these races are basically a feasibility study.

I definitely hope everything goes well for them as a World Championship in Scotland would be fantastic. For more details see http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/index.php?p=17&itemType=news&itemId=3636

Meanwhile ... my training schedule leading up to October's race is coming along nicely apart from one question if I may: which would be more beneficial the day after a long slow run:

a) a long run of 24 - 28 miles at one minute per mile quicker, or
b) a long run of 24 - 28 miles where each mile is about 5s quicker than the previous mile
c) does it depend on what stage I'm at regarding my preparation