Keith Vine Handicap Champs – Dorset Doddlers

Updated 20th Feb 2024

The intention of this handicap is to encourage runners of all abilities to improve their race performance. The best way to do well in the league is to keep one step ahead of the handicap by making steady improvement throughout the year.

Click on the links below to see results by race and the overall standings table:

Keith Vine Handicap League 2024 races

Keith Vine Handicap League 2024 table

Keith Vine Winners history results

What’s it all about . . . . .

A race qualifies for the Handicap League if at least SIX people running as Dorset Doddlers finish the race (the only exceptions are the main Doddlers races – North Dorset Village Marathon, the Stur Half and the Stickler, as we want to encourage members to marshal rather than race). As a result of your first Keith Vine qualifying race, a handicap pace per mile representing your average pace over a flat 10km course. This handicap pace is used to predict the time you should expect to do in your next qualifying race. Once you have a handicap time it will carry forward from race to race being adjusted to reflect your current performance.

For each race, your handicap pace is used to calculate your predicted finishing time, with adjustments made to reflect different race distances and challenging terrain or weather conditions. 10mile races are assumed to increase times by 4%, half marathons by 6%, and marathons by 18%. Hilly, off-road or swampy courses will have an additional terrain adjustment applied to reflect the increased time needed. Once the results of a race are known, your actual and predicted times are compared. Runners are ranked according to how far they were ahead of or behind their predicted times. The person who was furthest ahead is awarded 1 point; the next person gets 2 points and so on. After each race, your handicap pace is adjusted by moving it to a point half way between where it was and where your most recent result suggests it should be. If you run a very slow race (e.g. if running socially with others) the increase in your handicap pace will be limited.

At the end of the year, if you have scored in 10 or more races, your points for your best 10 races are added up to give your total score. If fewer than 5 members have scored in 10 races the number of races required will be reduced until there are at least 5 scoring mens/ladies. Then, the lower the total score, the better you have done. There are stylish trophies for the best man and best woman to keep for the year, and the top 3 men and women will receive a medal/vouchers.