...is to push yourself against competitors of similar ability to your own, which is the advantage of seeded races. We introduced mixed seeded racing a few years ago to help you improve your racing and provide a better competition, and it works well, most of the time!
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However, it has been noted recently that some of our athletes are being a bit coy with their predicted times. Some of you have never done a certain distance and are having to guess, and that's absolutely fine - but many others are giving times that are well outside what they consistently run. As an example, we saw many 200m estimates that were over 5 seconds longer than they should have been, whilst the 800 seemingly produced some 15 or even 20 second "PB"s?!! We know some of you will have given reasons for the slower times - you raced at the weekend, it's hot, you're tired/injured, you haven't trained...the list is long. However, you're all experienced athletes and the vast majority of you know, deep down, what you are capable of, and you can usually pull a decent performance out of the bag despite these reasons.
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The effects of an incorrect estimated time are:-

1. You're missing the competitive edge that might shave some tenths of a second (or more) off your PB, because you're just cruising along in first place with no-one at your shoulder.
2. It's disheartening for the slower athletes, particularly in a longer race where they may be lapped once or even twice. 
3. You're denying your peers the competition they deserve too, as they won't have as many similarly paced athletes in their heat as they should have, therefore less people to battle for the line with.
4. A closely run race is much more exciting for the spectators, which means you'll get a lot more shout-outs and support given, and this gives a better atmosphere to the meeting.

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We're not trying to name and shame people, we just want you all to think about your times and be as honest and accurate as you can be.  Next season, we want to see lots of tightly grouped races, and lots of PBs as a result - remember, honesty is the best policy, and there's no place for false modesty in athletics! :) 

Well, that's it - the end of another season on the track (apart from the 10k races and the pentathlon in September of course!) We hope you all enjoyed the last league match of the year, and the spectacle of the relays, particularly with the added bonus this year of a track judge and field judge team! Several records were broken (awaiting official verification before publication!) and the Team Grand Prix was won, yet again, by South Shields in both the male and female competitions - well done to the Sand Dancers! 
Full results of the normal league events and the grand prix can be seen using the links on this page, and the relay results will (hopefully!) appear tomorrow. Thanks to all involved for another great season, looking forward to 2020 already! 

We'll be placing the order for our lovely polo shirts with the suppliers next Monday, so this is your last chance to pre-order if you'd like one - here's the online link.

Also, don't forget it's relay night on Monday, so we hope you're working on those winning teams! There'll be plenty of declaration sheets available on the night, so don't worry if you can't print at home. Remember, if you're planning on using your "guest" slot on a team, I'll need to have their date of birth provided on the form, and they will need to be a current member of your club to count for any records. 

​See you all on Monday!

Important info re match 6 on Monday 29th July:- The discus will be replaced by the hammer, since we had to change the events for last Monday's match. Anyone who has already made their entry for this last match will be contacted if possible, in case they wish to change their event choices.

Members can compete in a maximum of three events as usual - and also in the relays (not long to go - start sorting your teams out now!) The relays take place after the normal events at our last league match of the season, and they're always a fun evening! Full relay information, including team declaration forms to download, can be seen on the fixtures page here.

There is also the "small" matter of seeing which teams will top the Grand Prix this year - it is looking extremely likely to be a Shields double again this year, but you never know, there could be a last minute surge from one of the other clubs! If the individual grand prix results are ready in time, medals will be available for the winners (first place only), or if preferred they could be presented at the pentathlon champs in September.

Last Monday's results can be seen here, and the Grand Prix results here.

Archie Jenkins has updated the endurance GP following the Champs at the weekend, and the latest standings can be seen here. Archie says "Still plenty of points on offer with the 5 mile multi terrain, 10k track, 10k road (Heaton), 10 mile (Tynedale), 5 Road (Redcar) and Marathon all to come".
He has also applied age gradings to the Ian Cowell Memorial 300m Hurdles race, which showed the following finish order:-
Women

1. Jacqui Etherington
2. Sarah Johnson
3. Lisa Boyd
4. Liz Page

Men

1. Neil McAnany
2. Peter Tynemouth
3. Paddy Dinsmore
4. David Moir
5. Phil Crawford
6. Ian Hutchinson
7. Henry Madden
8. Peter Grimoldby

Well done to all who took part (including Don Butler, who as an M80 had to run a 200mH instead!

Finally, a reminder - if you are thinking of entering the 10k Track Champs in September, remember it is all going through the BMAF OpenTrack system, so if you aren't sure you're registered there, please check with George Routledge before attempting to enter. 

Photos below taken by Dave Hewitson

Please read this message of thanks from Janine Jameson, following the successful cake sale last Monday:-

In other news, we have heard that you might be interested in the black polo shirts that the committee members wore on the day of the Champs (modelled by yours truly, left!). If you think you might be interested in ordering one for yourself (which I can assure you will look better on you), please click on the link shown below the pic, thanks!