Handicap Race Series

What is it?

The Wednesday Night Running Club is a series of three races between September and November each year that will allow all runners to compete on a level playing field (more or less!). The races are 5km (3.1 miles) in the Seven Mile Beach area.

Time is used as a handicap – so the slower runners start first, and faster runners start later. The faster you are, the more time you have added to slow you down. The theory is that the amount of time that is added varies so that all runners should cross the finish line at exactly the same time… therefore, the runner who puts in the most effort is the one who wins!

Points are awarded depending upon your finish position, and a runner needs to compete in at least two of the three races to be eligible for the championship. There are prizes at stake for the fastest male and female and the overall winner! If you can only make one or two races, still come along as it is a fun event and good for learning your race craft.

When is it?

    • Race 1: Wednesday 4 October, 6:00pm
    • Race 2: Wednesday 1 November, 6:00pm
    • Race 3: Wednesday 15 November, 6:00pm
    • Social & Awards: Wednesday 22 November, 7:00pm, venue TBC

Why should I do it?

  1. Well first off it should be fun… honest!
  2. As the club will be doing three races, it will be an opportunity to gauge progress over the period, as all races will be on the same course.
  3. It will allow you to perfect your pace – a critical skill in getting the best from your running!
  4. It will also hopefully encourage you to push yourself a little bit more as in theory everyone has an equal opportunity to win.

Many other running clubs operate similar events, which prove to be very successful.

What do I need to do?

If you have already taken part in the handicap race, then you don’t need to do anything! Just come along on race night!

If you have not taken part previously you need to submit a recent race time by email – or leave a message on Facebook. This is to allow us to calculate your handicap time. If you don’t have a race time at all, then give us an honest estimate as to how fast and far you run – and we can make a guess!

The Route

Each race is 5km.  The route is two (2) loops of Governors Square/Lime Tree Bay Ave to Public Beach. The race start will be at the Easterly Tibbetts entrance of the Governors Square Service Road and end on the Governors Beach/West Bay Road access entrance.

The roads will not be closed during the races and the route will not be marshalled. Runners are responsible for their own safety during the run and need to be aware of traffic. Wearing light-coloured clothing, reflective strips/lights and water are recommended.


Want to add the route to your device? Visit our routes page for more information.

The WNRC Handicap Series are a fantastic opportunity for runners of all abilities to improve their personal best 5km time. Due to handicapped start times, this race is a fast dash to the finish between runners of every ability. The past 9 winners have been runners of very varied pace and experience. This really is a competition for everyone!

All three races will begin and end on Safehaven Drive between West Bay Road and Esterley Tibbets Highway. The 5km route will have a staggered start based on runners pre-allocated start time. If you don’t run with us on a Wednesday then get in touch and we can give you a handicap time.

There will be awards for the top 3 points scoring runners across the series, the overall winner also have their name engraved on the coveted Jim Kelly Trophy. There will also be trophies engraved with fastest male and female runners across the series. Awards will be presented at the WNRC Race Series dinner social (date TBC).

This event is open to all runners interested in participating. Runners not known to the club are asked to get in touch before the race to allocate handicaps. To be in contention for the overall series trophy, runners must have run with WNRC prior to the race series and make themselves known to a committee member. Runners who have not run with WNRC before are welcome to participate in the series but will only be able to win the fastest male and fastest female trophies awarded for the fastest time over the three races.

This year we are trying to go plastic free so please bring your own water for the end of the race. The planet will appreciate it.

Wednesday Night Running Club meets every Wednesday at 6pm outside World Gym (except for the 3 Wednesdays of the race series). The club is open to all levels of runners and is completely free.

DISCLAIMER – The roads will not be closed during the races and the route will not be marshalled. Runners are responsible for their own safety during the run and need to be aware of traffic. Wearing light coloured clothing, reflective strips and lights is advised.