GRAND PRIX RULES & POLICIES

Eligibility

Participants must be a member in good standing of the SBAA. The Grand Prix Series is conducted on a calendar year and individuals can join the Grand Prix Series at any time during the year.  A participant’s race results will be used in Grand Prix scoring only after joining the SBAA. For example, if someone ran in several Grand Prix races from January through March and then joined SBAA in April, only the post-March results would count in determining Grand Prix standings.

Age Groups

The age groups for determining year-end awards for both male and female divisions are as follows: 8 and under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 and over.  Your group for the Grand Prix is determined based on your age for each calendar year.  The age you are turning that calendar year will be your age for the entire year.  For instance, if you join SBAA (and therefore also the Grand Prix) in January and you are 49 years old at that time, yet your birthday is in August and you’ll be turning 50, you will be in the 50-54 age group for the entire Grand Prix. .

Qualifying Races

Qualifying Grand Prix Series races are designated on the SBAA race calendar and are subject to additions or cancellations at the discretion of the Grand Prix committee.  Participants must finish at least three GP races to be eligible for a Grand Prix award.  For all adult age divisions through 60-69, your top 6 age division finishes will be counted in scoring.  For the 70 and over age group, your top 3 age division finishes will be counted in scoring.

Please note that there are some races that offer more than one distance.  In this case, only one of the distances will be eligible for Grand Prix points and that distance will be noted on the Grand Prix Race list and SBAA Calendar.  Also, the qualifying race at a particular event may be different for the Junior Grand Prix.  It is incumbent upon the Grand Prix participant to ensure they are registered for the correct race distance.  For instance, The Resolution Run offers a 5k and 10k distance but only the 5k is eligible for GP points.

Scoring

Finish points for individual races will be awarded as follows: 1st place – 1000 points; 2nd – 900; 3rd – 800; 4th – 700; 5th – 600; 6th – 500; 7th – 400; 8th – 300; 9th – 200; 10th – 100. The finish place is computed according to your finish against all other Grand Prix competitors in your age group division. If you place 11th or over you will receive 50 points for finishing the race.

Volunteers

All Grand Prix participants are expected to volunteer at least once during the year. The viability of the SBAA and local running community is dependent upon everyone fulfilling their responsibility as a volunteer.

Awards Banquet

There will be an awards celebration upon completion of the Grand Prix Series season. Awards will be presented for top finishers in each qualifying age group and special recognition will be presented to the Overall Grand Prix Champions.

Overall Grand Prix Champions

Overall male and female Grand Prix Champions (GP GP’s) will be determined by taking the average of the best three (3) applicable age-graded races. The male and female runners with the highest average performance will be crowned Overall Grand Prix Champions.

Grand Prix First Overall Champions

This award is determined based on the male and female who have the most first place overall finishes in GP races. They will be recognized as the Grand Prix First Overall Champions.

Tie Breaker Policy

In the event of a tie in any of the award categories the determining factor for deciding the winner shall be the “head-to-head” competition between the tied individuals in commonly run GP races.

Junior Grand Prix

This is a series of races for ages 18 and under. The format is similar to the adult Grand Prix, and will consist of divisions 8/Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18.

Rules Interpretation

Any issues concerning eligibility, race results or rule interpretations will be resolved by the Grand Prix Rules Committee.