Club Info

		An overview of Feilding Moa Harrier Club "We aim to promote & encourage running & recreational walking for people of all ages." 2 April Start Our 2011season commences Saturday 2^nd April with a club run from our clubrooms at Timona Park, Feilding. To get there, from East St, turn into Poole St and clubrooms is at the end of the road. April-July: Cross Country Cross-country events are the feature of the first half of the season. We are fortunate to have the use of a variety of farm courses, some with 50+ years of history behind them plus we use Timona Park and other runner friendly locations in and about the Manawatu. At Queens Birthday we travel to Hawera for the Hughes Memorial cross country races against clubs from throughout the lower North Island. Members have traditionally performed very well here July-October: Road racing and Relays From mid-July we commence the Road-racing phase of Club activities, which includes several interclub relays such as the Halcombe Relay and Tha Marton-Wanganui Relay The Club combines with other Clubs in the Manawatu-Wanganui Centre several times in the season through Centre cross-country and Centre road championships. CLUB CONTACTS: President: Bruce Mulcock 323 8833 0274 219254 b.mulcock@slingshot.co.nz Captain: Robert Dabb 353 0298 0272 553 992 dabbrm@xtra.co.nz Newsletter: Greg Oldridge 323 3265 0275 426 406 nag@nettel.net.nz Saturday Start Times: 1.30pm sharp for all local events except where advised. Arrive 20-30 minutes before the start to warmup and check out the course Afternoon tea is held after each run followed by results, awards and Club notices. All members are urged to bring a plate to share and take a turn on teapot duties. Wednesday Packrun: A group meets 6pm by M&J Shoes, Kimbolton Rd for an evening run. All welcome. Usually an hour or so with various paces to suit all. 2011 Membership fee (age for registration is what you are at 31 December 2011) Men and women (20 and over) $70 Fully Registered Athletics NZ member (see note below) Recreational runner/walker $25 (not eligible to compete in Centre/National champs) Juniors 17,18, 19yrs $55 Boys/Girls 14,15,16yrs $50 Boys/Girls 7-13yrs $25 6 or under: free Transfer/Associate $25 (where a registered member with another club) Registration covers the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 What is Athletics NZ Registration? Athletics NZ is our national body who we are affiliated with. It's very much like a rugby club being part of the Rugby Union. Being Registered entitles athletes to participate in regional championships and Athletics New Zealand events and to be eligible for Centre and National trophies. For example, the Rotorua Marathon this year doubles as the official NZ Marathon Champs where registered athletes are eligible for titles including those for 5-year age groups in the masters grades. Registration covers both the winter harrier season and the summer track and field season - so you can transfer your membership at the end of the harrier season (or keep the Moa singlet on all summer) to a Track & Field Club and usually just pay the "club" membership part of fees to that club. At Feilding Moa all under 20 members are automatically registered with ANZ. Seniors have the choice (this year) to be Fully Registered or a "Recreational" member. We recommend full registration. Registration entitles entry to Manawatu-Wanganui champs and National championships, cross country, road, relay or track & field through until 31 March 2012. Club Uniform Yellow and black singlet with Feilding Harriers and a picture of a Moa on the front and black shorts. Club members must wear the official club uniform within one month of joining when taking part in harrier events, unless an exception has been approved by the Club Captain prior to the event. Singlets are purchased from the Treasurer/Cub Captain on club days Our Common Race Rules Do not interfere with the progress of other competitors. Go between the markers where the course is marked by two markers 5 metres or so apart. and; Run within five (5) metres on either side of a single marker. Trophies & Awards Any one can win a trophy! About every second week we conduct scratch or handicap races (see FAQ's below). Handicap races reward participants for week on week improvement and the trophy winner could be anyone in the race on the day – Feilding Moa aims to cater for all levels of fitness, gender and age. We are prvileged to have had a great many trophies donated over the life of the club with trophies for most grades. Annual Handicap Points Award There is an annual award for the person in each grade who has accumulated the most points over the season. The first person in a race receives as many points as there are financial members in the grade at the time of the last handicap race of the season, second home receives one less point and so on with the last finished receiving the least points. Eligibility Members must compete in the correct grade to be eligible for a Club trophy unless approval to compete in another grade is first granted by the management committee. Members must have participated in at least one previous RACE of the current season before they can be awarded a trophy or points in a handicap event. Frequently asked Questions ??? 1. What is Harriers? How far do you run? Harriers is generally characterised as middle to long distance running (and walking) events. These can range from cross-country events to road races with a large degree of variety between each event. At Feilding Moa we usually have Under-14 year olds doing 2-3km, women and under-18 y.o 4-6km and others 6-10km. Courses range from various farms around the Manawatu to parks and some of the scenic rural roads. 2. Pack runs These are the life-blood of the club and usually held every week of the season, even when centre and other events are being held on the same weekend. Club runs are social events with packs to suit all abilities/paces. Make sure you bring a plate to restore the spent energy at the afternoon tea following the run! There is also a Wednesday group which run from outside M&J Shoes on Kimbolton Rd, Feilding at 6pm. 3. Centre events Are inter-club events open to Registered club members. We are part of the Manawatu-Wanganui Centre encompassing clubs such as Bush Harriers, Levin, Plamerston North and Wanganui. 4. Scratch races Runners in each grade start together, racing head to head. Early in the season we hold scratch races to enable our handicappers to rank the field for handicap races that follow. Whatever style of race we ask participants to alwys give their best effort on the day. 5. Handicap races Handicap races provide a level "running field" for runners of all abilities. Once you have run 1-2 scratch races, our handicappers will determine your relative position among other athletes in the same grade. There are two kinds of handicap race during the season: a) Open handicap: start times are staggered. The 'slowest' runner going off first, then various time gaps through to the 'fastest' or backmarker. First across the line wins. The challenge for each runner is to pass but not be passed. If the handciapper has got things right and everyone runs to potential, this style of race sees the field start to bunch up on each other over the closing stages of the race and some well fought out finishes. b) Sealed handicap: the handicapper assigns handicaps, but keeps them to himself! Everyone then starts at the same time. As expected, the top runners take off, and the rest of us do our best to stay in sight. At the finish line the handicapper adjusts actual time with their pre-determined handicaps. The winner is the one whose time is fastest after adjusting the handicap. Again a great environment for each athlete to perform to or exceed there previous best.

1. What is Harriers? How far do you run?