Will Wright with Mitchell McCollough after the Crichton/Toulminville 5K
Running the Race of Life
By WILL WRIGHT
RUNNING AT “C” LEVEL
More than two decades ago there were a number of folks that loved to run or walk as a sport and healthy exercise and that worked for a variety of companies along the Gulf coast. The idea of one corporation competing against another in a road race soon surfaced and the Gulf Coast Corporate Cup (GCCC) competitionwas born. Over the years growth and change have taken place, and today the program is alive and well. While sea level running is a benefit the “C’s” in the name have taken on double meaning! Let’s “C” how the expanded organization operates in preparation for the upcoming season.
COMMUNITY
The term Corporate Cup (CC) refers to a road racing competition between teams representing organizations along the Gulf coast. Teams are composed of employees/members and their immediate families and are divided into five Divisions. Within each team there is a sense of belonging which is so important, and being to able to “carry the banner” of the organization outside the organization makes for good discussion at the coffee pot! All runners on each team are encouraged to run for participation points and to impact team scoring. Complete race results and team standings are sent to each captain shortly after each race. The divisions are realigned annually based on the previous year’s results so that each division will be more competitive within itself. These decisions, along with the selection of races, are made by the team captains which meet prior to the start of the season and vote on all aspects of the competition. All new teams, which we welcome, are placed in Division V since they have no running history upon which to base their capabilities. Each team submits a roster of its runners which includes birth date and sex. Based on last season’s results the 2009-2010 Divisions are realigned as follows: DIV 1: Saraland YMCA, Spring Hill Baptist Church, Team PE, USA, and Postal;DIV II: Mobile Infirmary, Teachers, Evonik Degussa, Shipbuilders, and All Saints;DIV III: The SSI Group, Sheriffs, Hargrove & Assoc., CPSI, and Bay Area Runners;DIV IV: Providence Hospital, Team Alabama, Cottage Hill Baptist, PEI, and Mobile Police Dept.DIV V: Automotive Computer Services (ACS), Daily Access, CPA’s, Dayspring Baptist, Ameriprise Financial Services, Dupont, Airbus, Baleu/ERA, and Standard Furniture. This is a great lineup - 29 teams, five or more in each Division, but still room for new teams to enter in Division V.
CARDIO-CHALLENGES
The number of races and the specific races to be included in the competitive season are selected by the team captains via majority vote. Since some races may not be well attended due to shift working, etc., we agree to discard the results of a certain number of races prior to determining final standings. This coming season we agreed to a 15 race format with the best 9 counting toward the end-of-season standings. The season schedule has been selected along with finishing line duties ( passing out of Corp. Cup finishers’ cards). (See “RACE SPOTLIGHT” to find a complete list of races for the remainder of this year.) Corporate Cup races are as follows:
1. Hurricane Run 5K-Sept. 12-Postal
2. GO 5K-Sept. 19-MBI
3. BayFest 5K-Sept. 26-Providence Hospital
4. Guns and Hoses 5K-Oct. 10-Saraland YMCA
5. Saraland Harvest Festival 8K-Oct. 24-Saraland YMCA
6. Senior Bowl Charity Run 10K -Nov. 7 - Team Captains responsible
7. Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis5K-Dec. 5-Baleu/ERA
8. Murphy HS Panther Pride 5K-Jan. 16-PEI
9. Battle of Mobile Bay 5K - Feb. 6-CPSI
10. Joe Cain 5K-Feb. 14-Bay Area Runners
11. S.E.E.D.S. 5K-March 6-Standard Furniture
12. Azalea Trail 10K - March 27 - Team Captains responsible
13. Old Mobile 8K-April 10-The SSI Group
14. Freedom Run 5K-May 15-ACS
15. Do It In the Bush 5K-May 22-SHBC
CC runners run the races along with everyone else but are given a separate CC finisher’s card at the finish line on which the runner will record his or her name, time, and team name. Official times will be taken from the published race results when available. Each runner is scored by comparing his or her time to an Age Standard Time which has been recorded and published for a world class runner of the same age and sex and for the same race distance. A decimal time ratio is determined by dividing the world class time by the CC runner’s time; then all runners are ranked from highest to lowest within each division based on this ratio. The runner with the highest ratio (e.g. 0.90) would be given place # one, the second highest, place # 2, etc. Then the places of the three are four highest ranked runners for each team are summed to determine the team’s score for that race. The team with the lowest score would be the winner in that division, the next lowest would be second, etc.The best nine team positions during the season are added together to obtain the final team standings at the end of the season.The top three teams in each division are recognized at the awards ceremony and receive a permanent plaque. The top team in each division also receives a rotating silver cup which it may keep for one year.
CAMARADERIE
All runners are encouraged to participate in the races. The fellowship and spirit developed are invaluable, and the benefits gained include better health for the runners and potential awards for the team. A participation award is given to the teams having the most participation within each Division, and scoring ties are broken by favoring the team having the most runners. Scoring requirements and number of displacement runners will remain the same as last season.Divisions I and II will need 4 runners to form a scoring teamand will be able to utilize 4 displacement runners. Divisions 3, 4, & 5 will need 3 runners to form a scoring team and will be allowed 3 displacement runners. Seeing the results will help one to better understand scoring and the use of displacement runners.
A $50.00 entry fee is required annually from each team that competes. The moneys are used for postal mailings and end-of-season awards. The CC organization is nonprofit and any remaining funds are returned to the runners in the form of some tangible memento or a donation is made to a charity of choice. There is room in our competition for you; if interested in entering a team, please send an e-mail to:info@pcpacers.org.
Race Spotlight- 2009 ROAD RACE SCHEDULE
September 12. Hurricane 5K Run/Walk, 8:10 am, Dauphin Island, AL. PCP, CC
September 19. GO for Gynecologic Oncology 5KRun/Walk, 8:00 am, USA Campus. PCP, CC
September 26. BayFest 5K Run/Walk, 8:00 am, Mobile, AL. LRH, CC
September 26. Jubilee Race for Life 5K Run/Walk, 8:00 am, Daphne, AL.
October 3. Knobbley 5K Run/Walk, 8:00 am, Mobile, AL. LRH
October 3. Heart of Champions 5K Run/Walk, 8:00 am, Bay Minette, AL.
October 10. Guns and Hoses 5K Run/Walk, 8:00 am, Mobile, AL. PCP, CC
October 17. The Mullet Run 5K Run/Walk, 8:00 am, Fairhope, AL. LRH
