Really interested to hear some cool/unusual 5k race formats.
How did it work, how was it scored, etc?
I am thinking of maybe a Coed race: 4 boys and 4 girls, counting the top 2 of each (4 scores total) towards the team score... but I think there has to be something cooler out there...
Bump
4 boys and 4 girls and score the top 5 as usual.
Score 2 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 2 Soph, 2 Freshman. Or have a Jr/Sr race and a Fr/So race and score the top 4 from each.
Would these be promoted races? One school or club only? Ideas for dual meets?
I've seen age graded runs with wave starts. Maybe re-work that to a PR-graded run with delayed starts. i.e. slowest guy starts first, 20 min PR starts 2 minutes before 18 min PR.
Pump & run - I hate the name but you can google variations of rules. Some set % of body weight (can vary by age and gender) is benched and each rep reduces the 5k result time by some amount, like 30 sec. Could rework that to push-ups or something to simplify.
Add hay bales to jump, mud/water crossings.
6 x 5K Mixed Relay - schools designate three boys/three girls as their squad. Coaches can determine their orders or run an alternating gender format. This would be the final event at an invitational (run traditional mass start JV race and an open race for varsity athletes left off of their relay squad earlier) as the race would take most teams between 1:40:00 - 2:00 :00 to complete.
Suspense
Strategy
A test of coaching staffs (getting athletes properly warmed up and mentally calm while the event unfolds)
Loads of drama for spectators and teammates (they are engaged for a much longer time than usual)
Leveling of the field ( schools with balanced boys/girls programs are in the mix against institutions with a strong boys/mediocre girls team or vice versa)
Surprises (some kids will dig really deep and run huge PRs chasing rivals, protecting leads, and not wanting to let their team down, some "superstars" might fold because they don't have a pack to run with and outkick, some perennial "also ran" teams with three high 15/low 16 minute boys and three high 18/low 19 minute girls could win against schools with championship pedigrees)
Fastest guy (5K) vs. 5 fastest girls (1K each). It should be a close race.
Race to the top of a parking garage. Take the elevator back down, repeat times 10. Limit of 5 per elevator, athletes can choose wether to hold the elevator for their teammate or make them wait.
Prediction run. No watches, you predict your time before the start and the closest to their predicted time gets 1 point, next closest 2 pts. You predict 16:30 and you drop a 15:15, congrats, but you placed 96th.
Lolol you have waited a long time to post that ???