The USATF-NJ is responsible for the governance of Long Distance Running (LDR) in the state of New Jersey. It is best known for providing its member athletes with group accident insurance coverage, discounts for races, and shopping discounts at many sport retail stores. More importantly, it uses the more than 150 long distance races (LDR) throughout the state to organize and track its three Individual Grand Prix championships: Mini-1, Mini-2, and the Overall. Five-year age-group winners in the three championships are recognized as New Jersey Champions and feted at a year-end banquet.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Sign up for Membership to the USATF-NJ at www.usatfnj.org. Be sure to name the North Jersey Masters as your club and enter the Club# 0102 for the NJM.

2. During the year, run and finish the required number of USATF-NJ sanctioned Grand Prix races of either 500 or 700 points. This is a misnomer because the races are really designated as 100-500 points or 200-700 points or 300 –700 points races (Cross Country-XC). The winner of each gender gets the highest points and the last gender finisher gets the minimum points. The rest are calculated in relation to their finish position. For example a runner who finishes 85^th out of 170 (in the middle of the pack) would get 300 points in a 500 points race, or 450 in a 700 points road race.

3. After successful completion of each race the USATF-NJ gives you a score for the race based on your finishing position in your gender. Eventually the score will be posted on their website, but if you are impatient, you can use the calculator to approximate your score. Go to the race results page of the race scorer (usually CompuScore) and examine the Gender column for your race finish position in relation to total runners. Then go to the “Unofficial Points Calculator” at www.usatfnj.org/ldr/index.html and select the points range for the race (e.g. 100-500), enter the two numbers from the Gender column, and hit enter.

4. Throughtout the year the USATF-NJ totals all scores by:

• Race Category – Overall (New Balance Grand Prix), Mini-1, Mini-2
• Age Group
• Individual Total Points



5. The USATF-NJ displays the standings on it’s website at www.usatfnj.org/ldr/index.html under the link entitled “Individual Grand Prix Standings”. There are three sets of standings: 1) The Overall – races with a mix of distances from 5k to the Marathon, 2) The Mini-1 – primarily the shorter 5K races, and 3) The Mini-2 category that includes mid-range 5 Mile and 10K races. The runner chooses the races from all the 150 USATF-NJ sanctioned races. To compete the runner needs to run at least nine races for the Overall and the Mini-1, and seven for the Mini-2.

6. After the last race of the year the final results are calculated and category winners are invited to the Annual Awards Banquet in January, where plaques and, in some cases, cash awards are presented to the first three finishers in each category/age group set.

PLANNING YOUR GRAND PRIX:

The following worksheets can help you plan and track your progress in your preferred Grand Prix (GP) category.

1. Review the Championship races and identify those that you cannot attend.
2. Link to the two planning worksheet(s) below.
3. Line-out all Championship races that you cannot attend.
4. Circle the first Championship race that you will run and line-out all the other races from the first column.
5. Repeat step #4 for the the remaining Championship columns
6. Go to the NJM Race Calendar and select all the 500 point races required for the GP categories.
7. Identify the GP category that is best for you.
• 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP RACES
• THE MINIs PLANNING WORKSHEETS
• THE OVERALL PLANNING WORKSHEET

Remember that each Grand Prix is a series of races; speed, perseverance, and planning are equally important. If you have never participated in these events, it is best to start with the Mini-2. The best runners in the state pursue the Overall, the fastest runners pursue the Mini-1, and the rest of us try the Mini-2. Few runners can do all three. As a result the Mini-2 is the one most likely to be shunned by the elite. If successful at the Mini-2 your first year, you can try one of the other two the following year

2010 CHAMPIONSHIP RACES:

The table below lists all of New Jersey’s Championship races for 2010. As Championship races they are all 700 points for Individual Grand Prix purposes.  The Team Championships are for specific age group categories: Open, Masters (10 year age-groups), and All Divisions. For example, the President’s Cup 5K on June 21 is for Open Men Teams only. Open means that men of all ages can compete, but Masters males(40 and up) will be considered in the same age group as younger males. Check the Championship calendar for updates throughout the racing season, at the USATF-NJ website's Long Distance Running Page

2010 LDR NEW BALANCE GRAND PRIX (NBGP) – MINIs

To compete in one of the Mini Grand Prix categories you must complete a minimum of nine races for the Mini-1 Championship, or a minimum of seven races for the Mini-2 Championship. For the Mini-1, no more than three can be championship races (700 points) and the remaining six must be 500 points. For the Mini-2 three 700 points races and four 500 points NBGP Events are required to be competitive in most age group categories.

2010 LDR NEW BALANCE GRAND PRIX (NBGP) – OVERALL

To win the Overall Grand Prix you need to be scored in nine races. You must finish three races within each distance category of which two should be Championship races. The third race in each category must be a 500 points race. The last Championship race of the year is the USATF-NJ 10 Mile and you can designate it to be a 500 or 700 points race. It is your chance to fill in a hole or improve a score you may have in your series.