Welcome
to the
British Association of Road Races Website
DEDICATED TO THE IMPROVEMENT
OF ROAD RUNNING Affiliated
to UK Athletics 2007 |
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"Although BARR
is affiliated to UK Athletics, it maintains an
independent position as the Standards setting body within the
sports of Road Running and Multi Terrain Events."
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What is BARR?
- a membership association..... a service provider for race organisers
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BARR is a
membership association for Road Race and Multi-Terrain events, rather
than individual runners, and as a result BARR are unable to respond to
requests for personal membership. We do not maintain a national
diary/database of events and event results (there are many Internet
sites that specialise in this area) so similarly, we regret that we
cannot provide a “Directory Enquiry” type service. |
A little background to
BARR
The British Association of Road Races (BARR) was formed in 1984 when a
number of concerned road race organisers met at the London Marathon.
Prominent amongst those was Chris Brasher, founder of the London Marathon,
who was largely instrumental in establishing BARR.
The chief cause of concern was the rapid expansion of road running for in
the early eighties, the New York and London Marathons had triggered a road
running “boom”. That which had previously been regarded as a minority sport
for an elite minority mushroomed into a vast mass participation activity for
joggers and runners of all standards.
New events sprang up everywhere - many organised by the newly formed road
running clubs. Most of their race directors had little or no experience of
what was needed. As one observer said “ often it was the blind leading the
blind.”
They were faced with issues involving road safety, policing, marshalling etc
which. Hitherto, had not been a feature of either track or cross-country
events. There were no rules of governance. No recommended standards or any
organisation to which those putting on the events could turn to for advice.
The founding committee quickly drew up a set of standards to which all BARR
member races had to conform. BARR then pioneered a system of race grading by
which they could encourage race directors to develop their events to even
higher standards, Thus events were to be graded not upon size, but upon the
quality of their race provision and organisation.
Today BARR remains a membership association open to any road or
multi-terrain race and its aim is almost identical to that when it was
founded back in 1984.
The things that have changed in recent times are the objectives. These have
widened considerably with the introduction by UK Athletics of both Race
Licence Standards for all events and a joint BARR/UKA National Race Grading
scheme – a significant expansion on that originally conceived by the
founding committee, which was over two decades ago.
The
aim of BARR is…
…..to foster and promote safe and well organised road running in the United
Kingdom. Its purpose and function should be that of a service provider |
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Its current objectives are fourfold;
on behalf of events:
To maintain and review a
Code of Practice for the benefit of competitors and the efficient management of both road
and multi-terrain events
To be a membership
organisation leading to the exchange of information, knowledge and best practice amongst
members of the association.
on behalf of UK Athletics:
To act as their official
agent monitoring and policing Race Licence Standards
To act as the official
and national race grading body including both the setting and assessing of those
standards.
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