FRIDAY 5K

NEW for 2021

For 9 seasons Friday5K has been FREE and FAIR, but not EQUITABLE.  It wasn’t until the 2020 election that I realized that the very nature of a meritocracy is oppressive, and I, through Friday5K, have been supporting divisiveness.  I can no longer, in good conscience, support the systemic oppression of the speed challenged, nor reinforce a culture of speed supremacists.  To that end, Friday5K will be instituting a compassionate race structure.

Universal Basic Race Time
No Friday5K participant should suffer the indignity of a disadvantaged race performance. Providing people with a minimum race time is compassionate and overcomes their fear and anxiety to participate and will serve to reduce stress.  No Friday5K participant shall receive a race time in excess of 30 minutes.

Zone of Compassion

Following the best science, it has been determined that race injuries are most likely to take place due to the excess force applied during sprint finishes.  Additionally, sprint finishes cause anxiety and invariably leave one participant with a sub-optimal outcome.  Therefore, there will be a one second, approximately 5 meter zone, at the finish line that no two participants may enter simultaneously. Any two participants that enter the finish zone simultaneously will be disqualified from that race. 

I understand that many feel they have trained their bodies to withstand the exertion of a sprint finish, but it is possible and perhaps likely that initiating a sprint finish will cause a person that has not trained well enough to engage in the sprint and thereby cause injury.  We forego sprint finishes not just for ourselves, but to protect our neighbor. Not sprinting at the finish sends the message that you care about the health of your fellow participants, even if there is no causal relationship that can be established between sprinting and the injury of another.

Gender Options
Gender categories will no longer be shown in the results, and for internal records participants are allowed to choose their gender.

Shared Responsibility Payments
At the end of the season all participants will be given a link to provide payment for their accrued Shared Responsibility Payments, which are based on where they finished individual races in the various "Oppressor" categories.  In the event that payment is not made prior to the start of the following season, member times will not be reported on the Equitable Results.

Race Time Certification
Race times are certified upon the start of the subsequent race, as a matter of procedure.  Though the period between the prior race and the certification procedure would seem an ideal time to insure the integrity of an individual's race time, I can assure you there were no mistakes nor errors in the recording of any times.  Additionally, there is no need to consider evidence of erroneous race times, including, but not limited to, official race video, GPS data, nor I witness accounts.
 
Friday5K respects truth above all and will therefore consider the promoting of any disinformation in regards to erroneous race times to be potential for disqualification from an event or in the most egregious cases suspension from Friday5K.
 

Carbon Mitigation Forfeiture

In an effort to do its part to reduce global warming and to mitigate the damage from CO2 emissions, faster participants will be assessed a Carbon Mitigation Forfeiture for excessive conversion of oxygen to CO2. The forfeiture is a number of seconds that will be added to their time depending on their raw finish time. These forfeitures are based on the estimated amounts of oxygen consumed to achieve the aforementioned times over the base time of 30 minutes.

The following are the CARBON MITIGATION FORFEITURE rates.

• 13:00 to 13:59 add 51.5 seconds

• 14:00 to 14:59 add 44.6 seconds

• 15:00 to 15:59 add 38.8 seconds

• 16:00 to 16:59 add 33.7 seconds

• 17:00 to 17:59 add 29.3 seconds

• 18:00 to 18:59 add 25.4 seconds

• 19:00 to 19:59 add 21.9 seconds

• 20:00 to 20:59 add 18.8 seconds

• 21:00 to 21:59 add 16.1 seconds

• 22:00 to 22:59 add 13.6 seconds

• 23:00 to 23:59 add 11.3 seconds

• 24:00 to 24:59 add 09.2 seconds

• 25:00 to 25:59 add 07.4 seconds

• 26:00 to 26:59 add 05.6 seconds

• 27:00 to 27:59 add 04.1 seconds

• 28:00 to 28:59 add 02.6 seconds

• 29:00 to 29:59 add 01.3 seconds

Undocumented Participants
It is elitist and cruel to restrict participation to in Friday5K to approximately one thousand members, when there are perhaps millions of runners whom are denied access to Friday5K merely because of where they were born, reside or a host of other reasons very personal to them.
 

That is why Friday5K will now give a path to undocumented participants to be recognized by Friday5K.  To receive the benefits of having participated without any of the obligations, expressly stated or implied, of being a documented participant, an undocumented participant needs only to fill out the subsequent form.

Unfortunately, the undocumented participants can't be completely open, and there are some minor restrictions to have the achievement of an undocumented participant recognized.  Essentially, there is a metaphorical wall around Friday5K participation, but if the undocumented participant can submit their form within 24 hours of the start of a race, their time will be considered as if they had run the race in person.

Undocumented Participation Form

FOREIGN RACE SHIRT TIME TARIFF
 

There will be a 2 minute penalty assessed to anyone's time that is seen participating in a Friday5K event wearing a race shirt from any non Friday5K race. 

You are eligible to wear any non race shirt or a Friday5K race shirt and avoid the 2 minute penalty.

If you would like to buy Friday5K, you can do so here.

Friday5K Store

I think you can see the wisdom of this unifying compassionate race approach and hope you are all looking forward to the new socially and economically sustainable  Friday5K.  

If you would prefer to be part of a meritocracy, you can gain access to classic reporting by becoming a member of this webpage and follow Friday5K on MeWe.

WHERE

WHEN

Hint: Races are held on prime numbered Fridays.

What is a prime number?

A number evenly divisible by only itself and one.  So let me help you.  If a Friday, during the race season, falls on any of the following dates [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, or 31, and sometimes 1*] there will be a Friday 5K.
 

*Technically 1 is not a prime number as it is only divisible by itself, but some learned it as a prime number so occasionally Friday5K gives it honorary prime number status.

Season 10 Dates

Following races start at 6:30 PM

• 4/2/2021

• 4/23/2021

• 5/7/2021

• 6/11/2021

• 7/2/2021

• 7/23/2021

• 8/13/2021

• 9/3/2021

• 9/17/2021

• 10/1/2021

WHY

GET STARTED

• An accurately marked course
   

• An accurately timed race
   

• Unofficial "Real Time" results posted on the website 
   

• Race Bibs
   

• Record keeping of your results at friday5k.com
   

• A video of you crossing the finish line
   

• Race Clock at the Finish Line
   

• Detailed "Report Card" showing your achievement

HOW

• There could be up to 10 events, dependent on Michigan COVID restrictions, but there will only be one course, the original course at Beachwood Park, and it will be clearly marked.
   

• Runners will be issued a new race bib each season with their permanent member number on it, it is recommended they keep it and use it at each event.
  [Additional bibs will be available for the recommended contribution of $1.]
   

• No water will be provided for you, but it is a public park and there is a drinking fountain [dependent on Michigan COVID restrictions], usually running water in the bathrooms and there is also drinking fountain on the course, which you will pass twice during the race.
   

• Unofficial results are now posted in real time.
   

• New for 2021 - Unofficial results are official unless a claim is made by the participant of a material error.

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