Coach Clare’s Guide to “A”, “B” and “C” Race
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“A Race”
An A race is the most important race of the season for an athlete. This is the race the coach uses as a basis for building the athlete’s ATP (Annual Training Plan). The athlete identifies specific goals for the A race, and the athlete and coach work to achieve those goals.
“B Race”
The B race is a supporting race of the season. The B race should be a close approximation of the performance an athlete will yield in an A race. The B race may be a race in a series, or it may be a stepping stone race such as a half marathon before a marathon, but the energy demands should be similar to the A race. The B race is used to test athlete’s race fitness and to measure the validity and test the same of the A race plan. The B race is often called the “shake-out” race.
“C Race”
The C race may be anything from a fun early season race that won’t pull much from the athlete’s resources, to an event that an athlete participates in simply for social reasons. The main thing key with a C race is that competitive fitness in not being tested, and that there is a reason, other than performance, for the race.