Bendigo 800m

I can't understand how Andy Buchanan a runner who has personnal bests of:
800m: 1.54
1500m: 3:45.10
3000 M 8:12.17
5000 M: 13:58.75
10,000 M: 28:26.14

Is given 32m in the 800m at bendigo. All his PBS are recent. He is going the breeze through the field. Surely the handicappers done his research on this talented athlete

He'll be a good chance at the mile off scratch let alone the 800 off that handicap

Don't get me started about the mile. He won it 3 years ago off scratch in a time of 4.06 yet hasn't been re handicapped. I feel for the blokes that turn up each week and give it a red hot crack.

There is nothing wrong with his 800 handicap.
Compare to others in VAL with times like Jake Stevens and Ky Davies.
Jake pb 1.50.78. Start handicap 14m
Andy on 1.54.16. Start handicap 32m
Ky pb 1.54.60. Start handicap 40m.

Predicted times without 2 sec grass allowance:
Jake 1.49.8
Andy 1.49.7
My 1.49.0

He will run every bit of 1.49 I assure you. Plus his 800m was run more then 3 years ago he is a way better athlete now.
I just don't understand how he can be given scratch in the mile and an absolute gift of 32m in the 800m

I'll see if I can get the rules changed to cater for athletes that should be better athletes now. WTF
His pb for 800m is 1.54.60. That is all you can go on. If he has improved over 800m then so be it.

He won the invitation 1600m 4 years ago in 2016 off scratch in 4.07.16
The field was back 20m. So he has received a 20m pull by being off scratch at Bendigo this year.
The issue is, his 3.45.40 pb was run in 2017. Converting that to a grass run has him rated to run about 4.05. That is below start handicap time but above ceiling handicap time.
It is within the rules and handicapper discretion.

mid.runner1 wrote:I can't understand how Andy Buchanan a runner who has personnal bests of:
800m: 1.54
1500m: 3:45.10
3000 M 8:12.17
5000 M: 13:58.75
10,000 M: 28:26.14

Is given 32m in the 800m at bendigo. All his PBS are recent. He is going the breeze through the field. Surely the handicappers done his research on this talented athlete

At 1.54

You would expect him to run around 2 mins off scratch.

probably go 1.55 off 32m.

Marks pretty accurate I would think.

He most certainly is a better athlete. The recent runs over 3000m-half marathon would prove that. Plus he has just been selected to represent Australia in the world half marathon championship. Anyway time will tell. I just hope there's a booky at the event. Easy money

Great to see an Aussie rep running at one of our carnivals

Has a PB of 1.54.6 which looks slow compared to his other PBs but not unusually slow, with track allowance converts to 1.56.6 probably Handicapped to ceiling of 1.51 on this occassion. This is at his best and as he is concentrating on Half Marathon so I am saying to run the 1.51 he will need every bit of this 32m to do so. If he does then obviously deserves the win.

His 1600m scr mark actually looks better but has a lot of chasing to do, agree 4.05 is the guide here if again he is at his best. May not need to be at his best in this event as I think the Handicapper has been let down by some out of form Athletes so far this year hence he has room to move and possibly something slower will win it.

Bendigo is a fast track and tends to bring out fast time and some form improvement.

Will be fascinated to see what he choses to run and I am certain he will attract an audience over the course of the weekend

A closer look at this at 1.54.16 pb not 1.54.60 and ceiling being 1.52 not 1.51

Suggest this will have him closer to 1.51 than 1.52 so a bit generous probably should be 28 at best. If it was regular runner would need to come back to ceiling but another part timer getting in under ceiling.

Regulations seem to be thrown out again here.

Under start not ceiling.
Start = 1.52
Ceiling = 1.50

Depends what his previous 800m handicap was?

Thanks Ribera Stand Corrected.

Yes 1.50 ceiling, certainly have no issue with anyone under the Novice being handicapped to ceiling especially at this time of the year.

Nothing in the last 5 years that he had a mark and on that basis being his pb is only 2 years old shouldn't matter anyway, should be handicapped on that.