There has been some interest in trying something a little different this winter doing short races, local to Harpenden in Hertfordshire but with a little twist.... there might be mud (there is certainly grass!)
We are looking to get people along to the Sunday Cross Country League from RunHerts:
http://www.runherts.com/index.htm
Having looked at a number of the Cross Country leagues that are available, a number of us felt that the Sunday Cross Country League was best for us as it is local, appears relaxed, inexpensive and we would be relatively competitive – but we need at least 13 runners as the top 8 men and 5 women count to Team A, with another 5 men & 3 women counting in Team B.
The fixtures for the coming season are:-
23 October Cheshunt (parkland course)
20 November Trent Park (parkland)
11 December Cassiobury Park, Watford (mainly through woodland)
15 January Digswell/Tewin, nr. Welwyn Garden City (agricultural)
19 February Royston (chalk down land)
There are currently 16 clubs in the League. Most are Hertfordshire based, with a few coming from North London. There is just one race per match with the men and women running together. On average, 90 women and 180 men run and there’s a real mix in both abilities and ages. Past results are in the cross country section of
www.runherts.com
ALL the races start at 10.30am. Race distances vary between 5 and 6 miles.
HOW TO ENTER
All entries are taken on the day – but we will be hoping for people to show a commitment to run when they’ve expressed an interest
What happens is that immediately after the race, someone from each of the clubs fills out a Declaration/Results Form giving the names, age groups and finishing positions of the runners from their club (each finisher is given a disc when they cross the finish line showing their place). The discs and declaration forms are returned to the race administrator then they use this information to compile the results.
There’s just a one-off league affiliation fee of £50.00, which covers all the runners and all the races. The club will pay this so there are no individual entry fees – SO IT IS FREE to ARO Runners! ?
So please let Simon Speirs or John Millen know if you are interested in doing any of the races, then nearer to the time, we’ll set up a web-page on either the Facebook group or ARO’s website to keep a track of who is interested and entered.
THE COMPETITION
There are individual and TEAM prizes as follows:
Men The first eight men will count as your “A” team with the following five counting as a “B” team. The first four Masters will count as the Masters team.
Women The first five women will count as your “A” team with the following three counting as a “B” team. The first three Masters will count as the Masters team.
Masters Individual age groups: -
Women 35 / 45 / 55 / 65
Men 40 / 50 / 60 / 70
In the individual competition, the best four results will count.
Trophies will be awarded to the first three male and female open teams and the corresponding Masters teams. Masters will score for their open teams as well in their Masters team.
Individual trophies are awarded as follows:
Senior Men: M40, and M50 - first five places. M60 – first three; M70 - winner.
Senior Women: W35, and W45 - first five places. W55 – first three; W65 – winner.
Runners can only win individual trophies in their own age group. (In other words, Masters Competitors will only be able to win age-group trophies and not additional trophies as Senior Women or Senior Men. The thinking is that this will give more people an opportunity to win a trophy.)
WHY DO IT?
Apart from the point of view that it looks quite a lot of fun.....
- They are small intimate and friendly events
- Not too long races, not too far away
- Everyone could have the chance to contribute (remember that you don’t score if you don’t have a full team)
- Cross country is proven to approve your ability on smoother road surfaces
- It’s free
- It’s fun (did we mention that)
There are also a few in the club who have a passion for trails, scenery and the occasional bit of mud. Harpenden has some great countryside to explore and planned cross-country running should, with luck, give you the confidence to go out discovering if you aren’t doing it already
