Cross Country
Striders compete in two cross country leagues - The Chiltern League and the Sunday League. We also enter championship races including the Herts County, Southern and National cross country championships, as well as relays and vets only races. The cross country season runs between October and February.
Chiltern League
- A series of cross country races held for a league which covers the north west home counties, specifically Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.
- Senior Men and Senior Women run separately. The senior women's course is typically between 6-8km, whilst the men course is usually slightly longer at 8-10km. Specific details for each event will be listed on the website event page prior to the fixture.
- Fixtures are on Saturday afternoons from October through until March. All fixtures are in the Striders event calendar. I will put details of each individual event on the website and will promote the events on facebook/send reminder events via email, as well as the usual announcements at track etc.
- Numbers:
- You only need to sign up ONCE and then you are assigned a number. You will retain this number for the season and should bring it to every race that you run in the league.
- I will open the window for additional sign/up number allocation ahead of every race and will normally close it 2-3 days before the event in order to allow myself time to process any additional registrations.
- I or another volunteer will be in attendance at the fixtures to allocate the numbers and sign you in.
- You need a striders vest to run. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- You must be an England Athletics member to run in the Chiltern League
- Striders must be your first claim club in order to score. You can participate as a guest if Striders is your second claim club, but you will not score for the team.
- You can bring guests who are not striders members as long as they are not affiliated to other clubs in the league. They can compete for a fee of £3 per match and should report to the Club Secretary on the day of the race to collect a number.
| Chiltern League Fixtures | ||
| Match 1 | 15th October 2022 | Oxford (Shotover Hill) |
| Match 2 | 12th November 2022 | Milton Keynes (Teardrop Lakes) |
| Match 3 | 3rd December 2022 | Luton (Stopsley Common) |
| Match 4 | 14th January 2023 | Milton Keynes (Campbell Park) |
| Match 5 | 11th February 2023 | Bedford (Keysoe Equestrian Centre) |
Sunday League
- A cross country league that covers north London and Hertfordshire
- Men and women run the same course at the same time - the distance is usually between 8 and 10k.
- Fixtures are on Sunday mornings from October through till March. All fixtures are in the Striders event calendar. I will put details of each individual event on the website and will promote the events on facebook/send reminder events via email, as well as the usual announcements at track etc.
- No prior sign up is needed
- You need a striders vest to run. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- You must be an England Athletics member to run in the Sunday League
| Sunday League | ||
| Match 1 | 16th October 2022 | Cheshunt |
| Match 2 | 30th October 2022 | Trent Park |
| Match 3 | 18th December 2022 | Stevenage |
| Match 4 | 15th January 2023 | Royston |
| Match 5 | 19th January 2023 | Watford |
We also run in various XC athletic events:
| South England Athletics Events | ||
| Cross Country Relays | 22nd October 2022 | Wormwood Scrubs, London |
| London Cross Country Champs | 19th November 2022 | Parliament Hill |
| Cross Country Masters Championships | 10th December 2022 | Horspath, Oxford TBC |
| Cross Country Inter Counties Championships | 10th December 2022 | Horspath, Oxford TBC |
| Cross Country Main Champs |
28th January 2023 | Beckenham Place Park, Kent |
We have had great success previously at the Hertfordshire Cross Country Champs, which this year are being held on Sunday 8th January at Cassiobury Park, Watford. Be sure to put this date in your diary!!
Q: What shoes do I need?
A: Your shoe choice is down to personal preference and what you think you will fare best with on the course. I will try to advise on the specifics of the course in advance; some courses are more suited to trail shoes (e.g. Sunday League at Cassiobury Park) other races are more suited to spikes (Chiltern League at Teardrop Lakes)
Q: Do I have to be a fast runner?
A: Absolutely not! The Chiltern League is scored on a reverse scoring basis, which means that every person we have scoring contributes to our overall team score and may push other club's scoring down. Both leagues are very much the more, the merrier.
Q: How do I get to the events?
A: Most of the events have parking options and several are easily accessible on public transport. I will try to flag the various options for transport on the specific event page. Where possible, both for the environment and for parking purposes, I would encourage you to car share.
Q: What time do I need to arrive before a race?
A: It's advisable to arrive 30-60 mins prior to a race to allow you to familiarise yourself with the course and pick up your number if not already allocated. Often there are long queues for the toilets so this should also be factored in to your time considerations. For Chiltern League races, we encourage whichever gender is racing last to arrive early in order to support their time mates in the races beforehand.
Q: What do I do if I lose my Chiltern League number?
A: Replacement numbers for the season cost £5 for the administration costs. Find me prior to a race or let me know in advance and I can try and sort this out for you.
Q: What if I have signed up for the Chiltern League but can no longer run any of the events?
A: Please try and notify me if for example you are injured and unable to run. The club is allocated a ceratain quantity of numbers so it's helpful for us to be able to reallocate numbers if they are not in use.
Q: Are spectators and cheerleaders allowed?
A: Hell yes, the more the merrier