The St Albans Striders membership year runs from April to March each year, concurrent with the England Athletics membership year.
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
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
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