Interclub events

There are two inter club competitions each year, the Midweek Road Race League in the summer and the Sunday Cross Country League in the winter.

To take part in these events you need to be a paid up member of the club and compete wearing a club vest or T-shirt.

Fixtures and results are posted on the Run Herts website:

• Mid Week League
• Sunday Cross Country League
• Summer 5K Series

The Midweek Road Race League

The objective of the league is to provide a number of midweek road races, held under SEAA rules, every year in the months of May, June and July.

The league consists of three divisions: A, B and C. At the end of the season the bottom two clubs in Divisions A and B are relegated, while the top two teams in Divisions B and C are promoted.

Each course is usually 10k in distance but may vary and the host club must provide a race organizer to take overall charge of the meeting. The races can be as far away as Chingford or as close as Letchworth. This depends on which teams are in which division. There are normally 4 divisional races with a ‘mob match’ as the last race, where teams from both divisions run.

All runners need to be paid up members of the club and wear an identifiable club vest or t-shirt (Black and Red for Royston Runners) and a race number specific to them. This number is handed out by the club captain at the beginning of the league. It must be kept safe, as it is needed for the duration of the league for use in all races.

The races are open to first claim members only and all runners must be 15 years of age or over.

There are team and individual prizes in all age categories to be won, making it worthwhile for everyone to take part.

If it’s not the prizes and the honour of racing for your club that grabs you, then there is always food and drink supplied after each race, so you can replace all that energy you’ve used up: the members of the host club provide sandwiches and cakes for themselves and the visiting runners. It’s also a chance to run in different towns and with members of other clubs, many of whom are just as friendly as us!

The Sunday Cross Country League

The aim of the Sunday Cross Country League is to promote cross-country running in the Hertfordshire area. A number of clubs host a race and are responsible for the course, marshals and officials. Each race is combined, with both men and women starting together. The distance usually varies from 5 to 7 miles.

The term “cross country” will bring the feeling of terror back to many, but there are no pompous PE teachers to shout at you if you decide to walk up the hill. Being in the middle of winter, it can be cold and wet and muddy. If it wasn’t at least one of these it wouldn’t be cross-country and you might as well run on the roads. All the courses are run in very natural areas, some of which you’d have never thought to run on. The courses are, in some ways, more satisfying to complete than road races, as they appear to be more of a challenge.

The first eight men from each club and the first four women make up the scoring team. Veteran athletes have their own team scoring (four for men and three for women) but are also included in the senior competition. The more runners we put in each race the more places we can take away from the other clubs. Every runner has a part to play.

The team gathers on the club groundsheet, where bags and much needed warm clothing can be left during the race. Many partners and children or injured runners will be around to keep an eye on things and give a supporting cheer as you pass by on the course. Everyone hangs around until the end of the race to moan about the slippery, muddy hill or the big, deep puddle. Then it’s back in the car to Royston for a well-deserved afternoon nap!!

Summer 5K Series

These are fun and friendly 5K events that take place throughout the summer, with a different club hosting each event. The competing clubs are: Cambridge & Coleridge AC, Cambridge Triathlon Club, Haverhill RC, Newmarket Joggers, Ely Runners, Saffron Striders, HI (Histon & Impington) Runners, and Royston Runners.

All events take place on a Thursday evening and start at 7.30pm, except the first and last events, which start at 7pm.

There are usually around 300-350 runners in each race, which are both fun and competitive – there is always a friendly atmosphere and runners of all abilities are welcomed and well supported. The majority of participants are not superfast runners so, whether you run or jog the 5K, you’ll still get the buzz of being part of these brilliant events!

All the races are FREE (the Club will pay the entry fees) and there is no registration – just turn up! However, you do have to be a club member and wear an Club vest or t-shirt.

After you cross the finish line you will be given a numbered token showing your overall finishing position. You need to hand this to our nominated token collector (whoever is holding the clipboard) and make sure you give your name too. Please don’t take the token home! The stopwatch times are then matched with finishing positions, which are matched to your names! It all takes a few days, but the results are normally posted within a few days and will appear as a link in the above table.

Don’t forget that every runner scores a point for their club so we need as many runners as possible. In addition, the top five men and top five ladies for each club score additional points (see the scoring explanation below for further details).There are no prizes in the individual races – it’s all about club points! At the end of the series there are trophies for the male, female and overall winning clubs. There are also trophies for the top performing male and female runners across all races. Additionally, there is a prize awarded by each club to one male and one female runner who have supported and embraced the spirit of the series.