Springfield Striders take part in three cross-country leagues. The Essex League, which is run on a Saturday North Essex and South Suffolk League and Mid-Essex League, both of which are run on Sunday mornings. All of the cross-country races are open to everyone, doesn’t matter about how fast you are but you do need to be prepared to get a little muddy. Everyone wears official club colours and as there are usually lots of us there, it is a great atmosphere.
All the races are mass start, on a Saturday there are separate races for men and women (although the women do run with the under 17 boys) and for the Sunday leagues everyone starts together. The club currently pays all entry fees, so all you have to do is turn up and run (or let the team captains know you are running where pre-entry is necessary).
Even if you do not want to get muddy and run there are still ways you can get involved. Springfield Striders host a number of the cross-country events and there is always help needed marshalling, parking cars and serving teas and coffees. Listen out for requests of help on a Tuesday evening or for the posts on Facebook.
Every year there is a club cross-country championship that runs from September/October through to March.
The winners are the runners with the most points at the end of the season (separate championships for men and women). The scoring system and the criteria are as follows:
- All races (with one exception, see below) carry equal points eg 100 points. So the first finisher from the club gets 100 points, 2nd 99 etc.
- Except for the NESS Championships (except the one we host) will have double the points
- The best 12 races count (you can do more)
Note: Essex Vets Champs does not count in the XC Championship as not everyone is eligible to take part.
The championship table will be updated regularly so each runner will be able to see where they are compared to others. At the end of the season, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place runners in both the men’s and women’s championships will be awarded trophies at the annual prize giving.
Keep an eye on Facebook closer to the date of each fixture for any last-minute changes, car-sharing opportunities, etc.
Cross-country Dates and Venues 2023-24
Essex Championship Races
All of these races are pre-entry and there are no entries on the day. The club pays the entry fee and captains will make announcements in the run-up to the races to find out who wants to run.
The fixtures are:
Essex Vets Championships: Saturday 2nd December 2023 at Writtle University College. Chelmsford. (8k) Entries have now been submitted, you cannot just turn up and run unless you have pre-entered.
Volunteers are also required to help at the VETS XC – please register your help here
Essex XC Championships: Saturday 6th January 2024 at Gloucester Park, Basildon.
The champs this year will take a different format to previous years. Firstly the courses will be multi lap and will be similar to the recent Essex League event, for example the senior men’s race will be 3 laps of 4k.
NB: This is a very competitive and challenging race & slower runners will be lapped.
The aim of using multi lap courses is to make each race more spectator friendly. Marky T from Radio Essex will also be on hand to be the announcer and to provide some musical entertainment.
Stallholders are also being invited providing tea/coffee and food.
The race timetable is as follows:
Race 1 @ 10:00am – U13G (3.1k) / Race 2 @ 10:20am – U13B (3.1k)
Race 3 @ 10:40am – U15G (4.3k) / Race 4 @ 11:00am – U15B (4.3k)
Race 5 @ 11:20am – U17W (5.2k) / Race 6 @ 11:50am – Senior Women & U20M (8k)
Race 7 @ 12:45pm – U17M & U20W (6.1k) / Race 8 @ 1:15pm – Senior Men (12K)
ENTER HERE BY 15TH DECEMBER
Southern XC Championships – Beckenham Palace Park (BR3 1SY) – Saturday 27th January 2024
Races start at 11am
English National Cross Country Championships – Weston Park, Shropshire – Saturday 24th February 2024.
Race times: 13:30 – 16:00
Essex XC League
All races are held on Saturdays. There is no individual entry fee as the club pays an affiliation fee for this league.
The ladies’ race (6.5k) is at midday and the men’s race (8.2k) is at 12:45 pm.
The fixtures are:
Saturday 14th October: One Tree Hill, Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope, SS17 9NH
An important change…
To enter these events, you must enter each race via Roster Athletics.
You will need to set up an account with Roster Athletics before you can enter the races.
To do this use this link: https://www.rosterathletics.com/
Click on ‘Log in as Registrant’ and then click on ‘Sign up’. Work through the various screens entering the required data.
Once you have an account set up, you need to ensure you enter the individual races that you wish to run. (Links below.)
The main component of this system is that all athletes will be allocated a personal bib number which will be used throughout the season to identify them and their club for the purpose of processing team and individual results.
YOU MUST KEEP HOLD OF YOUR BIB/NUMBER AND BRING TO EACH ESSEX XC EVENT
For full details CLICK HERE.
Saturday 28th October: Gloucester Park, Cranes Farm Rd, Basildon SS14 3DE – view results here
Saturday 4th November: Writtle University College, Lordship Rd, Writtle, Chelmsford CM1 3RR – view results here
Saturday 16th December: Hilly Fields, Cymbeline Way, Colchester CO3 3QJ – enter here
Saturday 10th February: Hainault Forest Country Park, IG7 4QN – enter here
The ladies’ race (6.5k) is at midday and the men’s race (8.2k) is at 12:45 pm.
NESS League
The North Essex and South Suffolk (NESS) league is one of our Sunday leagues. There is a junior race at 10am, the minimum age is 8, and a senior race at 10:45 am. Again the club pays the entry fee for everyone so there is nothing to pay and there is no pre-entry, just turn up on the day. Races are 8k.
The fixtures are:
Sunday 29th October: Writtle University College – view results here
Sunday 26th November: Gosfield School – view results here
Sunday 10th December: Hilly Fields, Cymbeline Way, Colchester CO3 3QJ (Hosted by Great Bentley RC)
Sunday 21st January: Venue TBC (Hosted by Harwich RC)
Sunday 18th February: Hadleigh Football Club (Hosted by Hadleigh Hares)
Mid Essex League
ALL RACES start at 10.30am (please arrive at least half an hour before the start time). Races are 8k.
Sunday 3rd December – Little Baddow Ridge Runners – Little Baddow
Sunday 17th December – Grange Farm & Dunmow Runners – Great Dunmow
Sunday 14th January – Springfield Striders – Danbury Outdoor Centre: Well Lane, Danbury CM3 4AB (Volunteers will also be needed from 9am – volunteer here)
Sunday 28th January – Mid Essex Casuals – Rivenhall
Braintree & District Athletic Club – date TBC
Page updated 27.11.2023 (ES)