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Cross Country Season 2021-22 – Starting in October!

Founded in 1966, the Metropolitan League is the prime Cross Country competition which we take part, against another 21 clubs taking part across Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex.  There is one race per month, all races are on Saturdays for every age group from U11 to seniors and vets. The league is primarily a team competition. The team scoring the least number of points, according to the finishing positions of the runners, is the winner. There are separate races for men and women, and since 2019 both the men’s and women’s races are about 8km (5 miles). Junior distances are: U11 ~1.5k, U13 ~3km, U15 and U17 ~4km.

The fixtures this season are:

• Saturday 16th October 2021 – Claybury Park, Woodford (Hosted by Woodford Green with Essex Ladies AC)
• Saturday 13th November 2021 – Welwyn Garden City (Hosted by Herts Phoenix)
• Saturday 4th December 2021 – Uxbridge (Hosted by Hillingdon)
• Saturday 15th January 2022 – Wormwood Scrubs (Hosted by Thames Valley Harriers)
• Saturday 19th February 2022 – Trent Park (Hosted by Barnet & District)

Generally all races start at the following times: from 12:30 onwards there are different junior races; senior women at around 13:30 and senior men an hour later at 14:30. The Met League races are always fun occasions with runners bringing cakes along to share after races, before settling into a local pub for the rest of the afternoon.

To enter – No prior entry is required for the Met League, however in order to help us pre-allocate race numbers for our runners (you will be issued a race number on the first race you take part in a season), please fill in a very simple form via this link.

Also, we are looking for a couple of volunteers to help our race-day operation, mainly to register all runners, issue numbers to Serpentine runners before the race, and record runners’ positions. You don’t need to be there at every race, however even if you help us once or twice over the season that would be very helpful. Please use the same form via this link to indicate your interest.

We also take part in the Sunday League which also has (roughly) one meeting per month but on Sundays. This is a senior only league with mixed races for men and women over around 8km. The Sunday League is perfect for those who want to run in a slight more chilled out environment. The races are generally newcomers-friendly and inclusive. Men and women run together in these races. If you have not done cross country before, these races are right there for you!

To enter - Same as the Met League, you can simply turn up and race. However, you can help us with race admin by letting us know in advance if you’re considering running – please fill in this form in the Sunday League section.

The fixtures this season are:

• Sunday 17th October 2021 – Cheshunt
• Sunday 12th December 2021 - Trent Park
• Sunday 19th December 2021 – Stevenage
• Sunday 16th January 2022 – Watford
• Sunday 13th February 2022 – Royston

Races are held in the morning.

Apart from the league races, the following championship races will also take place over the next few months. The following races have had their dates announced.  Some races are yet to confirm their locations - we will communicate with you as soon as we know.

• Saturday 23rd October 2021 - Southern Cross Country Relay Championship (Location: Linford Christie Stadium, Wormwood Scrubs, W12) (Note: the Serpentine RC 10k Championship takes place that morning at Battersea Park, so there's no guarantee we are able to field teams, but let us know if you want to take part.)
• Saturday 30th October 2021 – North London Cross Country Championship (Location: Uxbridge)
• Saturday 20th November 2021 - London Cross Country Championships (Location: Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath) - Note: we need marshals for this event, please email me if you're willing to volunteer.
• Saturday 27th November 2021 - The Fraternity & Sorority Cup (Location: Trent Park, Cockfosters)
• Saturday 11th December 2021 - Southern Cross Country Masters Championships (Location: Horspath, Oxford, OX4)
• Saturday 29th January 2022 – Southern Counties Main Championships (Location: TBC)
• Saturday 8th January 20222 - Middlesex County Championships (Location: Berkeley Fields, Greenford)
• Saturday 26th February 2022 – English National Championships (Location: Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath)
• Weekend of 26th/27th March 2022 (date to be confirmed) - Middlesex and Hertfordshire Masters XC Champs (Location: Trent Park)

The Southern races have a prospectus which can be found here (a pdf document).

We will communicate further with more details and when more fixtures are announced.

Please note that all championship races require advanced entry, also the club will pay for the entries, so please enter only if you’re sure you will be racing. To enter, please email Sophie Flanagan, who is our rep this season for all our championship entries.

Please note that the Met League and the Championship races require you to be registered with England Athletics (the Sunday League does not require England Athletics registration). Please check Serpiebase to see if you have bought or renewed your licence for 2021-22. To register now simply follow the ‘Register with England Athletics’ page. Note that once registered, there’s a manual procedure we need to follow in order to register you with England Athletics. This will take time, so please do the registration as early as possible.

Just like previous years, we are having a pre-season get-together, so you get to know more about the event.  All members are welcome to join – it will take place after club run so perfect for you to have your post-run refreshment at the same time.

Date: Wednesday 6th October 2021

Time: From 20:00

Venue: The Larrik, 32 Crawford Place, London, W1 5NN

Any queries about cross country races, please email me.

Hans Ho

Participation Representative

participation@serpentine.org.uk

Submitted: 27 September 2021

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