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:
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!!