Just before the main information, I do need some help on Sunday morning from 09:00 onwards please …
- One person at 09:00 to help handing out V S T-shirts and vests to those who want them (this will be at registration)
- One person at 09:00 to collect the V S flag, banner and race numbers from registration and carry them up to the club tents area
- Three people at 09:00 at the club tents area to help set up the gazebo (full training will be given!)
- Two people at 09:15 to look after distribution of race numbers. There are 78 to be handed out and it will be chaotic if they are dropped (BTW last year someone took the pack of numbers to the start line at 9:55 not realising that children in the second race were still arriving so were panicking when they couldn’t find their numbers)
- One person at 09:45 to lead a warm-up for younger juniors
- One person at 10:05 to lead a warm-up for older juniors
If you want a club T-shirt or vest, please book in advance to [email protected] stating whether you want a T-shirt or a vest, your age, and whether you are big or small for your age. You will need to collect on Sunday between 09:00 and 09:25 (more details below)
League and Race Information
The Peco Cross Country League is a series of 5 meetings between November 2023 and March 2024.
- Sunday 12 November – meeting 1 at Middleton Park
- Sunday 3 December – meeting 2 at Templenewsam
- Sunday 17 December – meeting 3 at West Park / Becketts Park
- Sunday 28 January 2024 – meeting 4 at
WetherbyMiddleton Park - Sunday 25 February 2024 – meeting 5 at Roundhay Park
- also Sunday 10 March 2024 – Peco Cross Country Relays and Juniors Relays at Bramley Falls Park
(Peco is the name of the main sponsor – the “Printing and Embroidery Company”)
Open to club members school years 2 and older. Also open anyone on the waiting list (you should contact us and then register as a Valley Strider)
Suitable for all abilities. We strongly encourage all junior members to take part and will be slightly disappointed with those who don’t take part in at least one race. Entries close on Friday 10 November at 2pm
This is a “free” event for V S Junior Full Members and V S Limited Training Members in that those who enter and race will get £1.50 refunded for every series race that they do and 50p for the relays.
The event is also open to juniors who are in any of the following categories
- social members
- prospective members i.e. on the waiting list
- second claim members (those who’ve moved on to other clubs which aren’t clubs in the Peco League)
- non-members who are sons/daughters of V S adult members
- non-members who are brothers/sisters of V S junior members
- those who don’t come to training
- those who think they’ve resigned this year (their membership is valid till 31/12/23 and happy for them to run Pecos till March 2024)
- all of these should register as “Valley Striders A C” when they enter so that their race numbers will be with all the club numbers at the V S gazebo on race day.
Distances and start times are approximately one mile (less than a junior parkrun but a bit more muddy) at 10:00am for school years 2 to 6; two miles at 10:20am for school years 7 to 11. NB parents of school years 2 and 3 must be confident that their child can complete the distance e.g. they have done junior parkrun.
Cost is £8 for the whole series (whether you run 1 race or 5).
Entries are online via Racebest https://racebest.com/races/ty92q
Notes about entries on the day (don’t!)
You can enter on the day, but if you come in the day, you can only enter a single race, not the series. Bear in mind that (a) the cost of entering 2 races on the day is greater than the cost of the series and (b) entries on the day are not shown in the cumulative/series results.
So please enter in advance! Yes, even if you have a football match this Sunday – it may be cancelled and then you’d be able to come.
Arrangements for Sunday
Saturday evening
Make sure you have ready your Valley Striders T-shirt or vest, a lightweight under layer, a warm hoodie or similar, your running shoes with a good grip (maybe also bring lightweight football boots) and 4 safety pins. Oh and don’t forget shorts or leggings!
Get your journey time to John Charles Stadium – address is Middleton Grove, postcode is LS11 5DJ.
Read all the race information https://pecoxc.co.uk/pages/race1.html includes course maps.
Sunday morning
Aim to arrive at the location of John Charles Stadium at 9:15.
If you have arrived via Dewsbury Road and are approaching up Middleton Grove, you’ll come to a small roundabout. Turn right into the car park.
If the car park is full (there is a swimming gala on), then continue up the hill for 20metres, turn left into the Stadium car park (this will definitely be full), and continue round, past the Tennis Centre, to the back of the Athletics Track where there is another long stay car park. There is a map here https://pecoxc.co.uk/pages/race1.html .
Alternative places to park can be found back down Middleton Grove on the side roads – it is a light industrial estate so there will be spaces on a Sunday but further to walk.
(If you’ve arrived via Old Run Road, there are several roundabouts, when you’ve passed the side of the stadium on your left, you’ll come to the same small roundabout – go straight across).
Having parked, walk back to the roundabout, and (assuming you did get into the car park, turn right) start going up the hill which is a continuation of Middleton Grove.
You’ll see the Main Stand diagonally to your left, you’ll need this for the toilets. Please don’t use the toilets in the Aquatics Centre.
Registration is in the Dug-Out Bar in the Main Stand but you’ll only need this if
- either you want a new Valley Striders vest or T-shirt (I’ll be there till 09:25 so please come early, you’ll be able to try for size)
- or you want to enter on the day (I’ve warned you about this!)
Come out of the Main Stand, turn left, walk uphill up the road, pass “through” the iron gates, continue uphill almost to the top, then you’ll see signs taking you diagonally uphill on a short path through to the woods to “Middleton Clearings”, the huge field where there races will take place.
Look for the Valley Striders gazebo – it’s mainly white, with some black (V S colours) and some yellow and green (V S cycling colours).
Your race number will be at the gazebo. There will be 4 bags of numbers, 1 for boys, 1 for girls, 1 for adult men, 1 for adult women. The race numbers will be in alphabetical order of surname. Look for your surname on a sticky label on the back of the race number. Please please don’t get them out of order.
Pin your race number on the front of your T-shirt or vest.
You can find race route maps here https://pecoxc.co.uk/pages/race1.html
The year 2 – 6 race is one long lap, approximately 1.2 miles (2km), starting at 10am. The year 7-11 race is two laps – one medium, one long – approximately 2 miles (3.2km), starting at 10:20am.
Each lap is a long steady uphill on grass, a flat section on a grassy path through woods, a long steady downhill on grass, then a very short sharp downhill through woods, a very short sharp uphill through woods and about 50 metres of steady uphill on grass to finish.
Please take a look at the start and finish, also look at the section through the woods (it is near the path that you walked on to get to the Clearings).
The course is suitable for spikes, but if you are going to wear them it is particularly important that you look at the wooded section near the finish to make sure you’re happy with wearing spikes in that area.
We hope to arrange a warm-up for year 2-6 juniors for 5 minutes at 09:45. You’ll need to be at the start at about 9:55.
We hope to arrange a warm-up for year 7-11 juniors for 5 minutes at 10:05. You’ll need to be at the start at about 10:15.
Enjoy the run! You are allowed to chat with friends if it helps to keep you going, but be warned that friendship may be put on hold with 50 metres to go.
If you need to go into the Main Stand after the race, please leave muddy shoes outside.
When leaving, note that there is always a long queue to get out at the end of Middleton Grove. A better route is via Old Run Road.
Sunday evening
Remember to keep your race number for subsequent races and definitely don’t wash your T-shirt with the race number pinned to it.
Peco Relays 2023
Just some early information
These are usually held in March and are for teams of 3, approximately 1.2 miles per runner. Keep your number from the Peco series.
This is included in your series entry fee.
More details will be available in February 2023.