The Peco Cross Country League is a series of 5 meetings between November 2022 and March 2023.
- Sunday 27 November – meeting 1 at Middleton Park
- Sunday 18 December – meeting 2 at Templenewsam
- Sunday 22 January 2023 – meeting 3 at West Park / Becketts Park
- Sunday 19 February 2023 – meeting 4 at Middleton Park
- Sunday 5 March 2023 – meeting 5 at Roundhay Park
- also Sunday 26 March 2023 – Peco Cross Country Relays and Juniors Relays at date and venue to be confirmed
(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.
This is a “free” event for V S Junior Full Members and Limited Training Members (i.e. everyone except Social Members) in that those who enter and race will get 20% of the race series fee refunded for every race that they do.
The event is also open to
- V S Junior Social Members
- prospective members
- 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 31/12/22 and happy for them to run Pecos till March 2023)
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 £7 for the whole series (whether you run 1 race or 5).
Entries are online via Racebest https://racebest.com/races/w2vse
Notes about entries
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 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, possibly also 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.
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 Barn in the Main Stand but you’ll only need this if either you want a new V S vest or T-shirt (I’ll be there) 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 and 2 for adults. 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 09:50. 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 10:10. 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.
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 a “free” event for V S Junior Full Members and Limited Training Members (i.e. everyone except Social Members) in that all race entries will be made by and race fees paid by the club. Excepting that those who do not have a number will have to make a small payment for the number.
More details will be available in February 2023.