Just before just before the main information, we do need someone to volunteer to bring the gazebo (club tent). It will fit in the back of all but the smallest of hatchbacks (with the back seats down)
Just before the main information, we do need some help on Sunday morning from 08:50 onwards please
- Someone to bring the gazebo at 08:50. It can be dropped off near the House and then you can find a place to park.
- One person at 09:00 at registration to collect from me the V S flag, banner, race numbers and club T-shirts/vests 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 that TBA will be bringing (full training will be given!)
- Two people at 09:15 to look after distribution of race numbers. There are 54 to be handed out and it will be chaotic if they are dropped (BTW a couple of years ago 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 09:30 to lead a jog round the course (for younger juniors it’s 2 laps of a half mile route so it won’t take long to do that jog)
- 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
I’ll be at registration from 08:45 to 09:15. You don’t need to come to registration except if you’ve volunteered to pick up the VS flag and banner and race numbers and T-shirts
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 at the club tents area – they will be labelled with your name. (more details below)
Official Race and Entry Information for this Sunday
See https://pecoxc.co.uk/pages/race1.html includes course maps.
Entries are online via Racebest https://racebest.com/races/8w7su You can leave the box blank for England Athletics registration number.
Cost is £8 for the whole series (whether you run 1 race or 5).
Entries close 2pm Friday
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
Friday afternoon
If you’ve entered and spelt your email address correctly on your entry “form”, you will get an email on Friday afternoon or evening from Racebest with information for Sunday. Hopefully it will agree with what I’ve written below.
There may be a special mention about parking.
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 Temple Newsam
Read all the race information https://pecoxc.co.uk/pages/race1.html includes course maps.
Sunday morning
Aim to arrive at the location of Temple Newsam at 9:15 at the latest. The car parks nearest the house may be full in which case you’ll be further away … the later you arrive the longer will be the walk
See parking information below
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.
Notes about parking on Sunday
(I’ll put a map here on the website on Friday evening)
All car parks are PayByPhone – that’s the name of the app and that’s the only way to pay, there are no machines to pay by cash or credit card. £1.20 for two hours, £2.70 for four hours, £10 for a monthly ticket that also covers Roundhay, Golden Acre and Otley Chevin, £85 for an annual ticket.
The Go Ape and Playground car parks are closest to the race. These can only be accessed from the road near Whitkirk Church / The Brown Cow pub, and are nearest if coming via ELOR at the Springs.
The other car parks can only be accessed from the Halton entrance.
The road within the estate that links these two areas is now closed for traffic
My preference used to be go in at Whitkirk and come out at Halton (or via the Temple Gate estate) because there are usually long queues to get out at Whitkirk as the lights only let though 5 cars at a time.
But no longer possible because the road is closed.
This is just for information, I’m not giving any advice!
I’ve 3 more events to go to at Temple Newsam early next year so will be interested in feedback after the event.
General League Information
The Peco Cross Country League is a series of 5 meetings between November 2025 and March 2026.
- Sunday 8 November – meeting 1 at Temple Newsam
- Sunday 13 December – meeting 2 at Pontefract Park
- Sunday 3 January – meeting 3 at Middleton Park Clearings (near John Charles Centre)
- Sunday 31 January- meeting 4 at West Park (Spen Lane)
- Sunday 21 February – meeting 5 at Roundhay Park
- also Sunday 7 March – Peco Cross Country Relays and Juniors Relays at Middleton Park South (near cycle track)
(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 6 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 and all of them may put “Valley Striders A C” as the club name on the entry form.
- 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 31/12/26 and happy for them to run Pecos till March 2027)
- 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 6).