Cross-Country

Not at all. Cross-country is open to everyone. It's a true team sport, focused on camaraderie rather than personal bests or stopwatches. It's about running alongside your fellow Chasers and being part of our fantastic club. Cross-Country warmly welcomes adults of all ages and abilities. It is a social, inclusive, and enjoyable experience, as long as you're okay with a bit of mud.

No one in Enfield Chasers should feel that cross-country is out of reach. Whether you're at the front or the back of the race, we value every member equally. Everyone is encouraged to join in, and club selection isn't required. It's all about representing the club and being part of the team – if you want to run, we want you on our team!

To participate, please reach out to our head coach Marcus Brown, who will be delighted to assist you.

Cross-country presents a fantastic chance to boost your endurance and fitness throughout the autumn and winter months, making it an ideal choice for your "off-season" training. If you're gearing up for a spring race, cross-country will establish a robust base of fitness, strength, and endurance for you to develop further.

Whether you're a social runner or not, cross-country stands out as one of the most beloved mass-participation running activities. In simple terms, run cross-country because it's great for your health and an absolute blast!

Not much, really. Participants will need to be a member of an England Athletics affiliated club and to wear their club colours. You will also need appropriate footwear. Apart from that, it's largely up to you. If you are not yet a member or require a club vest (and everyone does!), please see our club shop.

As for footwear, if the course is dry, you can run in regular road shoes, though trail shoes would be preferable, especially if the course is muddy or slippery. For those wanting to perform at their best, some courses may be more suited to cross country spikes, please see the following section for more information. If you're uncertain, please reach out to Marcus Brown or Rachel Dervish for guidance.

Additionally, when heading to races, it's advisable to bring the following items: warm clothing for pre and post-race moments, water etc, and perhaps a snack for after the race.

Be prepared for rain as well. It's a good idea to consider a hot thermos flask and a spare change of footwear, along with some dry socks for the journey back home. We'll have an outdoor area designated for bag drop-offs at each event.

Please bear in mind that typically at these events there are no changing or shower facilities, but onsite toilets will available.

As a general tip for everyone, you can find some great deals on cross-country spikes or trail shoes at this website: https://startfitness.co.uk

Plus, you can enjoy a 10% discount on orders using this code: METXCSF10

Certainly! The choice of running shoes for cross-country can vary depending on race conditions and weather.

Here are the main options:

Normal trail shoes:

These have relatively small lugs and are suitable for courses where the ground is firm, dry and/or has large sections of road.

Deep-lugged or studded trail shoes:

Designed for muddy conditions and fell running, these offer better traction in challenging terrain. Look for shoes with at least 6mm lugs or those labelled as fell running shoes.

Lightweight racing shoes with spikes:

Ideal for gripping in muddy conditions, these shoes feature spikes, offering excellent traction. But they typically have less support than the previously mentioned options. You can customise the spike length based on running conditions: 9mm for dry courses, 12mm for typical British conditions, and 15mm for extremely muddy terrain.

While lighter trail shoes can be comfortable on courses with road sections or firm ground, they may lack the necessary grip for most of the UK cross-country season. Deeper-lugged trail shoes provide more comfort than spikes and offer grip on the rear of the sole. However, spikes are lightweight and excel on muddy courses, especially when equipped with 12mm or 15mm spikes.

For beginners, starting with trail shoes designed for muddy conditions is a wise choice, as they handle various cross-country conditions well. However, if you're looking for speed and have experience with racing flats on the road, spikes might become a more attractive option.

Bar the club vest, you’ll need shorts, half tights etc, and socks for racing. In colder conditions, consider gloves and arm warmers , some may prefer to wear a long sleeve base layer under their club vest.

For pre-race preparation, post-race, and warming up, it's advisable to have layers, including tights, long-sleeved tops, and a waterproof jacket.

You'll typically face grass and parkland terrain, which becomes muddier as the season advances in British cross-country. Courses offer variety, including trails, clay sections, and even boggy areas. It is not unusual for a cross-country race to pass through a stream!

Start by filling out the form at the top of this page to declare your interest and get registered.

Following this, be sure to RSVP to the event-specific email invitations you receive for each race you wish to join. Marcus will then be in contact with you, providing all the necessary details for entry. It's important to note that in the Herts league, there is no requirement to wear a race/bib number.

After each of the races, every finisher will be given a disc. Please give this to the designated Team Manager once you complete the race.

Please do not take your disc home!

For the event day, we kindly request that you aim to arrive at least 45 minutes before the race kick-off. This buffer ensures that our designated Team Manager has ample time to organise and assist you before the race begins. Look for the team at our designated area, clearly marked as our meeting point.

For members of England Athletic affiliated clubs that are registered in the league it is free! If you are not yet a paying member of Enfield Chasers please purchase annual membership.

The league organisers also ask that runners wear their club colours, so there is also the cost of our runner’s vest which can be purchased through our club shop.

In the Sunday League, bib numbers aren't worn, results are scored and recorded using discs. Each finisher receives a disc that displays their finishing position, and it's the Team Manager's responsibility to record this information on the results sheet. After the race, both the sheets and the discs are to be returned to the Leagues chairperson. It's important for all Team Managers, even if they're also runners, to ensure that all the discs are collected and returned, as some runners like to keep them as race souvenirs.

The team scoring follows the typical 1 to 100 rule system. In this system, the first male runner overall scores one point, the second scores two points, and so on. The same scoring method applies to the women's team. All the individual scores come from a single run. So, for instance, even if the leading woman or man may have originally been designated as disc number 5 for example, the match is rescored so that they score just one point using the results program.

In a race featuring 100 runners for example, the scoring system assigns 1 point to the first-place finisher and 100 points to the last. The points for our top male & female runners are tallied and compared to other clubs in their division. While individuals certainly earn bragging rights based on their performance relative to both their club-mates and runners from other clubs, and there's personal recognition to be earned, these aspects take a back seat. The primary focus is participating for the club and relishing the experience. The team with the lowest total score emerges as the victor on the day, and the team with the smallest cumulative score across all races in a season secures victory in their division.

It's essential to keep in mind that if you belong to another club, and that club is your primary or "first claim" club, and both clubs participate in the same league, like the Herts league, you must represent your first claim club.

However, when your first claim club and your secondary or "second claim" club are in different leagues, there's no conflict, and you are free to represent either club without any issues.

In the Herts League the races are between 5 and 6 miles (8 to 9.66 kilometres) and there is one race with men and women running together. There's a broad range in abilities and ages and is an inclusive event.

In contrast, in other League races like the Met League, women typically run distances of approximately 6km first, while men cover about 8km after the women’s race, although there's a growing trend toward equalising these distances. Championship races, whether at the county, regional, or national levels, usually involve distances of 8km for women and 12km for men. It's worth noting that the men's Southern Championships stand out with a challenging 15km distance. Meanwhile, in Scotland, the national championships have adopted an equalised distance of 10K for both men and women.

This will be confirmed to you prior to each race, but typically the races generally start at 10.30am with the exception of the opening race at Cheshunt which has an 11.00am start.

So, as long as you are able to run around 5 and 6 miles (8 to 9.66 kilometres) then you're good to go!

However, if you'd like to focus your training in order to get quicker, then joining in on our Monday interval and hill sessions are a great start.