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Specification for County Cross-Country Championships 

Ø      The County Committee sets the date and a promoting club is selected. 

Ø      A Championship Secretary is appointed at the AGM.
He or she is responsible for taking entries, checking eligibility, collecting entry fees, numbering the entries and producing lists of competitors for the programme. If competitor lists are prepared on a PC they should be e-mailed to the County Secretary and Referee. 

Ø      Programmes have to be compiled and copied (say 60 off) currently done by the Championship Secretary.
 

Ø      Officials are recruited and organised before the day by the County Secretary who will recommend the Referee. The referee is responsible for allocating duties and overseeing the competition on the day. Timekeepers and funnel recorders should bring their own recording sheets, although they may be provided by the results compiler to ensure that time and place recordings can be ‘cut and pasted’ to speed up results preparation.
 

Ø      The Sub-Committee appoints a Meeting Manager. The Meeting Manager is responsible for ensuring that:
 

The promoting club is meeting this specification;
      Numbers are provided;
      The correct number of medals is available;
      The appropriate Trophies are available;
      The winners sign for the Trophies;
      People are available to produce the results;
      Someone is available to make the presentations.
      The Meeting Manager is also the first point of contact for all queries regarding the organisation of the Championships.

Ø      The Promoting Club is responsible for the following: 

            Booking a suitable venue (to be agreed by the Sub-Committee)
            Providing the proposed course layout for comment;
            Agreeing any expenditure with the County Treasurer before incurring expenses;
            Arranging suitable toilet and changing accommodation;
            Arranging for a quiet area for the results compilers;
            Ensuring First Aid is available from approx. 30 minutes before the first race until15 minutes after the last runner has
            finished the last race;
            If possible arranging for, or providing, refreshments for athletes, officials and spectators to purchase;
            Appointing a Clerk of the Course who shall be responsible for laying the course, advising on marshalling and keeping
            the course in good order during the Championships:
            Providing final maps of the course one week before the event for inclusion in the programme;
            Providing as many course marshals as possible and liaising with the Meeting Manager to ensure that the course will be
            adequately marshalled.

 Setting up the course on the day.

The course should, if possible, be completed at least 1 hour before the start of the first race. Course marking should be by flags at regular intervals. The inside of turns should be marked with stakes and tape (with more stakes preceding the turn). The start (preferably only one) must be suitable for a field of 120 and the first 200m should be straight. The finish shall consist of two SEPARATE funnels. Each funnel shall be constructed of stakes and ropes and have two lanes with a centre rope – see the ECCA handbook for an example. The length of the funnels should be approx. 25 metres. All course markings, the start and finish should be constructed in such a way as to minimise the potential for injuries to competitors, officials and spectators (and any members of the public if they have right of access to the course area).

The layout of the course should be such that the maximum number of laps in any race is three. If laps of different lengths are employed in any race then the shorter lap must be run first. The course should be laid out so that the starts can take place without interfering with finishing athletes. Due to the wide range of ability in the county events and the need to keep the duration of the championships to a minimum, it is often necessary to start a race while another is still in progress. This should be borne in mind when designing the course to meet the suggested timetable. Variations to the timetable are acceptable to meet local conditions if agreed in advance with the Sub-Committee through the Meeting Manager.

The Basic Timetable used for the last few years is as follows:

            After the race, clear up everything. Ensure that nothing is left behind that could

            reflect on the promoting club or SCAA.

            Submit a final list of expenses to the County Treasurer.