Athletics: Cross Country Championships 2021-22

Registration will be in a marquee outside the Gaelic football club. It will open at 08:30.

Captains must register their team. Student cards must be presented at registration.

Registration Process:
- The captain, or similar representative, of each university should collect an envelope with a list of entries and their team’s race chip numbers and safety pins.
- Sign the ‘sign out sheet’, giving a contact number. By signing this sheet, the signatory will be responsible for all race numbers.
- One Long Race Declaration form should be submitted (if applicable). These will be available in your captains packs that you will collect at registration. 
- Distribute race numbers to the team.

The paper numbers with chips do not need to be returned. Please consider the environment when disposing. Please do not litter take home or use thes bin provided. Students whose numbers are found discarded after the event will face disciplinary action and a fine.

Athletes may only compete in one race at the championships.

Captains must declare a team for the Men’s Long Race and Women's Long Race.

SIX athletes per institution may compete in the Men’s Long Race. FOUR athletes per institution may compete in the Women's Long Race.

Please complete the Race Declaration forms in race number numerical order: E.g. 101, 105, 107, 109, 111.

The last time to declare athletes is 12:00 for the Women's declaration and 12:00 for the Men's declaration.

PLEASE NOTE: When you collect your captain pack from the registration desk, the declaration forms will be in there for you to complete.

Women's Short Race 

• Distance: 6km 
• Race start time: 11:30AM 

Men's Short Race 

• Distance: 8km 
• Race start time: 12:15PM

Women’s Long Race

• Distance: 8km 
• Race start time: 1:15PM

Men’s Long Race

• Distance: 10km 
• Race start time: 2:15PM

A warning will be given ten minutes before the start of each race. Team Managers must marshal their teams to the start line at the time of the ten minute warning. All races will start at the stated times unless the race referee deems a minor delay is necessary due to the overrunning of previous races.

Each university will only be allowed one athlete on the front row of the start, though there will likely not be space for every university to have one university on the front row. This will be enforced by the Marksmen and Race Referee.

Men's Long Race:

Only SIX men per institution may run in the Men’s Long Race with the first FOUR finishers to count towards the team event.

All other male competitors must race in the Men’s Short Race.

Women's Long Race:

Only FOUR women per institution may run in the Women’s Long Race with the first THREE finishers to count towards the team event.

All other female competitors must race in the Women’s Short Race.

Men's Short Race:

This race is for all men not competing in the Long Race.

Teams are made up of four members and there can be multiple teams per institution if team size allows.

Athletes may only compete in one race at the championships.

Parking

Please do not go to the venue to try and park, as you will be turned away and will cause access issues for those that do have access to onsite parking. 

Book parking here: For coach, minibus and car parking bookings, please go to https://brunelstudents.com/events/6013/7092/.

All coaches and minibuses must book parking in order to guarantee a space.

Coaches which arrive after 11:00 am may have to leave site, and return at 4:00pm to pick up. Please try and arrange for your coach to arrive by 10:30 am.

Any unbooked coaches will have to leave the area and park at Brunel University (20 mins drive away) and then return after the event.

There is very limited bookable car parking spaces and limited car parking in surrounding residential areas.

Do not park at the retail park or at other businesses or industrial estates.  

Ealing Council will be enforcing restrictions and cars causing obstructions or parking in front of driveways may be ticketed or towed. 

If you cannot find a space in the immediate area you must park further away and walk.

Please respect local residents and the access to their driveways.

If you require a disabled parking space, please email Michaela Anthony prior to the event so that this can be allocated.

Chips are attached to race numbers which will be collected by captains at Registration. If you lose your race number, you will not be able to compete.

Lap times will be recorded. You must run under your published number or you will be disqualified. Race numbers are displayed on the entry list which will be published shortly.

1. No institution will count in the Team Events unless all scoring runners finish.

2. Team points will be calculated by adding together the placing of each scoring member. The team with the lowest number of points will be named the Team Champions. E.g. 2nd, 10th and 15th = 27 points.

3. “Scoring members” will be the first scoring runners past the finish line (first 4 in the Men’s races and first 3 in the Women’s race). These scorers do not need to be identified in advance.

4. In the event of a tie on points in the team competition a “countback” will take place with the position of the last counted finishers (4th in the Men’s races and 3rd in the Women’s race) for each team compared.

5. In the Men’s Long and Women’s races only one team per institution can be counted in the team competition.

6. In the Men’s Short and Women's Short Races, medals will be awarded to the top 3 teams irrespective of whether these teams are from the same institution.

7. Team medals will only be awarded to scoring runners (first 4 athletes from a university in Men’s races and first 3 in Women’s race).

These championships will run under the BUCS General Regulations and UK Athletics Rules of Competition. The sport specific regulations can be found here. It is important to note the regulations surrounding student’s behaviour. These have been breached in previous years resulting in £650 fines and 2 year suspensions from BUCS Cross Country Events. These sanctions have been handed out in previous years for behaviours such as streaking, consumption of alcohol on site and running under someone elses name.

Universities are reminded of BUCS Regulation 5.1.2. ‘REG 5.1.2 The consumption of alcohol or recreational drugs (in addition to substances covered under REG 4.5) will not be tolerated. Competitors at any event or fixture found to be consuming such substances will be automatically disqualified and may face further disciplinary action under this regulation.’

There is a zero tolerance on alcohol at this event. There is strictly no alcohol permitted on site and any found will be confiscated. Any breach of this will result in disciplinary action.

Any updates will be posted on the BUCS website and Twitter account.

Weather Notice:
Please plan for all weather situations. Please dress appropriately for all weather conditions and ensure you bring a change of dry clothes. When you have finished your race, ensure you keep moving to stay warm. Make sure you drink enough fluids throughout the day. Foil blankets will be available but they will not be enough to stop you from becoming cold.

Medals will be available for the first three runners in all four races. Team medals are also available for the top three teams in the Men's Long and Short race teams (first four finishers combined positions) and Women's Long and Short race team (first three finishers combined positions). 

BUCS Points will be available for the top four finishers in the Men's and Women's Long Race. BUCS Points will also be available for the top 8 Men's and Women's Overall Team from the Long Race.

The following food/drink outlets will be available on the day:

Food Van – serving hot food and cold drinks.
There will be places available to refill water bottles in the football club and a tap outside, but please bring your own water and spares for when these get busy!

Changing and showering facilities will be available in the Gaelic Football Club building. Please note that this area will not be constantly manned and that BUCS cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to personal property. Please also note that running shoes/spikes cannot be warn in this area.

There will be portable toilets for athletes and spectators to use near to the start/finish area of the race.

There is a designated area for University Gazebos which will be signposted. There is limited space in this area. The gazebos should be erected away from the start/finish area. Any gazebos brought to the event must be taken away. Damaged gazebos are not to be left in the park under any circumstances.

Please ensure that ALL gazebos are safely secured to the ground. Please note the ground will be extremely muddy!