Almost Athletes Off-Road Race Series 2010

The series is open to all Almost Athletes members who do not mind a little mud. It consists of 12 local races of various distances throughout the year. You must do at least 5 races to qualify, and the best 7 results count. See below for full details. Race Series Results

Click link to view Provisional race results after Cheltenham Circular Challenge (13th July).

The Races - the list is provisional and may need to be changed - please check back regularly

Forest of Dean Half Marathon has also been chosen to be part of the Almost Athletes Road Race series. See http://www.almostathletes.org.uk/AARoadSeries10.shtml for further details.

Distances quoted are approximate!

• Mayhill Massacre 8 miles (Huntley, Near Gloucester) - 7th February
• Dursley Dozen 12 miles - 14th February
• Chedworth Roman Trail 10 miles - 21st March
• Forest of Dean Half Marathon 13.1 miles - 28th March (NB Clocks change)
• Eastnor Castle 7 miles - 18th April
• Crocodile 8 miles (Near Ledbury)- 30th May
• Cheltenham Circular Challenge Marathon 26.2 miles - 20th June
• Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo 5.5 miles - 9th June
• Standish Woodland Chase 10 miles - 15th August
• Winchcombe 10km - 29th August
• Woodchester Park Multiterrain 8 miles - 12th September
• Sodbury Slog 9 miles - 14th November (Remembrance Day - please wear a poppy)

Please note that although Cheltenham Circular is a full marathon distance over a demanding course, the majority of participants are walkers. Members who may not feel confident about running the full marathon distance are strongly encouraged to take part, walking and/or running according to their ability. There are free buses back to the start at quarter, half and three-quarter checkpoints. ('Half' checkpoint is also a true half marathon which is itself a substantial personal achievement.) Much of it is through attractive countryside; it is local, implying minimal transport costs, cheap to enter, 2009 price was £10 per head if entered in advance with group booking of at least 4, and proceeds go to local charity.

The Rules - this list is also provisional and may need to be changed - please check back regularly

• The Almost Athletes Road Race Series is open to all Almost Athletes members, providing they are registered as a competitive member (see footnote) and have paid all subscriptions and dues. (If you a member of more than one running club, you may be first or second claim to Almost Athletes to qualify, providing you are a competitive member of England Athletics.)
• Any qualifying member running one of the designated races will automatically be added to the results (subject to rules described herein), unless they have specifically requested to be excluded.
• The 7 best results will score.
• A member must run in a minimum of 5 races to qualify for overall ranking.
• Points will be awarded to positions that member’s finish compared to other club members in their class (based on gender amd age group).
• The classes will be Male under 40, Female under 40, Male Vet 40 and over but less than 50, Female Vets 40 and over but less than 50, Male vet 50 and over, female vet 50 and over.
• The age group a member runs in is decided by their age on the 1st January 2010. A member can only run in one age group in a year.
• Points allocation will be: 1st = 12, 2nd = 10, 3rd = 9, 4th = 8, 5th = 7, 6th = 6, 7th = 5, 8th =4, 9th =3, 10th =2, and all other finishers = 1
• It is the responsibility of members to enter the races they wish to compete in.
• They should enter as an Almost Athlete using their own name (so we can find them in the results).
• At its discretion, the committee may still decide to award points if a member fails to register as an Almost Athlete or runs under another name.
• The club recognises that members often have to enter races long before the event and inevitably may not be able to take part on the day. The club cannot condone swapping of numbers when expressly forbidden by the organisers. In addition, please consider the possible embarassment when an entry for a vet group is actually run by a very quick, younger person who 'wins' the vet category! Whenever practicable, the club strongly encourages members to tell the organisers of a race of any swap in advance. (Most races which are fully booked and organised by running clubs are amenable to changes. Unfortunately some commercial organisers are less enlightened.) If the organisers are not informed or the results list is incorrect, both 'donor' and 'receiver' MUST IMMEDIATELY e-mail the club (almostathletes@hotmail.com), to prevent points for either AA or Gloucestershire race series being awarded to the wrong person.
• Any member disqualified by the race officials, will forfeit all points for the race, regardless of reason.
• The committee will decide on awards or recognition. (Further details to be advised.)

Footnote: Every competitive member should receive a plastic 'card' from England Athletics with your EA number. If you have been a first claim, AA competitive member for more than 3 months and not received it, please contact the AA membership secretary, Claire Cook via almostathletes@hotmail.com. You may need your EA number to enter some races at the reduced fee.