Cross Country Championships 2024

I am pleased to invite you to the IOMSSA Cross Country Championships, which will take place at Douglas Rugby Club - Port-e-Chee Meadow course on Thursday 5th December 2024. 

Please read the following information carefully as it concerns safety and organisation.

Please arrange your bus so that it arrives no later than 12.45pm. Please ensure that your runners arrive changed.

PRIOR TO THE DAY

Please use the "Registration" tab to enter your runner details online.  You may complete this up until 7pm on Wednesday 4th December.  After that time, please make a note of any final team changes and notify these to us at registration.

After completing the registration form, you will receive an email confirming the list of your runners. There will be a link on the email that allows you to change names if you have to make substitutions.

This year, each school will be issued with a set of A6-sized PVC bib numbers and the timing chip is incorporated with the bib. Bibs should be attached to the runner's chest (shirt) using safety pins and we ask that each school collect and return their bibs (sorted into order, please), at the end of the event.

On Wednesday evening, we will re-assign permanent (i.e.NOT disposable) bib numbers and publish the full start list, complete with Bib numbers, online on the "Participants" tab as "Schools List".  You can download this as a PDF and print off the relevant page(s) for your school. This will allow you to make notes of any changes on the journey to the event and will save time at registration. But we will also include a printed list with the bibs when we issue them to you.

When you arrive at Douglas Rugby Club, please collect the bibs for your school. There will be a list of bib numbers provided with each bundle. So, all you have to do is issue the correct bibs to your competitors according to the list. Please can schools provide their own safety pins for their race number. You will need three pins per bib - one for each top-corner and one for the bottom-centre.

Please note that due to facility restrictions there will be no guest runners this year.

REGISTRATION OF YOUR TEAM

We would ask that you finalise your team sheet on the bus journey to Douglas Rugby Club so that any changes not already notified can be put into the system on arrival. We require all amendments to your team sheet as soon as you arrive.

The races will start at 1.30pm. Races will be called outside the clubhouse and then a member of staff will escort all students to the start (which is 200m from clubhouse).

Students must bring warm clothes with them to change into after their race. They may also wish to wear them to the start, which is located 5 minutes or so away from clubhouse. Please bring bin bags etc to store runner’s clothes for the duration of the race. These are the responsibility of the individual competing schools. Any student returning back to the clubhouse must be escorted.

St Johns ambulance will provide First Aid and will be located at the clubhouse.

The courses will be ran on grassland around the Port-e-Chee meadow, but there is a rough dirt and stone track for approx 400m in length on each lap

• All races will start and finish at the same point.
• Races are due to commence from 1.30pm and will be finished by 3pm .
• Please arrange for your coaches to arrive at the layby near Douglas Rugby Club at 3.30pm. Buses cannot wait for any length of time there so it is advised that they wait at NSC carpark until 3.30pm
• A briefing regarding organisation of events and safety will take place at 1pm in the gym. All staff and runners must attend this briefing.
• Students will be called for their race then escorted to the start.

Details of the starting times, course maps and descriptions will be emailed out. Please ensure all runners are shown the course maps and directions. There will be a short briefing before the start of each race to explain the courses. The course will be marked out with SAQ poles and cones.

Timetable of races:

1.30pm - Year 7 Boys  (2.9km)

1.32pm -  Senior Boys (6.4km)

1.50pm - Inter Boys (5.6km)

1.52pm - Junior Girls (3.9km)

2.05pm - Year 7 Girls (2.9km)

2.07pm - Junior Boys (3.9km)

2.20pm - Inter Girls (3.9km)

2.25pm - Senior Girls (3.9km)

Each race will be called 10 minutes prior to the start. Please make sure your runners are at the start line 5 minutes before their race.

ADDITONAL INFORMATION

Clothing & Footwear

There will be no changing facilities avalible. Athletes are asked to arrive changed. Please ensure they have warm clothing for before and after the event. 

The course will be run on mainly grassland but there is a rough dirt and stone track for approx 400m in length on each lap. Therefore the recommended appropriate footwear would be moulded football boots, astros or fell shoes.Competitors must ensure they tightly tie their laces. 

Please ask your runners to put their clothes into their bags and bring them to the start of the race.

We strongly recommend all students bring a plastic bag to put muddy gear in.

Please ensure that all of your runners are in School colours.

Teams

You may enter 8 runners in each age group with 6 to count towards the team total, EXCEPT in the Senior Boys and Senior Girls, which will be 3 to count from 4 runners entered.

Team Scores

These will be calculated automatically and runners will need to ensure they run through the funnel as usual to finish, where they will run over a mat which will log their time. As each runner crosses the finish mat, they should hear a beep from the control box at the side of the finish area.  Results will be displayed as a leader board on a screen situated beyond the finish line showing individual times and positions within category. Team scores will be based on the aggregate ranking of the best 6 (3 Senior) runners in each category. Guest runners will receive a result time, but they will not be included in either the Individual or Team ranking.

Valuables

Staff – please remind students not to leave valuables in the changing rooms or common areas. We will take no responsibility for any valuables.

Trophies

Last year winners please bring trophies.

Disputes

Any dispute should come directly to Andy Fox

Presentations

Announcement of scores and presentation of trophies will take place in the gym after the events.

Coaches

Staff - please have coaches booked for 3.20pm -3.35pm and get students on to the coaches immediately after the presentation.