Information for Junior Runners and their Parents/Guardians
Training and Racing
Junior training is currently not running - updates will be posted when the situation changes.
Entering Races
We would encourage Junior Members to enter races
Having a race or a series of races to look forward to provide focus to one’s training and provides an opportunity to run against juniors from other clubs of similar ages and ability.
Race entries are generally no more than £2 or £3 and Junior Members will need to run in a Club Vest and appropriate footwear for the type of terrain.
Types of Races
The types of Races we would encourage our Junior Members to enter are:
Fell Races
Fell Racing (also known as Hill or Mountain Racing) is the sport of racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty.
For the younger age groups the race terrain is usually over grass or defined tracks, with minimal uphill climb and descent. More often than not these are ‘out and back’ courses or a single loop. For older groups this may be similar but typically with rougher terrain, longer uphill climbs and steeper descents.
A typical example of age groups and distances for Junior fell races would be:
Under 8 (Boys and Girls) 1km distance with 15mtrs climb
Under 10(Boys and Girls) 1.9km distance with 70mtrs climb
Under 12 (Boys and Girls) 2.1km distance with 110mtrs climb
Under 14 (Boys and Girls) 2.7km distance with 150mtrs climb
Under 16 (Girls) 3.8km distance with 220mtrs climb
Under 16 (Boys) 5km distance with 281mtrs climb
As with our Senior Runners, Junior Members are likely to enter events organised under the rules set out by the Fell Runners Association (FRA) or the British Open Fell Runners Association (BOFRA).
FRA and BOFRA, as governing bodies, apply sensible guidelines to ensure juniors are not competing in a race above and beyond what would be expected from a child of their age. Additionally measures are in place to ensure a child’s safety and welfare considerations are fully met.
The FRA was formed in 1970 to cater for the needs of fell runners. It has over 6,000 individual members from around 300 athletic clubs. The Association (which is affiliated to UK Athletics) was the first and is still the biggest athletics body which looks after fell runners' interests.
Take a look at the FRA website www.fellrunner.org. It lists around 178 junior and 550 senior races affiliated to the association and is an excellent port of call for race related information.
The FRA organise a Junior Fell Running Championship, which consists of 6 top quality races throughout the year. The individual championship is open to all FRA members – if you complete 4 races you get a free T-shirt. Complete all 6 and you get a hoodie. None members can still compete in these races but they will not be included in the championship. Junior FRA membership is £8 per year.
BOFRA looks after a smaller number of races and like the FRA has a Junior Championship. For example, the 2015 BOFRA championship comprised of 15 junior races and 16 senior races. Please visit their website, www.bofra.org.uk, for more details.
Cross Country
The Mid Lancs League is an Association of Athletics Clubs in the North West of England, set up to provide competition in Cross Country and Track & Field for athletes from the region. Please visit www.midlancs.org.uk for more details.
The Red Rose League formed in 1970 to encourage competitive cross-country running in the local area, the league holds four fixtures each year, usually from October to December and caters for both men and women from 8 years and upwards. Please visit www.redrosecrosscountry.co.uk for more details.
Each fixture has a full programme for Junior Members:
Under 11 (Boys and Girls) 2km distance
Under 13 (Girls) 2.5km distance
Under 15 (Girls) and Under 13 (Boys) 3km distance
Under 15 (Boys) and Under 17 (Girls) 4km distance
Parkrun
Parkrun is a series of 5k runs held on Saturday mornings in areas of open space around the UK. They are open to all, free and easy to take part in.
Parkrun closest to Barnoldswick are Aireville Park, Skipton, Alkincoates Park, Colne and Towneley Park, Burnley.
Check out their website for further information at www.parkrun.org.uk.