Cross-Country Running

While many people are sad to see the summer go, cross-country runners look forward to the autumn, and the start of the cross-country season, which runs roughly from October to March. The following sections give some more background.

Would you like to run in the Surrey cross-country leagues?

Our senior men's and women's teams, and our juniors, compete in the Surrey cross-country leagues. The Surrey men's league has four divisions, and we are in Division 3. The increasingly popular Surrey Ladies' Cross-Country League has two divisions, and we are in Division Two. There are also junior races at all these fixtures. In the 2009-10 season Holland Sports AC and Oxted Runners will for the first time run as a combined team in the Surrey League.

The senior races attract large fields and runners of all ages and standards take part. There is always lots of room for the slower and older runner to enjoy a good run and maybe score some points for the club. And with such large fields there's little chance of finishing last!

There are four races, typically in October, November, January and February. The men's and women's races always take place on Saturday afternoons on the same day, but usually at different locations and times: the senior women's race normally starts at 12.15pm (but at noon for the January fixture), while the senior men's race starts at 3pm (2.30pm for the January fixture). The men's races are about five miles, while women's races are about three miles. If you want to know more about the scoring system in the Surrey league, click HERE.

In addition to the four Surrey league races, there are also county, regional and national championships that our runners take part in and also some junior leagues, such as the Downs League.

Cross-country races take you to attractive parts of the country. You have to be prepared to run in all sorts of weather and ground conditions, and to get wet and muddy at times, but that's all part of the fun! You ideally should wear footwear designed for cross-country running such as trail, studded or spiked shoes. Rarely can you get away with wearing flats.

Last season we started to hold Saturday evening, post-race gatherings for the runners and their supporters in local eateries, including an end of season celebration.

If you are interested in running, contact our team managers, Nigel Bongers (senior men and juniors), and Barbara Towers (senior women).

History of cross-country running

Have you ever wondered about how cross-country running came about? Did you know it has a long history in England, going back to the idea of the "hare and hounds", the "paperchase" and the "steeplechase"? Did you know that the Englishman who was the father of modern computer science and who broke the German Enigma codes in the Second World War, Alan Turing, was also a champion cross-country runner? Click on the link below to find a document, edited from material found on the Milton Keynes Museum website, which gives a very interesting account of the origins and changing nature of cross-country running in England.

History of Cross-Country Running