The Mayo County Even Ages Cross Country Championships will take place on Sunday, 28th September at 11am in Swinford, Melletts Hill.
1. Registration
Registration will take place in a tent in the middle field.
Entry fees: €8 per athlete, €15 for two, €20 for three or more.
Cash only – please bring the correct money.
Don’t forget to bring pins for your race numbers.
2. Parking
Parking will be at MP Moran’s Industrial Estate (Eircode: F12 Y5Y0), shown in red on the map.
Marshals will be on site to direct traffic.
Please follow the blue line on the map to access Mellett’s Hill.
No access from the Toyota Garage side.
Please do not park on the road between Corrib Oil Garage and the N5 junction.
3. Facilities
Toilets: Portaloo’s available on site.
First Aid: Civil Defence will be present.
4. Running Order (from 11:00am)
U8 Girls & Boys – 600m approx.
U10 Girls & Boys – 1000m
U12 Girls & Boys – 2000m
U14 Girls & Boys – 3000m
U16 Girls & Boys – 4000m
U18 & Junior/Senior Women – 5000m
U18 & Junior Boys & Senior Men – 6000m
Races will follow in order after the U8s. Adjustments may be made on the day depending on entries. Seniors and Masters are welcome to run as part of the championships. The event is expected to finish by 1:00pm approx.
5. Cross Country Explained
Competitions are held in even ages (U8, U10, U12, etc.) and uneven ages (U9, U11, U13, etc.).
Athletes may compete in both competitions:
· In one, it will be their “good age.”
· In the other, they must run “up an age.” (e.g. An U9 athlete runs U10 in evens but U9 in uneven).
Medals:
All U8 & U10 athletes receive participation medals.
U10 + Teams top three teams in each age group. (6 Gold, 6 Silver, 6 Bronze)
Team Competition:
Teams consist of 4–6 athletes.
Places = points (e.g. 1st place = 1 point, 10th place = 10 points).
Lowest score wins. In the event of a tie, the 5th or 6th finisher is counted.
6. Other Information
Club tents are allowed.
Please dress appropriately for the weather (rain gear, umbrellas).
Wellies can be a good option for walking the track.
Running spikes are permitted.
Tea/coffee/snacks will be available – please bring a packed lunch.
Leave No Trace – take all rubbish home.
7. Eligibility Reminder
All juvenile athletes must compete in the Mayo County Even Ages Cross Country Championships to qualify for the Connacht Even Ages Championships.
Any exemptions must be requested from the County Secretary by 6pm on the Friday before the event.
Exemptions will only be granted for very good reason.
All athletes who compete will automatically be eligible for Connacht.
Mayo Cross Country procedures and criteria for a dispensation to not compete in Juvenile County Championships.
Mayo County cross country (XC) Championships will continue to be compulsory for all Juvenile athletes intending to compete in the Connacht XC championships and hence qualify or be eligible to enter All-Ireland XC competitions.
U17 to U19 athletes with so called “open entry” still need to have an entry in the regional (Connacht) championship to be eligible to compete at All-Ireland’s which will not be possible without first competing at their county championships.
Criteria for a dispensation not to run in County XC championship:
1. Injury or illness (has to be believable)
2. Overseas AAI competition
3. Close family bereavement
4. State exams
Training for any other sport (or athletics squads) will not be accepted
Competing at a higher level ie regional/national may be considered
Any requests for a dispensation not to run in the County XC championships must be received in writing (or email) to the county secretary on the Friday before the competition. Any request will then be posted on county Whatsapp group and discussed with the decision relayed back to the clubs and hence athletes before the competition.
Decisions can be challenged and then the county board “XC exemptions” committee will have to meet and determine the outcome. If for some exceptional reason an athlete can run the regional championship but no request for a dispensation was received this may also be brought to the attention of the “XC exemptions” committee.
“XC exemptions” committee composition:
County Chair, Vice Chair, County Secretary, County entries secretary, club representative.
Not knowing the rules will NOT be accepted under any circumstances.
Upon receipt of a request for an exemption a County Board “XC exemptions” committee will meet after the relevant Mayo XC championship but before the Connacht equivalent (ie Even or Uneven age champs).
Dispensation Process
1. All dispensations to be email to the County Secretary by the 6pm the Friday before Competition by the relevant club/Competition secretary. All clubs will be notified on Saturday if the dispensation was granted or not. Please do not send in any dispensations if they do not meet the criteria sent out on the Exemption/Dispensations document.
2. Appeals to be emailed to the County Secretary on the Monday after the Mayo Competition where the XC exemptions committee will meet to determine the outcome.
3. Late exemptions (athletes that were sick on the Saturday/Sunday the weekend of competition can be emailed to the county Secretary on the Monday after the competition for decision to be made by the County Appeals committee.
