Each winter Penny Lane Striders compete in the North West Sunday Cross Country League. There are six races in the series, with our men and women competing against runners from other clubs across the region.
Each race is hosted by one of the region's running clubs. The season often starts with our home race at Clarkes Gardens in Allerton, before moving on to areas such as Beacon Park near Skelmersdale, Arrowe Park, Stadt Moers Park in Knowsley, Runcorn Town Park (including two climbs up the dreaded ski slope) and Birchwood Country Park, where conquering the infamous water hazard is the key to success...
Penny Lane also take part in Liverpool and District Cross Country Union. races. These are free to all club members, and take place on Saturday afternoons with the exception of the Championship race which is on a Sunday morning.
For those new to running or who have not ventured much off road before, we hope you will give cross country a try. The season runs from October-March and races involve local parks through grasslands and woodlands and usually involving mud. Because of this, different shoes (XC ‘spikes’) are recommended to give additional grip. We recognize that you may not wish to buy a pair just to try it out! So, as part of our aim to widen participation in off road running we have purchased some pairs of XC running shoes (with spikes) which can be borrowed by members for training and racing. You can find the link below.
Cross Country Race Schedule 22/23
Below is the most up to date list of fixtures (August 2022 Update). Please contact pennylanestriders+orc@gmail.com for any queries.
Date |
Venue |
League |
How to enter |
Race cancelled. |
Sherdley Park |
Liverpool and District Cross Country Union |
NA |
30th October 2022 |
Clarke's Gardens, 10am |
North West Sunday League |
Just attend on the day. No charge for PLS members |
20th November 2022 |
Beacon Park, Skem, 10am |
North West Sunday League |
Just attend on the day. Bring 50p for entry fee |
26th November 2022 |
Sefton Park, Senior women 13:05 (8.1k); Senior men 14:05 (9.8k) |
Liverpool and District Cross Country Union |
Sign up now via WebCollect. The club will pay for entries. |
11th December 2022 |
Arrowe Park, 10am |
North West Sunday League |
Just attend on the day. Bring 50p for entry fee |
7th January 2023 |
Arrowe Park. Est. Women 1.15pm, Men 2pm. |
Merseyside Cross Country Championships |
Sign up now via WebCollect. The club will pay for entries. |
22nd January 2023 |
Town Park, Runcorn, 10am |
North West Sunday League |
Just attend on the day. Bring 50p for entry fee |
28th January 2023 |
Witton Park, Blackburn, times TBC |
North of England Cross Country Championships |
Sign up now via WebCollect. The club will pay for entries. |
12th February 2023 |
Croxteth Park, 10am |
North West Sunday League |
Just attend on the day. Bring 50p for entry fee |
19th February 2023 |
Clarke's Gardens, 11am |
Liverpool and District Cross Country Union |
Sign up now via WebCollect. The club will pay for entries. |
25th February 2023 |
Bolesworth Castle, Chester. Senior Womens race 1.35pm, 8km. Senior Mens race 3pm, 12k. |
England National XC Champs |
Sign up now via WebCollect. The club will pay for entries. |
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How does it work?Unlike road running, the time that you finish a cross country race in isn't important: it is purely and simply about finishing as high up the field as possible. The first 6 men and first 3 women to finish from each team contribute to that team's overall score. Runners finishing outside of these places still help by pushing down other team members' placings. So it really is a club effort!
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What is it like?
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