Senior and junior teams at Durham City Harriers have enjoyed significant individual and team success at cross-country in recent years. This should be no surprise as off-road running is a staple of group training schedules given our access to the many hills of Durham!
Every year the club enters the popular North East Harrier League (NEHL) regional cross country competition. There are usually between 6 and 8 fixtures over the course of the season (September to March) at various North East locations. It’s a great opportunity to get out and about and race in conditions that can vary wildly between hot and dry to cold, windy, rainy, icy, snowy and, quite often, muddy.
We encourage ALL of our members–from 9 years upwards–to take part. While it’s a competitive league, there’s a place for everyone regardless of ability. Most of us run in the Slow Pack and are given a head start over faster runners in the Medium Pack who also get a head start on the few Fast Pack runners.
Every finisher can make a difference to the club’s overall standing in the competition; the more runners a club has on the start line the better its chance of improving its position in the league.
Age categories and approximate race distance
- Under 11s (1 mile)
- Under 13s; Under 15s (2 miles)
- Under 17s (3 miles )
- Under 20s; Senior and Veteran women (4 miles). Men 65+ can also run in this category if they prefer.
- Senior and Veteran men (6 miles)
How to get involved
Just before the season starts, one of our Cross-Country Captains will make an appeal to all club members who’d like to register to take part in the season’s upcoming league. The club covers the cost of entry to ALL races so there is NO COST TO YOU whatsoever. All we ask is that you make the effort to attend as many fixtures as possible. The race number you’ll receive at the first league fixture is yours for the entire season. Don’t lose it because you need it to race and a replacement will cost YOU a fiver!
Other important–non-league–fixtures are the North Eastern, Northern and National Championships as well as the Sherman Cup/Davison Shield league championship event. Once again, entry costs are covered by the club for ALL of these events.
As the season progresses, individual fixtures–league and non-league–will be promoted on Spond by a Cross-Country Captain as soon as they’re published by the organisers (they’ll also appear on this page along with the schedule of fixtures and results for the entire season).