Cross country races are held off-road, usually in parks or woodland and take place in the winter. Expect to have fun and to encounter hills, mud, trails, woods and tree roots, which means it’s great for strength and resistance training. Running conditions can vary greatly depending on the weather, with conditions ranging from firm under foot to quite the opposite! Cross country events attract large numbers and a wide range of entrants.
Dragons Running Club participates in the Manchester Area Cross Country League series, held annually between October and February. All abilities, ages and standards are welcome – it’s not just for the speedy ones! You can sign up on the Dragons area in Spond.
The races for 2025/26 are
- 11 Oct – Woodbank Park
- 22 Nov – Sefton Park
- 6 Dec – Woodbank Park
- 10 Jan – Tatton Park
- 7 Feb – Heaton Park
What is the Manchester Area Cross Country League (MACCL)?
The league consists of 5 events, each in a different location and hosted by a local running club. You don’t have to do all the races, you can even just do one if that’s all you can make, but of course you are encouraged to do as many as you can.
Each event has a male race and a female race. The men run around 6 miles or a little more whilst women run between around 5 and 6 miles.
What kit do I need?
It’s a requirement of MACCL that all runners must wear their club vest/top. You can purchase club kit here.
It is likely to be muddy, wet and slippery on some if not all the courses so it will definitely help if you wear spikes (spikes are running shoes designed specifically for running on grass and mud) or nobbly-soled trail shoes. However, this isn’t obligatory and if the weather has been good and the underfoot conditions are firm then lighter trail shoes or even road running shoes may be adequate. If in doubt, speak to a member who has run the course before.
How do the MACCL leagues and awards work?
For most of us, the joy of cross country is just taking part. However, there are awards up for grabs and the club itself competes against other running clubs in a league table. Awards include:
- Senior women team award– the times of the first 4 women from each team are added up and the team with the lowest time receives the highest number of points, the team with the second lowest time receives the second highest number of points and so on. Points from the different races (best from 4) decide where a team sits in league tables which are split into three different divisions. If a club has more than the number of runners needed to make a team the next 4 runners comprise a B team and the next 4 a C team and so on which sit in their own divisions. Awards are made to the teams finishing first in each division and often, also, for teams finishing second or third depending on the number of teams in that division.
- Veteran women team award – same as for the senior women team award apart from it is the times of the first 3 women aged 35 and above from each team that are added up.
- Senior men team award – same as for the senior women team award apart from it is the times of the first 6 men from each team that are added up
- Veteran men team award – same as for the senior women team award apart from it is the times of the first 4 men aged 40 and above from each team that are added up
- Individual awards – coming 1st, 2nd or 3rd in your age category.
How do I take part?
It’s a requirement of MACCL that all runners must be a club member (second claim members can only take part as a Dragon if their first claim club isn’t eligible to take part). There is no cost to you to take part – the club pays an affiliation fee to take part in MACCL and then pays an entry fee for each registered runner.
If you would like to take part in one or more cross country races, you can sign up in Spond. If you have any questions or would like to get further information from Dragons who’ve done cross country before, please speak to any of the Committee, one of the run leaders or email dragons@saledragons.org.uk. If you know for sure that you will be able to do at least one race, you can join the team at the start of the season (the deadline for entries is usually about 10 days before the first race). You can, though, join the team once the season has started but you will need to let us know about 10 days in advance of the race you want to take part in.
Volunteering
All the races are managed and marshaled by volunteers. Each club is asked to provide a few volunteers for at least one race.
And if you’re not running or volunteering, there’s a role for you as supporter, photographer and provider of tea and cake!
Dragons Running Club (Sale) 