Preston Harriers are members of the Mid-Lancs Cross Country League and race entry is free to all club members. There are usually five or six races, held on a Saturday throughout the season from October to March. Each age group run in their own races from under 11 girls and boys through to senior veteran men and women. Individual and team prizes are awarded at the end of the season.
Other Championship Races include the Lancashire, Northern and National Cross Country Championships.
Please contact the Cross Country Coordinator if you wish to know anything further about cross country running at Preston Harriers.
There are training groups to cater for all abilities and ambitions, with a clear pathway for runners to move through the groups as their performances improve, or to drop down a group after recovering from an injury, a long layoff, or reduced fitness.
There are 3 Senior training groups to cater for all standards, as used in Road Training
Advanced (A) – Aimed at runners with a 5K time of sub 17:00, 10K sub 36:00 or 10 miles sub 60:00.
Club (C) – For more experienced runners aiming to improve their racing times or continue racing in Veteran age groups.
Aimed at runners with a 5K time of sub 23:00, 10K sub 50:00 or 10 miles sub 80:00.
Beginner/Running Fitness (F) – For newcomers to running or those who wish to run to keep fit, but not necessarily race.
These sessions are open to all senior members who wish to train and race. Runners should wear cross country spikes, trail, or fell running shoes. Training is every Saturday during the cross country season, except on race days for Mid Lancs, Lancashire, Northern and National Cross Country fixtures.
If you have any questions about a session contact the respective coach or for general questions about training, please contact the Cross Country Coordinator.
Start Date: Sat. 4th Oct.
Start Time: 9.00 am
Venue: Worden Park, Leyland
Suitability: (A), (C) & Over 17’s
Coach: Ian Dandy
This is a fartlek and hill rep session on real cross country terrain on grass with mud and hills. It is mainly aimed at fairly advanced, competitive runners, although all abilities welcome.
There are training sessions for juniors in the endurance coaching set up, and for juniors who are part of the general sessions.
Runners should wear ordinary trainers for warm up session followed by cross country spikes, trail or fell running shoes. For newcomers football boots are satisfactory. Wear suitable kit for winter weather.
Training is every Saturday during the cross country season, except on race days for Mid Lancs, Lancashire, Northern and National Cross Country fixtures.
Start Time: 9:45am Warm Up, 10:15 Start
Venue: Avenham Park Cafe
Coach: Peter Crook
Junior session.
Date | Location |
10/10/26 | Crooklands Showground, Kendal |
14/11/26 | TBC |
28/11/26 | Sefton Park, Liverpool |
16/01/27 | Lawsons Ground, Blackpool |
13/02/27 | Hyndburn (TBC) |
06/03/27 | Towneley Park, Burnley |
For all races except Race 3 at Liverpool
| Race | Start Time | Distance |
| U10 Girls | 11.30 | 1.6K |
| U10 Boys | 11.45 | 1.6K |
| U12 Girls | 12.00 | Up to 2K |
| U12 Boys | 12.15 | Up to 2.5K |
| U14 Girls | 12.30 | 3K |
| U14 Boys & U16 Girls | 12.50 | 3.5K |
| U16 Boys & U18 Women | 13.10 | 5K |
| U18 Men, U20 Women, Senior Women & V70 Men | 13.30 | 6K |
| U20 Men & Senior Men | 14.15 | 9-10K |
There are 6 fixtures in the league, with age group races from Under 10 boys and girls to Veteran Men 70. The races are free to enter for all club members. You must be a fully paid-up member of Preston Harriers for this season (from April 2026), and you must have an England Athletics Registration Number for the 2026-27 season. This must be done before the team manager(s) are able to submit your Mid Lancs League entry.
A race number is issued for the season and must be kept and worn at all races, except for the BA Cross Challenge fixture at Liverpool, where separate numbers are issued.
For all runners who wish to run in the Mid Lancs Cross Country League for the 2026-27 season you must enter via the team manager, by Wed 16th September. There is no fee to run in the races if you enter by this date. It will still be possible to enter races after this date, but you must do this individually online and the cost is £1 (+Admin fee) per race.
The information required for the entry is your Full Name (first and second names are fine), date of birth and England Athletics Registration Number. There is no EA Reg No. for the U11 age group.
To enter you must fill in the form below by Wed 16th September.
Preston Harriers MLCC Entry Form
If you have any queries, please contact the Senior Cross Country Team Manager or Junior Cross Country Team Manager. Please do not contact the team managers directly to request entry.
Preston H. compete in the Lancashire, Northern and National Cross Country Championship races.
Date | Championship | Location |
|---|---|---|
12/12/26 | Lancashire | Towneley Park, Burnley |
23/01/27 | Northern Athletics | Witton Park, Blackburn |
20/02/27 | English National | Thoresby Estate, Newark |
Runners can enter these Championships individually. There is no team manager entry.
The Senior Club Cross Country Championships will be the 6 races in the Mid Lancs Cross Country League, with 4 out of 6 races to count (or 3 out of 5 if there are only 5 races in the series).
Categories:
Overall Male / Female
MV40, MV50, MV60
FV35, FV45, FV55
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd & 3rd Overall Male & Female and 1st in each age category, subject to the number of competitors.
The following trophies are presented annually:
Trophy | Awarded for |
|---|---|
Chester Trophy | Senior Men’s Champion |
Shield | Ladies Champion |
Cross Country Shield | Vet 40 Men’s Champion |
Cross Country Trophy | Vet 35 Ladies Champion |
Clarkson Cup | 1st Senior Man at National CC Champs |
National Award | 1st Senior Woman at National CC Champs |
