Cross Country (XC) 2026/27 Season

Whether you’re an experienced cross-country runner or trying XC for the first time, here’s your complete guide to the 2026/27 cross-country season with Tiptree Road Runners.

Jump to: Essex Cross Country League | NESS Cross Country League | Essex Cross Country Championships

Important: You must wear an official red and black Tiptree Road Runners club vest or t-shirt. Tiptree 10 race t-shirts and TRR fluorescent training tops are not permitted. This is an organiser requirement and failure to wear the correct club kit may result in disqualification.

If you have a question about any of our events, Stuart Collett, our TRR Events Coordinator, will be more than happy to help. To get in touch with Stuart, use the Contact Us page and select ‘Events’ from the drop-down list.

Essex Cross Country League (Saturdays)

Website: Essex Cross Country League

Facebook: Essex Cross Country League Facebook Group

2026/27 Fixtures

  • 10 October 2026 – Hylands Park, Chelmsford, hosted by Chelmsford AC and City of Southend AC (Results)
  • 24 October 2026 – One Tree Hill, hosted by Thurrock Harriers and Pitsea Running Club (Results)
  • 05 December 2026 – Gloucester Park, Basildon jointly hosted by Basildon AC, City of Southend AC
  • 16 January 2027 – Hilly Fields, Colchester, Colchester jointly hosted by Colchester Harriers AC and Colchester and Tendring AC
  • 13 February 2027 – Hadleigh Country Park jointly hosted by Leigh-on-Sea Striders and SSAthletics

Race Information

  • 10:00 – U12 Boys and Girls (yr 5, 6 & 7)
  • 10:30 – U14 Boys and Girls
  • 11:00 – U16 Boys and Girls
  • 11:30 – U18 Men and Women
  • 12:00 – U20 and Senior Women
  • 12:45 – U20 and Senior Men

How It Works

  • Race entry for Essex Cross Country League fixtures is via the Roster Athletics portal website or app by 3pm on the day before race day.
  • If you competed last season, you may already be registered. Check the participants list before registering again.
  • If you’re new, register through the portal. You’ll receive one race bib for the season, which must be used at every fixture.
  • Tiptree Road Runners pays the league entry fee, so members can run any league fixture.
  • The official red and black TRR club vest or t-shirt must be worn.
  • Your race number must be worn at every fixture.

Essex XC League Scoring Explained

  • Race scoring: Runners score points equal to their finishing position (1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, etc.).
  • Team scoring: The lowest combined points total wins. Teams generally score four runners per age group, except Senior Men Divisions 1 and 2, who score six, and Under 12s, Under 18s and Veteran Women, who score three.
  • Incomplete teams: Teams with missing scorers are placed below complete teams. Teams with the same number of missing runners are ranked by their total points.

NESS Cross Country League (Sundays)

Website: NESS Cross Country League

Facebook: NESS Cross Country League Facebook Page

2026/27 Fixtures

  • 25 October 2026 – Halstead Road Runners (Info | Results)
  • 15 November 2026 – Great Bentley RC (Info | Results)
  • 22 November 2026 – Springfield Striders
  • 24 January 2027 – Braintree & District AC
  • 21 February 2027 – Harwich Runners

Further race-day information will be published before each fixture.

Race Information

  • Start time: 10:45am
  • Distance: Approximately 5 miles
  • Men and women race together with separate finish funnels.
  • Please hand your finish token to the TRR scorer after finishing.
  • Tiptree Road Runners covers the entry fee (£6.50) for members who run.
  • The official red and black TRR club vest or t-shirt must be worn.

NESS Scoring Explained

  • Individual scoring: 1 point for first finisher, 2 for second, 3 for third, and so on.
  • Pool A teams comprise 8 men and 4 women.
  • Pool B teams comprise 6 men and 3 women.
  • Team scores are the combined finishing positions of the scoring runners.
  • Incomplete teams receive penalty points equal to the number of finishers plus one point for each missing runner.

Essex Cross Country Championships

Essex Athletics organises three county cross country championship events each season: the Cross Country Relays, the Veterans Championships and the Essex Cross Country Championships.

This season, the events are subject to a hard cap of 600 athletes, imposed by the landowners. This means entries will be limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Once the cap is reached, Essex Athletics will maintain a waiting list to fill any places that become available due to withdrawals.

Further information will be available on the Essex Athletics website.

2026/27 Championship Fixtures