It’s nearly PECO time! PECO Race 1 is at Temple Newsam next Sunday 8 November, hosted by St Theresa’s and Nidd Valley Road Runners. Temple Newsam means two things for the seniors: hills and the water jump.
I say water jump, but we’ve only ever had one athlete jump it and that was our cover star Sam Gunning. For everyone else, there’s no elegant way through it. You can attempt to clear it, as some do and mostly fail, or you can accept your fate and run straight in. Either way it’s a formidable challenge and always the bit you talk about afterwards over hot chocolate and cakes.
What fun would it be if you took the bridge to the left and bypassed the crossing completely?
Enter PECO today if you can
There are two entry deadlines and the first one is today Sunday 1 November.
If you enter by the end of today your name gets printed on the front of your race number. The league orders the numbers first thing on Monday morning, so after tonight you get a plain one and no one can cheer you on as you ascend from the swamp.
Online entry closes for Race 1 at 2.00pm on Friday 6 November. After that you can still run, but only as a guest, which means no individual series points and no counting towards the team score. The league is firm that there will be no exceptions, whatever the circumstances.
Enter here with RaceBest now:
Your entry is a season ticket that covers all five races in the league series and the PECO Relays in March. It’s just £17 for seniors and £8 for juniors. You collect your number from the club at the first race and then keep it for the season. For seniors, you need to be a paid-up Vale of York member and registered with England Athletics. Juniors just need Vale of York membership.
The juniors: this one matters
The league is introducing junior team tables this season. Vale of York’s proposal for junior team tables went to the PECO AGM and was agreed in principle, with the scoring details now being worked out by the league’s junior coordinator and the junior club representatives.
We argued that junior running should be a team sport with a focus on club participation and not just a line of individual results. The league agreed, but at the moment we have 31 juniors entered against 50 last year.
So this is the ask. If your child ran PECO last season, enter them again. If they have never done it, this is the one to start with: the races are short, they are chip timed, and there is a Vale of York tent full of people who will shout for them and welcome them back after the race with cake and hot chocolate with squirty cream and marshmallows and all the trimmings.
Two junior races, both before the senior race, and neither of them goes anywhere near the water:
- One mile for those who will be 7 to 11 on 31 August 2027, normally school years 2 to 6.
- Two miles for those who will be 12 to 16 on 31 August 2027, normally school years 7 to 11.
Each of those races is split into four categories for prizes, boys and girls:
- One mile: Under-10 for those who will be 7 to 9 on 31 August 2027, Under-12 for those who will be 10 or 11.
- Two miles: Under-14 for those who will be 12 or 13 on 31 August 2027, Under-17 for those who will be 14 to 16.
The 2027 dates are not a misprint. UK Athletics moved to even age categories in April 2026, but PECO is using the same school year groups as before.
The seniors: promotion has raised the bar
Our women go into this season in the Premier division, after back-to-back promotions. The women’s team has been the standout success of our PECO campaign, but the achievement comes at a price: all Premier division women’s teams need eight runners to score at every race. The men are in the Second division, where seven count, and have some catching up to do.
We have 23 seniors entered so far. We need more to cope with injuries, illnesses and absences.
One change this year. England Athletics now requires the league to split the senior races by size, either into separate men’s and women’s races or by using staggered starts. PECO has gone for staggered starts. At Temple Newsam the women will start ten minutes after the men. Later races may set a different gap, and at some venues the women may go first, so check each time. The senior races start at 11.00 usually and the juniors at 10.00.
The season
| Race 1 | Sunday 8 November | Temple Newsam |
| Race 2 | Sunday 13 December | Pontefract Park |
| Race 3 | Sunday 3 January | Middleton Park |
| Race 4 | Sunday 31 January | West Park / Beckett Park |
| Race 5 | Sunday 21 February | Roundhay Park |
| Relays | Sunday 7 March | Middleton Park |
Five races, from Year 2 upwards, it’s the most inclusive cross country league around. Enter now if you have not done so already. Then next Sunday find our tent, collect your number, and let’s get muddy!
