CROSS COUNTRY
Winter cross country
Two leagues, mud, hills, and a team result that depends on people turning up rather than on anyone being brilliant.
Where the club races
Vale of York enters both winter leagues every season: the PECO series and the West Yorkshire Cross Country League. They run on different weekends, so most people do some of each rather than choosing.
Both are scored by team as well as by individual, which changes the feel of it. Your finishing position is added to your team mates’, so turning up matters more than being fast. A mid pack finish on a cold Sunday is worth something to the club, which is not true of most road races.
Courses are off road and rarely flat. Spikes or trail shoes are the usual answer. Winter in Yorkshire being what it is, some of it will be muddy.
Coaching is led by England Athletics licensed coaches who are Enhanced DBS checked.
The details
- Season
- October to March across the two leagues
- Training
- Wednesday 7.00–8.00pm intervals at Bubwith, open to juniors from 12 upwards and to seniors
- Who competes
- PECO from Year 2 upwards. West Yorkshire from U12 upwards. Both run through to seniors and masters
- Distances
- By age group. In West Yorkshire, 2500m at U12 rising to 10km for senior men
- Registration
- England Athletics registration is required, and you must run for one club only
- Kit
- A club vest, and spikes or trail shoes
- Cost
- Club membership £14.50 a month with England Athletics registration included from U12 upwards. Entry to the full West Yorkshire series is £25, and a club vest is £25
- Coaches
- England Athletics licensed and Enhanced DBS checked
The two leagues
They are not the same thing, and it matters which one you start with. PECO is where children new to the sport should begin. West Yorkshire is a step up, and we tend to point our stronger age group athletes at it.
Start here · Year 2 and above
PECO
The more inclusive of the two, and much less intimidating for a child who has not raced before. Five races and a relays fixture around Leeds, with a junior league running on the same dates as the senior one.
- Junior league from Year 2 upwards, senior league from 16 on race day
- Senior races are one lap of roughly four and a half to five miles
- You must be a paid up member of an England Athletics affiliated club
- Entries are handled through RaceBest
Worth knowing: only advance and season ticket entries count for the league. Enter on the day and you run as a guest, scoring nothing for the team.
The step up · U12 and above
West Yorkshire Cross Country League
Five meetings between October and February, ten races at each one, with separate races for every age group from U12 through to seniors. Distances are longer and the fields are stronger, so this is where we send athletes who are ready for it.
- No U10 group. U12 is the youngest, and age groups are set as at 31 August 2027
- Distances run from 2500m at U12 to 10km for senior men
- £25 covers all five meetings, and you enter individually through SportSoft
- Four meetings needed to qualify for a league award
- England Athletics registration required, and a club vest must be worn
Fixtures for 2026 to 2027
Between them the two leagues cover most weekends from October through to March. Nobody does all of them.
PECO
These dates are provisional. They are subject to landowner permission and can move, so check with the club before travelling to one.
| Fixture | Date | Venue | Host and assistant clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 | Sunday 8 November 2026 | Temple Newsam | STAC and Nidd Valley RR |
| Race 2 | Sunday 13 December 2026 | Pontefract Park | Ackworth RR and Rothwell Harriers |
| Race 3 | Sunday 3 January 2027 | Middleton Park | Hyde Park Harriers and Kippax Harriers, co-hosts |
| Race 4 | Sunday 31 January 2027 | West Park and Beckett Park | Abbey Runners and Horsforth Harriers |
| Race 5 | Sunday 21 February 2027 | Roundhay Park | Chapel Allerton Runners and Roundhay Runners |
| Relays | Sunday 7 March 2027 | Middleton Park | Rothwell Harriers |
Every PECO fixture falls on a Sunday.
West Yorkshire Cross Country League
Entries close on Sunday 4 October 2026
You must be entered by then to race the first meeting on 11 October, and there are no entries on the day. Miss it and entries reopen afterwards for the remaining four. Talk to us first if you have not raced a league before, because PECO is usually the better place to start.
| Meeting | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting 1 | Sunday 11 October 2026 | Cliffe Castle, Keighley |
| Meeting 2 | Saturday 14 November 2026 | Thornes Park, Wakefield |
| Meeting 3 | Saturday 5 December 2026 | Middleton Park, Leeds |
| Meeting 4 | Sunday 17 January 2027 | Nunroyd Park, Guiseley |
| Meeting 5 | Sunday 14 February 2027 | Oulton Sports Club, Rothwell |
Note the mix of Saturdays and Sundays. Dates were amended in August 2026, so check the league’s own page before each meeting. All the venues in both leagues are in and around Leeds and Wakefield, so expect to travel.
Runners who want a team
You are running for other people, not just for a time. It is a different kind of Sunday.
Road runners in the off season
Winter strength that pays off when the roads and the track come back round.
Anyone who prefers fields
No traffic, no kerbs, no measured splits to be disappointed by.
Ask about cross country
Tell us what you run at the moment. You do not need cross country experience, and you do not need to be fast.
Ask about a place