Cross Country

The WPA Cross Country league runs during the winter months with 6 league events and WPACC Championships taking place on a wide variety of courses. Each age group runs in a separate race, with specific distances for each age category from under 8 years to 80 years and older.

WHAT IS CROSS COUNTRY?

Cross Country is regarded by many as the purest form of the running sports. It does not require a highly technical artificial track or the need to mix congested traffic with the participants of Road Racing. It is cheaper than trail running and does not limit the numbers of entrants.

The sport is a “grass roots” discipline catering for all ages and abilities and is seen by many top athletes and coaches as an excellent platform on which to build a high level of stamina for track athletes and speed for road runners. Many top athletes started their careers in Cross Country and still return to the Sport during the Track and Field “off-season” to build strength and stamina for the new season. Cross Country complements road and track running, so most top middle and long distance track runners, as well as the top road runners in the world, run Cross Country.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

WPACC would like to thank the following:

• K3 Water & Energy Sachets
• Peninsula Beverages
• City of Cape Town

Without their generous assistance, Cross Country in our Province would be a lot poorer. Your support for these organisations would be appreciated.

GENERAL INFORMATION

League Programme 2023

• Subject to amendments
• SEE Championship Programme below (TBC)

Temporary Licence Numbers will be available at all meetings at R35 for seniors/masters and R15 for juniors

Juniors: All junior athletes are required to produce a certified copy of their birth certificates to be entitled for prize money and selection to WPA teams.

Athletes need to report to the start 30min before the start of their event for checking by technical officials.

Championship Programme (TBC)

Entries open to all WPA Clubs and School athletes who wish to participate.

Entries per event will close 20min before the scheduled start of that event.

Report to Start Holding Area 10min before the scheduled start.

Where Boys and Girls / Men & Women run together, the Boys / Men will start 3min before the Girls / Women

DISQUALIFICATION

Athletes are liable for disqualification for the following:

• crossing the finish line without a competitor sticker
• bad behaviour
• wearing another athlete’s race numbers
• not completing the full distance of the event.
• littering

ASA / SAMA CHAMPIONSHIP

Selection Criteria will be confirmed.

MIKE WALTERS TROPHY

The Mike Walters Trophy will again be presented to the club organising the best league meeting. A committee will be appointed to decide on the winning club. The winner will be announced at the WPA Awards at the end of the year.

Clubs who need any equipment can obtain it from the WPA Office by contacting equipment@wpathletics.co.za.

A FEW IMPORTANT WA RULES:

To have orderly Cross Country Meetings and to eliminate friction and unpleasantness through ignorance, the following few IAAF Rules are of great importance for Cross Country which is basically a team sport.

All clubs, coaches and parents should acquire the IAAF Rule Book which can be obtained from WPA or directly from ASA.

CLOTHING:

In all events competitors must wear clothing which is clean, designed and worn so as not to be objectionable. The clothing must be made of a material which is non-transparent even if wet. The competitors must not wear clothing which could impede the view of the judges. At all meetings competitors shall participate in the uniform clothing approved by ASA.

Note: Clothing means approved School, Club, Provincial or National Colours.

SHOES

Competitors may compete in bare feet or with footwear on both feet.

LICENSE NUMBERS

No person resident in South Africa may participate in a meeting subject to the regulations of ASA or any of its affiliated associations, unless on the date of the meeting concerned he is the holder of a licence which granted him permission to participate.

Both ASA licences must be worn visibly on the chest and back during competition.

ASSISTANCE TO ATHLETES

Any athlete giving or receiving assistance from within the competition area during an event shall be cautioned by the Referee and warned that for any repetition, he will be disqualified from that event.

No competitor is allowed to receive assistance or refreshments from any person during the progress of the race other than the water point. No persons, not officially instructed by the manager of the meeting, are allowed to give refreshments to athletes.

2023 WPA CROSS COUNTRY FIXTURE LIST 

* THE WPA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS WILL FOLLOW A DIFFERENT PROGRAMME

2022 – 2023 COMMISSION MEMBERS