PECO Cross Country League (2025/26): Race 3 (West Park Fields / Beckett Park)
Race Date: Sunday 4th Jan 2026
Race Times & Distances:
Junior XC Challenge (School Year 2 - 6): 10.00am, 1 mile approx.
Junior XC Challenge (School Year 7 - 12): 10.20am, 2 miles approx.
Senior Men (aged 16 and over*): 11:00 am, 4.5 miles approx.
Senior Ladies (aged 16 and over*): around 11:10am, 4.5 miles approx (please be in start area once men set off).
* Age groups for all 5 races in the season are based on age on 9/11/2025
Race Location:
The races all start and finish on West Park Fields adjacent to Spen Lane. Club tents can be assembled in the area shown on the map, between Spen Lane and the kids playground.
The races will start on West Park fields, near the football club building. Please stay off the football pitches while assembling for the start.
For the seniors, once the men's race has started the ladies should move to the start area immediately (as you cross the course to get to the start area). The ladies will set off once the back of the men's field has completed 1 lap.
Registration:
This will be in The Dalesman Pub, at the top of Butcher Hill and just off Spen Lane (LS16 5DD). Registration will be open from 8.45am – 9.45am for juniors, 9.00 – 10.40am for seniors. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE PREMISES WITH MUDDY FOOTWEAR OR CLOTHING EITHER PRE OR POST RACE.
If your club is a League member club AND you have registered for the race series online, you should NOT come to race registration: your race number will not be there – your League club representative will have it. You should collect it from them in accordance with the arrangements that your club has put in place. If these arrangements have not been communicated to you, please follow this up with your club rep / cross country captain BEFORE race day.
If you already have your race number, you do not need to come to Registration. If you don’t already have your race number, you should either pick it up from Registration or collect it from your club representative in the Start/ Finish field (or before race day), depending on the arrangements made by your club. If you want to register on the day to run as a ‘Guest’ for Race 1, or if you have lost / damaged your race number and need a replacement, then you do need to come to Registration.
Post Race Food:
Hot food will be provided by The Dalesman after the race. Please be patient whilst the staff dish out the large amount of servings, and don’t forget there is always someone else at the back of the queue.
Changing and Toilets: There are limited changing facilities in the Dalesman, but no showers. There is ample space on the playing fields to erect club tents for changing/shelter purposes (weather dependent). See course map for designated area.
This is a winter XC race. Ensure you bring warm clothing in something waterproof for after the race. If the weather is going to be windy we may not allow tents to be erected so ensure you prepare for not having shelter for bags of dry clothes etc. or to change after the race. It is recommended that you do not leave dry clothes in a shared car in case you cannot access them when you need them. Remember it may be cold and wet!
Toilet facilities will be available in the Dalesman Pub only. Please leave these as you would wish to find them. There must be no urination in the bushes etc on the field. This has caused significant upset with the locals in previous years.
Car Parking:
There is no designated car parking. There is good on-street parking available in the surrounding streets. Either around the housing estate near the tent area/finish or around Northholme Ave
Do not park on Spen Lane as this is a busy, narrow road and is on a bus route and particularly do not park on the verge alongside Spen Lane. The grass verge along Spen Lane will be signed as No Parking and marshalled.
PLEASE PARK WITH RESPECT TO THE LOCALS WHO LIVE THERE AS THEY MAY NEED ACCESS WHILST YOU ARE RUNNING. DO NOT PARK TO OBSTRUCT DRIVEWAYS AND CONSIDER THAT DRIVERS MAY NEED SPACE TO SWING IN OR OUT OF DRIVEWAYS.
JUNIOR COURSE – 1 mile and 2 miles (see map)
The Junior 1 Mile Race is one lap around the perimeter of the grass fields. After completing a lap, bear right past the kids playground to the finishing straight. The Junior 2 Mile Race will be two laps of the same course, again bearing right to the finish after 2 full laps. The fields are expected to be muddy and boggy in parts. The junior course is suitable for trail shoes, fell shoes or spikes.
SENIOR RACE – 4.5 miles (see map)
The first 1.4 miles will be on the West Park playing fields and follow the perimeter of the fields. This is a good chance to get yourself into position before the course narrows.
After a lap and a bit of the field you will enter the woods. On entering the woods the track is narrow and there is a large hole very close to the track on your right PLEASE TAKE EXTREME CARE HERE (there will be a marshal in the hole - please avoid joining them in the hole!). There will then be a sharp, rough descent before a sharp incline after a gap in the fence to negotiate. You then run down a woodland track where you enter Becketts Park and run alongside some school fencing. You then enter Batcliffe Woods, where there is a sharp 180 turn at the bottom to come back up to Becketts Park. You will do a small loop of the park before entering Becketts Park woods towards the Queen Victoria arch (grade II listed!)
You will then follow the green fence along the Leeds Beckett University Playing Fields and pass through a gate then down a hill to emerge onto West Park Fields where you have around 500 meters to the finish (given the current mud, it may feel like a very long 500m!)
We will have lots of marshals around the course and at any major problem areas to remind you of the route. The fields are expected to be extremely muddy. The route is ideally suited to trail or fell shoes. You can wear spikes if you decide, but the woods do have roots, stones and loose bits of wood which may be hidden by fallen leaves. There are also 6 narrow tarmac paths to cross. The route will be taped so far as possible.
The council have kindly given us permission to run the race, despite serious damage to the football pitches in previous years. We have been given 3 conditions
- All damage to grounds is repaired at our cost.
- All Marshals are briefed that football pitches are out of bounds.
- Consideration is given to the regular dog walkers, and crossing points for this are factored into the route and marshals are advised.
RUNNERS MUST BE CONSIDERATE TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO REGULARLY USE THESE PATHS/FIELDS AND WOODS EVEN IF THEY ARE ON THE COURSE DURING THE RACE.
PLEASE DO NOT RUN ON THE FOOTBALL PITCHES, WARM UP ON THEM, OR EVEN USE THEM AS A SHORT CUT FROM A TO B. WE ARE ALSO BEING MONITORED BY THE FOOTBALL TEAMS WHO LOST VALUABLE PLAYING WEEKS IN PREVIOUS YEARS
Horsforth Harriers and Abbey Runners - Jan 26
.png){kind=small}
