LEAGUE RULES

Race Entries
All clubs are to be given at least seven days notice of race entries opening, and the platform details that the race is operating on.

For the first seven days, entries will be open to members of LRRL clubs only. After this, an remaining entries will be open to the general public. This is to ensure clubs can maximise their entry sales.

Eligibility Rules
Runners will run and score for their first claim club.

Second claim runners can represent a LRRL club only if their first claim club is not a member of the League. If a runner has membership of two or more LRRL clubs, they can only represent their first claim club.

Example:-
Mohammad Farah is a first claim member of Newham & Essex Beagles and a second claim runner with Huncote Harriers. Mohammad is eligible to represent Huncote in the LRRL as his first claim club is not a member of the League. He can score points for himself, his team, and win prizes.

Charlotte Purdue is a first claim member of Desford Striders, and a second claim member of Fleckney & Kibworth. She is only eligible to run for Desford Striders in the League, and can only score points for herself, her team, and win prizes, under this club.

Non-LRRL runners who take part in races are removed from the LRRL set of results for scoring purposes and are not eligible for League prizes. They are still eligible for individual race prizes.

Example:-
Eliud Kipchoge (unattached) wins the Swithland 6. Chris Thompson (Hinckley RC) takes second place. Eliud takes the £100 prize money from the Swithland 6 organisers for winning the race. For the LRRL results, he is declassified and Chris Thompson is the race winner.

LEAGUE RULES - INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION

Points are awarded to race finishers in line with their gender finishing position.

First place receives 500 points, second place receives 499, third place 498 and so on in increments of one point per place. A quick way to calculate your individual points score in a race is to subtract your gender finishing position from 501.

Example:-

Jess Piasecki of Badgers finishes 89th in the Ladies race. Her score for the race is 412 (501 minus 89).

A runners age category will be dictated by their age as at the first race of each series. This is the case regardless of when the runner physically participates in their first race of the season. They will not change age category within the series.

In 2026, a runners best 8 of 12 scores will contribute to their final placing.

Prizes are awarded for following age categories:-

- U23 - 1st to 3rd place

- Seniors (23-39 years old) - 1st to 6th place

- V40 - 1st to 3rd place

- Repeat for all veteran categories upwards.

The LRRL managing committee reserve the right from time to time to change the prize placings subject to circumstances prevailing at the time.

Prize lists are published at the end of each season on League communication channels.

LEAGUE RULES - TEAM COMPETITION

There are five different teams' competitions that exist within the LRRL, which each have differing numbers of runners required to score.

These are:-

Male - six to score - all ages eligible
Female - four to score - all ages eligible
Veteran Male - four to score - 40+ years old
Veteran Female - three to score - 40+ years old
Mixed - eight to score, four males, four females - all ages eligible

All clubs in all categories are allocated into one of three divisions for competition, with promotion and relegation acting between each division.

A scoring team is the first number of specified runners over the line for a club - it is not set in advance of a race.

There are no restrictions on the number of age runners required in the Male, Female or Mixed teams. They can all be seniors if the first runners crossing the line for the club are all seniors.

If a runner turns 40 during a series, they automatically begin to score for their veteran team, even if as an individual they are still classified as a senior.

A B Team competition also exists, with the same team size for each category, which is the next set of runners crossing a line for a club. It is therefore impossible for a club's B team to outscore its A team.

A team's score is calculated by the sum of the finishing positions of its runners. Runners will therefore take points off other teams by virtue of where they place in comparison to their rivals.

At the end of a race, all the team scores are calculated and then ranked by the lowest team score per division. They then score league points based on these scores. League points are awarded on a highest to lowest basis.

Teams that do not have the required number of runners to make up a full team will still score league points, but they cannot outscore a team with a full complement of runners. Therefore, a club only needs one runner finishing to score some team points in a race.

If a club has no runners finishing, it will not score any points at all.

Team points are awarded in increments of one, with the exception that a team finishing second in its division in a race will receive an extra point, and a team finishing first will receive an extra two points. This is designed to reward clubs for good performances, and to punish clubs that do not field teams.

In the event two teams in the same division tie on scores in a race, they will be awarded joint points as an average of the two points scores they would receive if separated.

Across the season, the club with the highest number of league points will win their division, whilst those with the lowest points score finish bottom.

In 2026, a teams best 9 of 12 scores will contribute to its final total.

At the end of a season, the bottom two teams from Divisions One and Two are relegated to the division below, with the top two teams from Divisions Two and Three promoted into the division above.

Prizes are awarded as follows:-

Division One - 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Division Two - 1st and 2nd
Division Three - 1st and 2nd
B Division - 1st place only