33rd Annual Cross-country Running Series for Schools

Jamie Morry Memorial Soccer Field, Bowring Park, St. John's
Sep 19, Sep 26 & Oct 3, 2026
(1993 - 2026)

2026 Overall Series Standings



Competition and Sportsmanship

START AND FINISH LINES LOCATION

All races will now start and finish at Jamie Morry Memorial Soccer Field, Bowring Park.

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Weather Information
ST. JOHN'S WEATHER

All races will go ahead rain or shine.

About

The Cross-country Running Series for Schools is organized by the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association (NLAA) and is held annually on the last two Saturdays in September and the first Saturday in October.

The meets are open to students competing in the designated categories and offer individual and team competition. All students are eligible to win individual awards, but only NLAA affiliated schools can score in the team competition. Schools are not asked to designate their team members as the top four finishers will score. Schools can register their teams, or individual students can sign-up independently. Schools can enter an unlimited number of participants.

Shelter - There is no shelter on site. Please come prepared for all weather conditions. All races will go ahead, rain or shine. Throughout the 33rd year of history of the Cross-country Series, we had the following cancellations or postponements: the 2020 Series was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; during the 2021 Series, Meet #1 was rescheduled due to Hurricane Larry, and Meet #3 was cancelled due to lightning.

GOOD TO KNOW:

  • Announcements: Last-minute announcements on meet delays or cancellations will be made on the NLAA Facebook and Twitter accounts.
  • New START / FINISH AREAS: Jamie Morry Memorial Soccer Field, Bowring Park
  • Online Registration Only! No in-person registration, No event day registration.
  • Regular and Late registration periods:
    - Regular: Sunday through Thursday before each meet;
    - Late: Friday with a $10 late fee, before 2:00 pm.
  • Mixed competition: Participants in Grade 7, Grades 8-9, and Grades 10-12 categories will have a separate start; however, girls and boys will run together and be ranked separately.
  • Digital Certificate of Participation.
  • Competition categories will be based on school grades.
  • Grade 4 Girls will start at 9:00 am; subsequent starts will be approximately 20 minutes apart.

Parking, Entrance and Access to the Park

Bowring Park is located in the Waterford Valley, St. John's. No Change rooms on-site.

Participants and spectators should use the Western entrance Parking Lot to park and enter the Park. Walk to the field.

Please comply with all on-street parking restrictions. The City of St. John's will ticket vehicles that are parked in violation of posted parking restrictions. Vehicles that are deemed to be obstructing traffic will be towed.

Vehicle access to Bowring Park is limited to service vehicles. Vehicles are not permitted on landscaped areas. Vehicles access is not permitted during the event.

Click here to learn more about Bowring Park.

Team Scoring Rule

Scores are determined by summing the top four individual finishing places on each team. Points are assigned equal to the position in which they cross the finish line; the team with the lowest score wins.

Displacers: While we allow unlimited entries per school, only the places of the top four runners will be recorded toward the team results; all other team members from the same school will be assigned points allowing them to “displace” scoring runners from other teams.

Participants from non-affiliated schools and teams with less than 4 members will not be assigned team points.

Benefits of School Affiliation

Team Competition
Only affiliated schools can participate as a team and be eligible to win team awards.
Day-Permit Fees Waived
Students from affiliated schools save $1 (Day Fee) off individual registrations for school events.
Stay Connected
Schools affiliated with NLAA receive email communications and can stay informed on upcoming events.

* Schools can avail themselves of the benefits only when they affiliate with NLAA and cannot retroactively claim team points and discounts.

Categories & Distances

(categories based on school grades New)

  • Boys and Girls
  • Grade 4 (Born in 2017) - 1400m
  • Grade 5 (Born in 2016) - 1400m
  • Grade 6 (Born in 2015) - 1400m
  • Grade 7 (Born in 2014) - 1900m
  • Grades 8 and 9 (Born in 2012 or 2013) - 1900m
  • Grades 10 - 11 - 12 (Born in 2009 through 2011) - 2500m

Race Course

All races will be held on the trails of Bowring Park. The course is hilly; most of the trail surface is covered with gravel. The racecourse is NOT suitable for using spikes. The course is marked with orange ribbons, flags, and traffic cones – the approximate length of the course loops is 1400m, 1900m, and 2500m. There will be no Course Tour.

Registration and Fees

Registration
- Online registration & payment only. there is no in-person registration!
- Students must register for each meet they take part in; new race numbers will be issued upon registration.
- Participants will be disqualified for using previously assigned numbers.
Fees (per meet and per participant)
- Regular - $8.00 ($7.00 members) - Sunday through Thursday before the meet;
- Late - $18.00 ($17.00 members) - by 2:00 pm on Friday before the meet.

Members receive $1 discount for NLAA affiliated schools or NLAA competitive members, that enter school code or membership # during the registration process.

Bib number pick-up

On-site, race day, at the BIB PICK-UP STATION after 8:00 am!

Location: By the accessible parking area located near the maintenance area off MacNab’s Lane.

Runners will not be allowed to participate in the race and/or will be disqualified for running without a number.


Technical Notes

  1. Course tour - there will be no course tour!
  2. Athletes can ONLY compete in the category determined by their SCHOOL GRADE. It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that their athletes compete in the correct race. In cases where athletes compete in the incorrect category, they will be disqualified.
    • Grade Exceptions: students attending a grade different than their age. In such cases, teachers/coaches/parents must notify the NLAA office immediately after completing the student’s event registration; E-mail nlaaoffice@gmail.com or leave a message 709-576-1303.
  3. Athletes can represent their school only and can not compete for another school.
  4. Headphones and earbuds are not allowed! Athletes wearing headphones/earbuds will be asked to comply with the rule or be disqualified.
  5. Bib numbers will be issued to all competitors; athletes must wear their bibs worn visibly on their chest (not belly). The race number must be worn as issued and may not be crumpled, cut, folded or obscured in any way. DO NOT REMOVE THE AFFIXED BARCODE LABEL!
    barcode.jpg - 6kb
  6. Athletes must be at the start area no later than 10 minutes before their event’s scheduled start.
  7. DO NOT JUMP THE CHUTE - All points are tabulated based on the athlete's finishing position. Therefore, after crossing the finish line, athletes must stay in line and keep the order of finish until the END of the chute, where a finish line official records their number.
  8. The FINISH TIMES are recorded at the front of the chute. The ORDER  is recorded at the end of the chute. After crossing the finish line, participants MUST stay in line, in arrival order, and MUST NOT PASS other runners while in the chute. To avoid bottle-necking the finish line, participants must keep WALKING forward in the chute until they exit.
  9. Athletes will be disqualified (DQ) when they:
    • wear another participant’s race number
    • start the race early, or take shortcuts during the race
    • do not go through the chute to have their number recorded at the end
    • cross the finish line without a number, or if the number is not prominently displayed on their chest
    • compete in the incorrect category/race
    • use a number assigned to a previous race.
  10. Where possible, we will notify athletes of their DQ. This is generally not possible for people who skip the finish chute. You have from the end of your race until the start of the next race to make any protests.
     
REGISTRATION

awards

Meet Awards

Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals will be awarded in each race to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in each category.

Team scores will be kept in all races but no meet awards will be presented; however, overall Series awards will be given at the end of the Series.

Overall Series Awards

The overall series awards are based on the best 2 placings out of 3 races in each applicable category. Only NLAA affiliated schools are eligible for team awards.

Individual
- Category Winners
- Digital Certificate of Participation.
Team
- The "Paul McCloy" Award
- School Category Awards
- School with the Most Participants

Visit the Overall Awards page for more information on the Series Awards and for a list of award winners.

contact us

For information on the Cross-country Series or other programs offered by the NLAA, please contact us at:

call us

709-576-1303

office location

NLAA, The Didham Building, 1296 A Kenmount Rd, Paradise NL A1L 1N3

email

athletics@nlaa.ca