Central Lancs Grand Prix
 

 

 

Background
The Central Lancs Grand Prix has been in existence for some years.  Swinton Running Club joined in 2002.  The aim of the Grand Prix is to encourage more runners to participate in road races.  In 2003, Carl Price of Swinton won Vet 45 category which was a superb result.  In 2004, Steve Doxey won both the overall Mens category and vet 40,  and if that wasn't good enough Steve wins 1st v40 AGAIN in last year's CLGP 2005.

Who takes part?
There are eight clubs that compete in the Grand Prix including Swinton.  The others are Burnden Road Runners, Chorley Harriers, Horwich RMI, Newburgh Nomads, Wigan Phoenix, Southport Waterloo AC and Radcliffe AC.   Lostock AC have joined the Central Lancs Grand Prix League, so we will be competing against them this year.

The first race in the Club Championship and the Grand Prix is the Lostock 6.

What races are in the series?
Each of the participating clubs put forward one of their own races and so there are nine races in the series.  For 2009, they are as follows:-
   

Central Lancs Grand Prix Race Dates

Lostock AC            Sunday 22nd February    6m            11.00 am

Radcliffe            Sunday 19^th April         10k                10.30 am

Wigan                  Wednesday 13^th May    4m                 7.30 pm

Chorley                Wednesday 3^rd June    4.4m (trail)    7.30 pm

Burnden               Sunday 7^th June         5m (trail)         10.30 am

Horwich               Wednesday 15^th July       5m              7.30 pm

Newburgh            Sunday 6th September    10k               11.00 am

Swinton                Sunday 27^th September   1/2m           8.30 am

Astley                   Sunday 11^th October         5m             11.00 am

 

What are the rules?
The rules are fairly simple to understand.  Runners have to be members of one of the participating clubs.  Each club must have at least 10 runners in each race.  All runners count - men, women and vets.  There is also a women's team competition with four to count.
The races are open races and so not all runners will be competing in the Grand Prix but points are awarded, to those that are, on the basis of their finishing position out of all the Grand Prix runners.  For instance, the first Grand Prix runner may finish 10th overall in the race but is awarded 1 point.  The second Grand Prix runner may finish in 16th position overall in the race and would be awarded 2 points, and so on.  Points awarded to the first twelve runners for each club are added together to give a score for the club.  Clearly, the club with the lowest score is the winner.  Similarly, the individuals with the lowest scores win their category.  There is a vets team award and so the first 6 vets for each club will not only count for the 'A' or 'B' teams, they will also count for the vets team.  So if you are a vet, there is even better reason for you to come and race the Grand Prix events.

Do I have to run all eight races?
No, but we would like you to.  To be eligible for individual awards you have to compete in six of the eight races - if you compete in all eight your six lowest scores will count towards your points total for the series.  However, penalty points are awarded to clubs who fail to field 10 runners in any races and so we really need you to run as many as possible. 

Are there any prizes?
There are team prizes for the first team, for the first 'B' team, the first vets team and the first women's team.  There are individual prizes in the following categories:-  
 

How do I enter the Grand Prix?
You do not need to register to run in the Grand Prix. You just enter each race in the normal way.  You should, of course, make sure you put your club down as Swinton Running Club on the entry form because the Grand Prix organisers will use that to work out the scores.  If you enter the Grand Prix races on the day of the race you will not be charged the levy which is normally around £1.  However, for the Swinton Half Marathon Autumn race it would be helpful if you could enter in advance as this eases the burden on helpers on the day of the race.  If you decide to enter on the day, you will be charged the extra £1 for our race.

How is the Grand Prix financed?
The Grand Prix is financed by the seven participating clubs.  For each of the races that you enter, 10% of your entry fee is donated to the Grand Prix prize fund.  For instance, this means that if there is 100 Grand Prix runners in the Swinton Half Marathon Autumn race each paying £5 entry fee, we will donate £50.

What about our own Club Championship?
We still run the Club Championship races which generally include most of the Central Lancs Grand Prix races as well.

What happens next?
Put those dates in your diary now!

Questions?
If you have any questions about the Grand Prix you can contact Steve Doxey