Grand Prix league

How the Grand Prix League works

The Farnham Runners Grand Prix is an internal competition based on participation in the two leagues that the club competes in.

The aims of the Grand Prix are to encourage friendly competition within the club giving runners of all abilities a chance of doing well in the competition and to encourage runners of all abilities to participate in the league races.

By competing in the Grand Prix, you may qualify for one of the Club London Marathon places (see below).

The two leagues that we compete in are:

  • Southern Cross Country League (SXCL) – these are free races to which you can just turn up (in a Farnham Runners vest) and run. They are 4.5 – 5.25 miles in length and are all within about 45 minutes drive away. There are 6 or 7 races per year, each hosted by a participating club. Runners of all abilities (except the very fastest) can run in them and they are great fun.
  • Hampshire Road Race League (HRRL) – these races generally require entry in advance and carry an entry fee (although club members get a £2 discount). They are a variety of distances: 5 mile, 10k, 10 mile and half marathon and races are generally within about one hours drive away. There are 12 races per year. Runners of all abilities participate in them, from county level runners at the top end down to social and charity runners at the more relaxed end of the scale.

All races qualify for Grand Prix points in the calender year in which they occur unless specifically indicated in the SXCL and HRRL fixture lists given above.

Runners of all abilities can do well in the Grand Prix! The keys to success are:

  • Run in as many races as you can
  • Keep improving and gain some Personal Bests (PBs).

Grand Prix League tables are posted in the club pages.

Qualifying races for 2023-24

All races in the SXCL and HRRL in the 2023-24 season.

Note that some race dates are not announced or confirmed by the respective leagues until later in the season.

Grand Prix rules for 2023-24

The following rules apply:

  1. The Grand Prix year goes from the beginning of September 2023 to end of June 2024 (all SXCL races and all HRRL races are included.)
  2. A runner’s 11* best points results across the races completed are included.
  3. For each gender, points are allocated as follows: 1st – 8 points, 2nd – 7 points, 3rd- 6 points, 4th- 5 points, 5th- 4 points, all other finishers – 3 points
  4. A runner can claim 2 bonus points if they have run a Personal Best (PB) in an HRRL race. They need to let Jane Georghiou know by email or by using our Facebook private pages within one week to claim their points.
  5. Prizes for the Grand Prix will be presented at the annual awards dinner. Trophies are given for first five men and ladies in the Grand Prix points table. Also, there will be a prize for the man and lady with the highest number of PBs in the year.
  6. It is the responsibility of each individual runner to ensure that he or she is fit enough to compete in each race, and that he or she feels confident of finishing.
  7. If, due to injury or other unforeseen circumstance, a runner does not finish, then it is solely at the discretion of the Team Captains whether one Grand Prix point is awarded and whether the race should count for that runner as an event towards the allocation of club marathon places. The Team Captains may defer this decision to the Farnham Runners Committee if they feel this is appropriate. The individual runner may appeal to the Committee, if he or she feels aggrieved by the Team Captains’ decision. The Committee will investigate the matter thoroughly and their decision will be final.

Allocation of Club London Marathon Places

A 2025 London Marathon Place will be awarded as follows:

    • You must have entered, and been rejected, for the London Marathon 2025.
    • You must have been a fully paid up member of Farnham Runners when you applied for the place in April 2024 and be a member for 2024-25.
    • The maximum number of Grand Prix races that count for London Marathon places is 11*. If no-one achieves 11* races within a gender group, then the qualifying number will be dropped to 10, then 9 etc. as necessary.
    • You must produce evidence of your rejection for 2025 to the Club Secretary once you receive it to be eligible for a place. The exact cut-off date is to be confirmed.
    • If you win a Farnham Runners ballot place, you cannot re-apply for a club place the following year or the year after (the committee will re-assess this rule on a year by year basis).
    • As for 2024 marathon, the eligible men’s and ladies’ names will be put in the same draw however many places Farnham Runners is allocated.

* This changed from 12 in February 2024, as the last cross-country of the season was cancelled, reducing the total number of road and cross-country league races to 17 from 18