Originally Posted by
IainR
Anyone have a online link for the distances/ascent allowed at each age group for juniors?
Links on fell junior site seem to be down
Cheers
Iain
Found it Iain, this is a portion quoted from SHR Website:
Although the recommendations in the rest of this document only have the
status of guidelines, it is mandatory that the UK Athletics rules are followed in
any
scottishathletics permitted hill race. Rule 410 applies particularly to junior
hill races and reads as follows:
Race organisers must stipulate age limits for their events but the following limits
for younger runners must be observed:
a) The minimum age limit for competition is 6 years on the day of the race.
b) The maximum distances for younger runners shall be:
Ages on 1
st January Maximum distance
in year of competition
Under 8 years I km
Under 10 years 2 km
Under 12 Years 3 km
Under 14 Years 5 km
Under 16 Years 6 km
Under 18 Years 10 km
3. Ascent and Descent
3.1. The main factor that distinguishes hill racing from the other endurance
athletics disciplines is the significant ascent and descent involved. It is,
therefore, important that this element should be provided in all hill race
courses, including those designed for juniors. However, junior courses
should not place excessive physical demands on the participants. Melantee
and Glamaig are examples of excellent senior races which, although short
enough to qualify as U14 and U16 junior courses respectively under a literal
interpretation of UK Athletics Rule 410, are far too steep and demanding to
be suitable for these age groups.
3.2. The recommended guideline for junior courses is that the total amount
of ascent for up and down courses should be between 5% and 7.5% of the
length. For example, a course 2 km long should have between 100 m and
150 m of ascent whilst one 5 km long should have between 250 m and 375 m
of ascent. The ascent and descent should generally be spread throughout
the course so that the distinctive hill running character predominates.
Courses with a long flat run in to the hill will not generally be suitable for
junior hill races. If they have the recommended amount of ascent for their
length they are likely to be excessively steep on the hill section. If they do
not, they will be predominantly road races in character rather than hill races.
4. Terrain
4.1. It is recommended that junior courses should normally have marked
routes and should follow paths or reasonably straightforward terrain. Rugged
terrain with boulder fields, crags or excessively steep slopes should be
avoided.
5. Course Combinations
5.1. It will rarely be practicable or appropriate to provide a full range of
separate courses for all junior age groups. So long as the maximum lengths
set out in UKA rule 410 are not exceeded, courses can provide suitable
competition for a combination of age groups. In deciding how to combine
age groups, it is worth bearing in mind that boys and girls differ in how their
strength to weight ratio develops through their teens. It may, therefore, be
appropriate to provide shorter courses for girls than for boys in the U16 and
U18 age groups.
5.2. Two sets of course combinations are suggested in these guidelines.
One is suggested for events particularly aimed at juniors, for instance the
Scottish Junior Championships and the Junior Home International Trial. The
other is suggested for organisers of senior races wishing to provide a real hill
running experience for juniors without excessive additional course marking.
5.3. The suggested course combinations for up and down races aimed
particularly at juniors are as follows:
Age Groups Length (approx) Ascent (approx)
U12B, U12G, U10B, U10G 2 km 100 m
U14B, U14G 4 km 200 m
U16G 5 km 250 m
U16B, U18G 6 km 350 m
U18B 8 km 500 m
5.4 The suggested course combinations for junior up and down races held in
conjunction with senior races is as follows:
Age Groups Length (approx) Ascent (approx)
U12B, U12G, U10B, U10G 2 km 100 m
U14B, U14G, U16B, U16G, U18B, U18G 5 km (max) 300 m
It should be noted that this arrangement is designed to cater for the full range
of age groups with the minimum number of courses and inevitably results in
some compromises. This particularly applies to the course for U14 to U18
which will be at the long end of the acceptable range for the U14 competitors
and on the short side for the U18 boys. Inexperienced or weak U14
competitors should be advised that they may prefer to run the U12 course.
Strong U18 competitors may prefer to run the senior course and so long as it
does not exceed the 10km maximum specified in UKA rule 410 there is no
reason why they should not do so.
5.5 All advance information and details supplied to publishers of fixture
calendars should state the length and climb for each course provided and the
age groups appropriate to each course. For the example in paragraph 5.4
above, this would take the following form:
Long Junior: 5.0 km, 300 m U18B, U18G, U16B, U16G, U14B, U14G
Short Junior: 2.0 km, 100 m U12B, U12G, U10B, U10G
6. Layout of Courses
6.1 It is recommended that junior courses should be clearly marked on the
ground and that maps of the courses should be made available to
participants. The amount of marking can be minimised if courses share as
many common elements as possible. With a simple out and back course
design, it may be possible to use the same basic route for all courses with
turning points at different locations as required. It is quite common for senior
courses to start and finish with a flat section of a mile or so to and from the
hill. If junior courses are to be combined with this type of senior course, it
may be necessary to arrange a separate start and finish point closer to the
bottom of the hill.
Regards,
Max.
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