Johnny.I e-mailed Bryan Speight.He said "FRA is an asscociation,not a club and does therefore not have a UKA number". I couldn't be bothered labouring the point so I entered through Fire Service athletics club. It does seem a bit odd that an FRA member should pay more than a club member at an FRA recognised event. Pedantic I know!!Originally Posted by Johnny Foreigner
It has been for the 30 years that I've been a member unless something has changed very recently?
Charging FRA members a £4 levy to enter a race published in the FRA calendar is taking the p1ss in my opinion. The only price quoted in the calendar is without the levy.
The unattached levy in road races used to be paid directly to the area association in lieu of the earnings levied by club affiliation fees to contribute towards the management of the sport. Unattached entries in fell races were never levied in this manner. So why is there a 25% price hike on the Three Peaks race??
This is of the FRA website.
It seems to confirm that unattached levies should not apply to fell running.
It also advises that non UKA club members of the FRA can apply for EA membership to avoid paying the levy in Road Races.
So either the Three Peaks is not a Fell Race and is run under UKA Road Race Rules - clearly not.
Or the unattached levy is not actually legitimate.
England Athletics Registration
Firstly, apologies to all Scottish, Welsh and Irish athletes reading this. As you can see from the title, this is only of any real concern to English Athletes.
What is EA? - England Athletics is the governing body which manages and develops Athletics in England, performing the same kind of duties as were performed by the AAA (and its regional bodies, e.g. NoEAA, SoEAA etc) in the past. Scottish Athletics, Welsh Athletics and Athletics Northern Ireland are the equivalent bodies in the other home nations.
Do I need to register with EA? – On the face of it, the answer is no. Fell races in England do not charge any levies on behalf of either England Athletics or the FRA. They are open to all runners who fulfil the organiser’s criteria.
However, if you want to count in either the English or the British fell running championships, then you must either be a member of the FRA or registered with England Athletics.
Other reasons to register - You can take part in other types of races (e.g. road races) without paying the levy, or, if you want to race abroad, you can use your EA card instead of paying for a doctor's "fitness-to-race" letter.
How much does it cost? - England Athletics have agreed that, for runners who are FRA members and not members of multi-discipline athletics clubs, then they will allow registration without any charge at all. Please note the proviso – this is not supposed to be a method of avoiding registration payment, rather it is for members of fell-only clubs who might wish to run the odd road race, or to race abroad.
How do I go about registering with the EA? - Simply write (email or post) to me, Alan Brentnall (contact details at the front of the magazine), expressing your desire to register, and supplying your full name, running club, address, date-of-birth and confirm that you are a member of the FRA. I will maintain a spreadsheet of registered members which I will copy to England Athletics normally once a year, just before the start of the year - although for 2009, I will probably need to make several deliveries while the process is bedding in
Can my club membership secretary do this for me? – Certainly, I am quite happy to accept bulk applications from club membership secretaries, providing all the necessary details are supplied.
I've entered the Three Peaks in previous years as an unattached FRA member without having to pay a levy.
It would seem fair to me to make it a condition of a race being publicised in the FRA calendar (and thereby taking advantage of the insurance cover) that FRA members are not charged an unattached levy.
Perhaps the FRA chairman could clarify the FRA's position on this?
After a bit of umming and ahing, decided to enter TP again. Only done AW once and reallly enjoyed it (and it is a classic fell race) but need some kind of long distance challenge to get me into shape for summer and possibly another AL in the Lakes (Borrowdale?), although also fancy doing Chevy Chase one year.
There is something about the TP that kind of keeps dragging you back. I think it's that Union Jack on the top of Whernside. Is it just me or does it give others a buzz after you have just slogged up (and cramped up) that climb? Although last year I was convinced that as I left the summit I wouldn't make the cut off at Hill Inn. I did, by about 5 mins. This year must do it in 4hr 45, would love 4hr 30 but not sure I can put the work in.
I'm in, gonna give it a go. Suffered in 2008 but got round and it wasn't much fun. Less carbs for breakfast this time!
Still not entered due to the coin situation. Only 200 places left, hoping to have the money before its full!
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