Borders Road Running League
The Borders League was set up in 1983 by seven small clubs from the North Wales and west Cheshire area, to provide friendly inter-club team competition through a series of road races over each winter. Founder members Deestriders, Helsby and Tattenhall still compete, whilst Whitby Heath merged in 1998 with CEPAC to become West Cheshire AC. Today, WCAC is one of seventeen clubs in the league. Races are restricted to member clubs, and are run seven times between October and the following May, over distances from 4 miles to 10K, providing good competition. Numbers taking part in each round in the 2013-14 season ranged from 230 to 340.
Although there is one race at the seven venues, results are split both into male and female, and into two divisions, with the emphasis on team (club) competition leading to relegation and promotion of two clubs at the end of each season. A club's first ten finishers in each round count towards league placings in the men's first division, while their first four runners count In the women's first division; respective male and female counters in the second division are seven and three. Veterans teams consist of a club's first six finishers, regardless of gender. Finishing positions from each race are added to produce a final points table for both clubs and individuals, with the club accumulating the lowest total winning the trophy for that year.
See Borders League website for information and results, and Borders League eligibility rules
Photos below: Before the opening races of the 2015-16 and 2014-15 seasons.