Farmers with land on and around Pendle have made a plea to Clayton-le-Moors Harriers that runners, especially those accompanied by dogs, show more consideration to the sheep in the fields and on the fells at this time of year.

There are two problems:

Most ewes are pregnant at the moment. Extra stress caused by runners and their dogs can affect the unborn lambs and sometimes lead to stillbirth.

Because of the freezing temperatures, farmers are providing extra food for the sheep. Passing runners and dogs, especially those not on a lead, can cause the sheep to panic, trampling expensive food supplements into the snow or mud.

The farmers are asking runners to slow down when approaching flocks of sheep and to keep dogs on a lead when crossing fields and pastures. Although the farmers’ request was specifically about Pendle, I’m sure that it applies equally to all upland areas where FRA members might be training at present.

As a result of the anticipated increase in demand resulting from the cancellation of the Noon Stone race on the same day, this race will now be PRE-ENTRY ONLY BY FEB. 18TH. Limit 120. Currently 40 entries. Full details on http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=1878

The 2012 Pennine bridleway relay is cancelled due to their being ice on some sections of the route making it unsafe for the race to go ahead. The race will not be organised at a later date and teams will have their entry fee refunded.

Graham Wright ( Rossendale Harriers)

The race is full and entries on the day will not be possible. 

Wendy Dodds found a 3G Huawei mobile connect stick in one of the cups that she collected at the FRA do. Please email brett@phluidity.net if it is yours.

For clarification, the rule "Age is at 1st January in the year of competition" has been in place since 1996 and remains unchanged for 2012.

Once a runner becomes 18 they clearly become an adult and can enter senior races as a senior from their 18^thbirthday (although they can still be eligible for the U18 Junior Championship for the remainder of that Championship year because of the 1.1.XX rule).

GB

This item is only of 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 affiliated to EA, 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 email Debbie Thompson who handles all FRA membership enquiries (contact details in the Calendar, in the magazine and on the Committee page of this website), expressing your desire to register.  Please supply your FRA membership number (if known), your full name, running club, address and date-of-birth.

Can my club membership secretary do this for me? – Debbie will be happy to accept bulk applications from club membership secretaries, providing all the necessary details are supplied

Please note that for reasons beyond the control of the organiser the date of this race http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=1616 has had to be changed to Wed. 25th April from Tues. 24th April.

When a potential incident is being considered under the disciplinary process (FRA Rules for Competition-Rule 11) the club of the athlete is informed of developments. If a club shares the credit for a runner’s success a club cannot disassociate itself when its runners breach FRA Rules.

This approach also applies to junior runners and it could be argued that junior runners generally have a closer relationship with their club, particularly with a club coach, than do senior runners.

Recently the FRA Committee has become increasingly concerned (as has been reported in The Fellrunner) about the issue of “underage runners” and breaches of the distance limits for junior runners (FRA Rules for Competition- Rule 10). It has been reported to the FRA that some clubs have colluded in breaches, either deliberately or by failing to follow the proper race entry process.

The rules which apply to junior fell running are not necessarily the same as for other disciplines (XC/ Track/Road) but they are clear. Age on 1^st January in the year of competition (“1.1.XX” rule) and not age on race date the critical date for junior runners. Once a runner becomes 18 they clearly become an adult and can enter senior races as a senior from their 18^th birthday (although they can still be eligible for the U18 Junior Championship for the remainder of that Championship year because of the 1.1.XX rule).

Race Organisers, in order to register and insure their races with the FRA, agree to comply with FRA Rules. As do competitors or, in the case of juniors, the Parent/Legal Guardian.

Race Organisers need to have a race entry system that complies with Rule 10 for their own protection, that prevents misunderstandings and discourages any parent, coach or club entering a junior runner in a race beyond the allowed distance.

From 2012 therefore if a runner is under 18 the Junior Race Entry Form should be used (FRA Safety Requirements for Fell Races-Rule 8) for both senior and junior races, by the Parent or Legal Guardian. The Junior Entry Form includes Age on 1^st January in current year. FRA entry forms include sections that are mandatory and sections provided to assist race organisers e.g. email address, vehicle registration no. The FRA Committee is currently reviewing these forms to provide greater clarity between the two categories.

Clubs should take note that breaches of FRA Rules are also breaches of UKA Rules and therefore UKA is informed of disciplinary outcomes, including the name of the Club of the athlete involved.

FRA Chairman

20th January 2012

As a result of access problems, Todmorden Harriers have had to cancel this race which should have taken place on Sat. Feb. 25th. There are no plans to reinstate the event in future.