Road Kill XC Relay

4 X 2 MILE CROSS COUNTRY RELAY 

"GET OFF THE ROAD"

Hosted by Trail Racing Over Texas and Hardloop Endurance. The Road Kill XC is the 2024 HARRA Fall Series cross-country team event for all ages, clubs, and teams (not just HARRA clubs). 

EVENT INFO

TROT XC is back! Trail Racing Over Texas, in partnership with Hardloop Endurance, is proud to be hosting the 2024 Houston Area Road Runner's (HARRA) Cross Country Relay, as part of the Fall series of races. The four-person, eight-mile relay event (two-mile legs), is open to all runners (not just HARRA). Gather a team of four, select your division, and join us for a fun cross-country meet, just like the high school days. We will do one start for all teams at 8 AM.

Location and Course: 

Bear Creek Park - Baseball Field 7 Parking (SE corner) look for porta-cans and tents on grass. Google Map Pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Jri6zA4bqNNtjvjA8

Park gates may be closed until 7 AM to War Memorial St, wait at entrance for opening. Setup will begin at 7 AM, please be patient for packet pickup until we are ready. Team captains may pickup for their team. 

The course will be parked with chalk paint, pin flags, and marking tape. Course is wheeled for accuracy to road race certification standards and will be exactly 3,222 meters (1% / 3m over 2mi), your GPS may read differently. The course is mainly firm grass, spikes are allowed but not common for this event.

Team Categories / Divisions

We will have several different divisions your team can compete in, please ensure all your team members meet the requirement for that division (For example: a masters team must have all four members 40 years old or older on event day). During online registration, you will be asked what division you would like to compete in, you can change this before race day as long as all members meet the selected division requirements.

• ​Open / General (no specific division) Age 10+
• Youth Boys (under 18) Ages 10-17
• Youth Girls (under 18) Ages 10-17
• Open Coed Division (2+ Women)
• Open Men's
• Open Women's
• Master's Men (All Men, Ages 40+)
• Master's Women (All Women, Ages 40+)
• Veteran Men (All Men, 50+)
• Veteran Women (All Women, 50+)
• 60+ Men's and Women's
• 70+ Men's and Women's

During online registration, you will also be asked:

HARRA Club or Team Affiliation: If you are part of a HARRA club and would like to be eligible for the HARRA XC division you should put the club name here during registration. Example: "Hardloop Endurance". If you are not a HARRA club, you can put a USATF Team/Club, High School, College, Company, Social Group, N/A, etc. This is not the section for your team name. 

Relay Team Name: This section during registration is where you get to be creative and come up with your own team name. The captain will set the name and invite the other three members. Names that do not meet the RRCA community standards, or are offensive, will be removed. We have a sense of humor and are adults, just keep it in line.

Relay Rules

The Road Kill XC event is a USATF Sanctioned event, following all USATF Rules & Regulations. Below are some general guidelines for the meet. We will follow RRCA community guidelines and USATF rules, with the HARRA Relay requirements. The Race Director has the ultimate decision on any matters.

In order for a team to score in the HARRA Interclub Competition, all runners must be members in good standing in HARRA and in the club they are representing at the time of the race. (Current HARRA Membership can be viewed: https://harra.org/member-list).

Club affiliation must be designated in the runner’s HARRA member profile.

There is a 48-hour grace period after the race for runners to make their HARRA status and club affiliation current. (Links to Join, Renew or Login to account are on the top right of the HARRA home page.)

Teams that have non-member or mixed affiliation runners may still participate in the race competition, but the team will not be counted in HARRA standings.

Each runner may only run one leg of the relay. Runners may not run on more than one team.

Each leg must be completely finished or the team will be disqualified.

Each team member must wear a race number bib visible on the front, including RFID timing chip. The team must carry the relay baton (includes RFID chip for timing) for the entirety of the race and make transitions in the designated exchange area only. There are no rules for dropping of the baton at any point of the race. Exchange must be hand-to-hand (no throwing).

All members of each team eligible for awards are subject to verification by race officials prior to the awards ceremony.

The race director and or race official may disqualify anyone for not adhering to the rules.

The race director has the option to include teams not adhering to the HARRA requirements in a separate team category if they wish, but they will not be counted for HARRA competition. The race director will review and provide a complete list of teams including individual team members after results are finalized to HARRA.

Schedule

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th

​7:00 AM to 8:00 AM: Packet Pickup at Bear Creek Park Race Venue

8:00 AM: RACE START

9:45 AM: FREE KIDS RACE

​10:00 AM: Course & Finish Line Closed, Awards Ceremony

11:00 AM: Afterparty (stay tuned!)

Aid Station and Support

The start/finish/registration area will have tents with water, Gatorade, and post-race snacks for race participants and volunteers. Note that Trail Racing Over Texas is a cupless race company and you will need your own form of hydration device (bottle, cup, etc.). Do not drink directly from the coolers.

There will not be hydration on the course (two mile loop).

Team Tent Setup

​Clubs and teams are encouraged to setup their own team tent with support for their members along the side-lines of the start/finish. Setup can begin at 7 AM and must start tear down at 10 AM.

Venue Info: Parking & Washrooms

No speeding! Park police will be strict on the speed limit, pedestrian crossing (stop for people crossing), and proper parking. Bear Creek Park has ample parking on the East side of War Memorial next to our event. Facilities will be open for washrooms and water fountains. Park in designated parking spots only, do not drive off-road. Follow Harris County Park Rules can be found here.

​

Location

The event is located at Bear Creek Pioneers Park (3560 War Memorial St, Houston, TX 77084). Main parking for the start/finish line will be at the baseball fields with additional parking throughout the park within a very short walk. Google Maps Pin

Restrooms

Permanent restroom buildings are located a quarter mile south and a quarter mile north of the event area, as well as porta-potties at the race location.

PACKET PICKUP & RACE DAY INFO

Packet Pickup: We will open at 7 AM at the main tent at the start/finish. You may pick up all bibs and swag for your team as well as a baton (to be returned at the end of the race). Do not take the tear tag off your bib. The baton will contain your RFID Chips for timing. You can also confirm your team's running order at this time and write your name on the tear tag. Each team will have the same bib number, followed by an "A" (first runner), "B", "C", and "D" (last runner).

​Start: We will try and start as close to 8 AM as possible pending any packet pickup delays (please arrive early). There will be a short pre-race briefing with final instructions for all runners. All runners with an "A" on their bib will line up on the starting line for a mass start.

​

MEDALS & AWARDS

All runners will receive an XC ribbon just like the high school days. Wood engraved medals for all members of teams winning a category division. 

MAP & COURSE

The race venue is Bear Creek Pioneers Park at the baseball fields parking, 3535 War Memorial St, Houston, TX 77084 (MAP). Main parking at the baseball fields.

The course will be clearly marked with blue spray paint chalk and flagging. Once started, runners will stay to the right to begin a two-mile counter-clockwise loop. No water will be available on the course. Strava Map

Relay Exchange Area

Runners finishing their lap will come in under the finish arch and enter the exchange area. We will have an entrance/waiting area for the next runner, with only one member per team in this area at a time. As your runner approaches the finish you may step forward to exchange the baton and begin your lap. Finished runners must exit under a small arch exit chute, in the order of finishing position, and tear their bib tag off for backup tracking (as done at high school cross-country meets). Final runners must put their batons in a collection bin.

VOLUNTEER

HARRA clubs must designate at least one volunteer to assist with the meet. Signup for spots here on RunSignup.