Athlete Information

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Competition Info | Awards & Prize Money | National Team Processing | Team Scoring | Teams | Team and Individual Entries | Declarations | Eligibility Requirements | Team Uniforms | Illegal Assistance | Spikes | Team Uniform Check and Start Details

Competition Info

• ADA Accommodations
• Athlete Hospitality
  • Coffee, tea, water, bagels and fruit will be available in the athlete tent at the course on Saturday. Questions regarding meet information or other, general information can be asked in the meet headquarters suite at the Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa.

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Awards & Prize Money

Awards will be held on-site after the protest period has expired for each of the races.

Open Division

• USATF Championship Medals will be awarded to the top 10 individual finishers in each Open Championship race. Team awards will be given to the declared members of the first-, second-, and third-place men's and women's team in each Open Championship race. The individual awards ceremony will take place immediately following the conclusion of each race.
• USATF Running Circuit: Points will be awarded to the top ten finishers in each of the Open Championships as the USATF Cross Country Championships will serve as the first stop on the 2020 USATF Running Circuit.
• Prize Money: A full prize money breakdown will come as we get closer to the event.
• Collegiate athletes with eligibility remaining as well as all high school students are ineligible to receive prize money, in which case prize money will revert to the next lower finisher.

Junior Division

• USATF Championship medals will be awarded to the top 10 men's and women's individual finishers in each Junior Championship race. Team awards will be given to the declared members of the first-, second-, and third-place men's and women's team in each Junior Championship race.

Masters Division

• USATF Championship medals will be awarded to the top 3 men’s and women’s individual finishers in all 5-year age divisions, from 40-44 to 90+. Team awards will be given to the declared members of the first-, second-, and third-place men’s and women’s teams in each team division: 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+, and 80+. Championship patches will be awarded to the winners of each individual age division. o Prize Money: A full prize money breakdown will come as we get closer to the event.

Prize Money

 

Place	Open Men & Women
1st	$2000
2nd	$1000
3rd	$800
4th	$700
5th	$600
6th	$500
7th	$400
8th	$300
9th	$200
10th	$100

 

Place	Age-Graded Men	Age-Graded Women
1st	$1000	$1000
2nd	$500	$500
3rd	$250	$250
4th	$150	$150
5th	$100	$100

Place	All 5-Year Age Group Champions
1st	$150

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National Team Processing

The 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships will serve as the national team selection event for the Pan American Cross Country Championships on February 29, 2020 in Victoria, Canada. Information about how to qualify for this team is available here.

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Team Scoring

Team scoring at these championships shall be by place. USATF Rules indicate that when scoring by place:

1. The team score shall be the total of the finishing positions of the scoring members. The team with the lowest total points is the team winner.
2. Runners of incomplete teams, team entries not declared eligible for team scoring, and unattached or individual competitors will be eliminated from team scoring. Non-scoring declared members of complete teams shall retain their finishing positions and thereby displace other runners.
3. When separate competitions are conducted simultaneously, each shall be scored independently. Runners on teams not eligible for a given competition will be eliminated from team scoring in that competition.
4. In the event of a tie between two or more individual runners, each shall score the number of points determined by dividing the total of the finish places by the number of runners who have tied.
5. If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, the team members finishing shall be counted as individuals in the race results and shall be eligible to receive individual awards.
6. Ties between two or more teams shall be resolved in favor of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.

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Teams

Open Men, Open Women

Note that only six athletes are allowed to be on the final team declaration per event. The first six athletes listed alphabetically on the USATF “Status of Entry” webpage shall comprise your club's declared team unless a team submits revisions to final team declarations in-person at packet pick-up no later than 5:00 p.m. PT, January 17th, 2020. Declaration forms will be made available at packet pick-up. No fax, phone or email revisions will be accepted.

Masters Men, Masters Women

Masters Men 40+, 50+

A maximum of nine (9) individuals shall be declared per team (5 score).

Masters Men 60+, 70+, 80+

A maximum of five (5) individuals shall be declared per team (3 score).

Masters Women 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+, and 80+

A maximum of five (5) individuals shall be declared per team (3 score).

Note that only five or nine athletes are allowed to be on the final team declaration per team respective of team division. If you have listed more than five/nine athletes on your team’s online declaration form, only the first five/nine athletes listed on your team's declaration shall comprise your club's declared team unless a revised team declaration is submitted in-person at packet pick up by no later than 5 pm EST on January 17, 2020. Declaration forms will be made available at packet pick-up. No fax, phone or email revisions will be accepted.

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Team and Individual Entries

All registration must be made online. Individuals purchasing their own registration should use the “Individual Registration” portion of the event registration. There will be section where you will be able to declare for a club team, if necessary. Club Administrators registering multiple athletes from their 2020 USATF Approved Club should use the “Club Login for Team Registrations” side of the event registration. Note: You will need to be listed as the club administrator and use the password for the club when logging in.

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Declarations

Access to the USATF Club Management Area is available to the person listed as the main contact on your original yearly member club application form, as well as club coaches and club administrators as designated by the main club contact. To gain access to your club, email your club's main contact with your name, individual membership number, and role within the club. Note: access to the Management Area is limited to those people who are current individual members of USATF. If you joined as a new individual member instead of renewing, please e-mail your club's main contact person to have your new membership number attached to your club profile. You can find your club contact information here.

*Note: If your club does not appear on the list, it may be because the club hasn't renewed for the current year. Please contact your local Association for more information.

Individuals may update their team designation by logging into the registration via the information provided in their registration confirmation e-mail through the conclusion of registration. After registration closes, changes to team affiliations will need to be made at Packet Pick-up on site. Questions about updating team affiliations should be sent to CrossCountry@usatf.org.

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Eligibility Requirements

Clubs

• All clubs must be registered with USATF for 2020. Please submit your club application to your local Association office.
• Only teams consisting of duly accredited representatives of a member club shall be eligible to score as a team.
• All athletes entering as part of a club must be affiliated with that club as part of their USATF membership (an athlete's current affiliation can be viewed in his/her membership profile and as part of the online entry process) and meet the requirements of USATF Competition Rule 4 (Rule 341 for Masters). Athletes wishing to change affiliations can make such a request through their local Association (note that this request must be made by the athlete—see Regulation 4 in the USATF Governance Manual).
• The formation of club teams must meet all of the parameters as noted in Regulations 4 and 6 in the USATF Governance Handbook, and the USATF Rules of Competition, specifically Rule 4 (Rule 341 for Masters). This will be strictly enforced.
• Clubs must meet USATF Competition Rules when they enter the event and when they declare their teams. As teams enter or should any discrepancies be reported prior to the close of entries, the Games Committee will examine entries to ensure compliance and will make an effort to contact teams not in compliance before the declaration deadline.
• If a team competes with an ineligible runner, a protest can be filed within one hour of the results being posted.

Pursuant to USATF Competition Rule 4.2, in Long Distance Running, Open Cross Country, and Open Track & Field Club competition, an athlete who is a non-resident member of an Association is eligible to compete for a team in that Association only if the athlete: a) resides in an adjoining Association within the government-defined Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of a city which is primarily in the neighboring Association as approved by the appropriate sport committee or council; or b) has historical membership based upon Association residency (at least 3 continuous USATF membership years) is eligible to compete for that club.

Pursuant to Rule 341.8, Master Teams shall represent current member clubs of USATF, verified through the national office. USATF Association, Regional, or National “all-star” teams are not eligible to compete in Masters Long Distance Running Team competition. Team members shall be affiliated with the club they are representing on their USATF membership record prior to entering the competition. One athlete per team (i.e., Club M50+ team) who is a non-resident member of an Association is eligible to compete for a team in that Association.

Open Athletes

• Only citizens of the United States are eligible to compete in these Championships.
• Athletes must be 16 years or older on the day of competition.

Junior Athletes

• Only citizens of the United States are eligible to compete in these Championships.
• Athletes must be 14 years or older on the day of competition and may not become 20 years of age during the year of competition
• Unless your date of birth/age has already been verified according to your USATF online membership profile, all entries must be accompanied by a copy of a legal document (passport or birth certificate) in order to verify date of birth and citizenship. If you have a valid passport at the time of entry, please use a copy of the information page of your passport as verification of citizenship and birth date. These copies will not be returned. You must FAX the copy of your passport or birth certificate, with your membership number, event, and championships name ("USATF Cross Country Championships") written in it to: USATF National Office at 1-800-833-1466) no later than 3:00 p.m. ET on the day that late entry closes. You may also scan the appropriate verification documents (passports, birth certificates, etc...) and email them to membership@usatf.org.

Masters Athletes

• Only citizens of the United States or resident aliens are eligible to compete in these Championships. Non-citizens may compete but may not score for a team or win awards.
• Athletes must be 40 years or older on the day of competition.
• All master athletes must wear an age/gender “back” number showing age division. Runners without back numbers will be subject to disqualification.
• Unless your date of birth/age has already been verified according to your USATF online membership profile, all entries must be accompanied by a copy of a legal document (passport or birth certificate) in order to verify date of birth and citizenship. If you have a valid passport at the time of entry, please use a copy of the information page of your passport as verification of citizenship and birth date. These copies will not be returned. You must FAX the copy of your passport or birth certificate, with your membership number, event, and championships name ("USATF Cross Country Championships") written in it to: USATF National Office at 1-800-833-1466) by no later than 3:00 p.m. ET on the day that late entry closes. You may also scan the appropriate verification documents (passports, birth certificates, etc...) and email to membership@usatf.org.

All Athletes

• All athletes must be U.S. citizens (with the exception of Master athletes, who may also be resident aliens).
• All athletes must be 2020 members of USATF in good standing. USATF memberships may be purchased online or through your local Association Office.
• Athletes will not be permitted to compete unless they have a 2020 USATF membership and completed the entry process.
• Club affiliation: Athletes must be bona fide members of a 2020 USATF club in order to represent a club and score team points. All athletes entering as part of a club must be affiliated with that club as part of their USATF membership (an athlete's current affiliation can be viewed in his/her membership profile and as part of the online entry process). Athletes wishing to change affiliations can make such a request through their local Association (note that this request must be made by the athlete—see Regulation 4 in the USATF Governance Manual); this affiliation change is the athlete’s responsibility and must be completely prior to the entry process.
• Sponsor Affiliation: In addition to a club affiliation, athletes are able to represent one (1) corporate sponsor. This corporate sponsor must be a registered USATF Corporate Member and be part of the athlete's membership profile. Corporate Membership applications can be obtained by sending an email to membership@usatf.org. All sponsor affiliations must be finalized by close of entries. No sponsor changes will be accepted after this date for the Championships.
• Unattached athletes are encouraged to join a local club or create a new club. Contact your local Association for information on starting your own club. "Unattached/Non-Scoring" athletes (those athletes not with a registered USATF club) may participate but will not be factored into team scores.

There are no Performance Standards to compete.

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Team Uniforms

The jersey or singlet worn by the members of a team shall be basically identical for each member in color and style, and must be clearly visible throughout the race, i.e., worn as the outer garment if other apparel items are worn underneath by one or more team members. Individuals not complying with this uniform rule may be disqualified from scoring for a team. If a club has an “A” team and a “B” team in the same age/gender division then the “B” team must obtain stick-on letters at the packet pick-up for use as identifying back tags if both team uniforms are the same. No problem if uniforms are different.

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Illegal Assistance

Anyone found to have received illegal assistance is subject to disqualification. “Assistance” is the conveying of advice, information or direct help to an athlete by any means, including a technical device. It also includes pacing in running or walking events by persons not participating in the event, by competitors lapped or about to be lapped, or by any kind of technical device. The use of wireless devices (I-pods, I-phones, etc.) is not permitted. Competitors may carry or wear articles of personal equipment such as wrist chronometers and heart-rate monitors. Verbal or other communication, without the use of any technical device, from an individual not on the course shall not be considered assistance. Questions should be directed to the Referee at crosscountry@usatf.org.

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Spikes

Per USATF rules - Spiked shoes may be worn. A maximum of 11 spikes per shoe are allowed. Spike length shall not exceed 25mm (approx. 1 inch).

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Team Uniform Check and Start Details

All complete teams must report together to the Clerks at the starting line tent beginning 30 minutes prior to their race start time to verify their matching team uniform singlets. All runners will be checked for spikes, front bibs, hip numbers and Master age/gender “back” numbers prior to the start. Clerks will place teams in their assigned starting boxes. Incomplete teams and unattached runners may line up in any unused starting boxes. A list of starting box assignments will first be made available at the technical meeting at 7:00 pm the day before the race at the host Hotel. The Clerks will have copies of the starting box assignments on race day. There will be a two-command start: “On your marks” followed by the firing of the starter’s pistol signaling the start of the race.

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