Team Managers please share this page with all those travelling to the event.
The SportsShoes with Nike English Cross Country Relays are once again to be held at the popular Berry Hill Park venue. The ECCA thanks you for your entry, and we hope you have a good day.
The Course
Those who attended the event in 2025 will know that we had to make some changes to the course that had been used for many years previously, due to developments within the park.
The 2026 courses are essentially the same as last year, but we urge those who did not run in 2025 to make themselves familiar with the course, and in particular a couple of log hazards in the wooded section.
Mass Start
In the Senior Men’s race, at the end of the programme, on the last leg there will be a mass start for Teams that have been lapped. The exact timing of this will be decided on the day. In Age Group races, at the referee’s discretion there may be a mass start for any runners in teams where an athlete on an earlier leg has failed to finish for some reason.
Event Administration / race numbers
Collection of numbers (with chip within) will take place in a large “Registration” marquee adjacent to the club tent area. Numbers for all races will be available for collection from 9am. Athletes should check the reverse of their race number for a link to a limited-time offer of a 15% discount on Nike “in-season” products via the website of our sponsors, SportsShoes.
Declarations
A few days before the event day Team Managers will be emailed a link to declare their runners online. This link can be used to start and edit declarations up until midnight the Friday before the event. Any changes or declarations can be made on the event site on the day of the event (up to 30 minutes before each race) in the Registration marquee on laptops provided by FR Systems.
Travel to Berry Hill Park, Mansfield
As for the last three years, we are operating a ‘park and ride’ system for this year’s event from 4 or 5 alternative car parking facilities. NO PARKING IS PERMITTED FOR ATHLETES AND SPECTATORS ANYWHERE WITHIN THE PARK. There is limited parking in the park for officials and blue badge holders only. Blue badge holders who need parking should access the dedicated booking link on SportsSoft’s entry portal for a permit (charge of £6)
Unlike last year, when you purchase a car park ticket, you will be offered a choice of car park (there is a dedicated booking link for each car park), until that particular car park is sold out. We are initially only opening links to The Mining Remediation Authority, West Notts College, Linneys, and The Crematorium. Booking links for the car parks at Meadow House and Weighbridge Road will only be activated as and when the other sites are sold out.
There will be a £6 charge for parking, which should be paid online, in advance, using the link on the Sportsoft website, which is now open. You will receive a receipt which will serve as your entry ticket, and which will have your registration number displayed in bold for easy reading by security staff, and it will also bear the letter pertaining to the car park in which you have been allocated a space.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CAN ONLY USE THIS PERMIT AT THE DESIGNATED CAR PARK.
Please have this available either on a mobile device, or as hard copy, when you enter the car park.
There will be limited access available to pay on the day, but this will be by card only, at a cost of £10, available at the Meadow House car park only.
The car parks which will be in use are as follows:
Car Park A – The Mining Remediation Authority NG18 4RG (w3w: mason.stale.chips)
Car Park B – West Notts College (NG18 5BH) what3words: ballots.shares.broke (Derby
Road entrance) and behind.couch.lasted (Cauldwell Road entrance- preferred)
Car Park C – The Crematorium (NG18 5BJ). what3words: rigid.grain.fresh
Car Park D – Linney’s (NG18 4FL). what3words: toned.update.darker
In the event of the above all being filled, we will open booking links for the following:
Car Park E – Meadow House (Notts County Council) access from Bath St NG18 2TB
(leaves.breed.radar)
Car Park F – Weighbridge Road (The Old Brewery site) NG18 1AH (powder.final.expand)
The park and ride for both West Notts College (B) and The Crematorium (C) will load for the lay-by in Derby Road opposite the campus entrance, what3words: forget.losses.closet
Shuttle buses will operate from all the above car parks regularly from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Directions to Berry Hill Park will also be signposted for those who prefer to get to the park on foot.
Adhering to the Parking system is critical to the ongoing future of the event. These arrangements are made in collaboration with local residents and Mansfield District Council, and the ECCA have worked hard to get to this position. Considerate parking is a condition of our future use of the park for this event. There is intended to be no event parking on the roads immediately adjacent to the park, so please use the designated car parks.
Club tents drop off
Each club will be issued with ONE permit, upon application via the link on the SportsSoft portal, and payment of the £6 parking fee, for a lead vehicle to offload gazebos/club tents, and then to park at the Mining Remediation Authority (previously known as the Coal Authority) NG18 4RG. It should be noted that it is 500m from here to where the Club Tent area is.
Coaches/Minibuses
Coaches will be directed to King George V car park in Blackscotch Lane NG18 4WJ
(what3words reference is aside.unions.legal) where parking will be allowed opposite to the park. A permit is required to park a coach at this location, which can be purchased on the link from the SportsSoft website at a cost of £10 per vehicle. Note club tents can be offloaded from coaches from here, as there is a tarmac path from there to the club tent area in the park.
Minibuses will this year be parked in the Mining Remediation Authority NG18 4RG, not at Blackscotch lane with coaches as in previous years. There is a dedicated booking link for this on the SportsSoft website.
Livestream
The event will be streamed on the channel of our main sponsor, Sportshoes.com
Awards
Medals will be awarded to each member of the first three teams in each age group, as well as the athlete running the fastest lap in each age group (provided that the athlete is in a team that completes the event). ‘B’ Teams will be included in results but will not be eligible for a medal.
Clothing
In accordance with UKA Rule TR5 S1, all athletes must wear at least vest and shorts which are clean and so designed and worn as not to objectionable, even if wet. All team runners must wear the same design of registered Club vest and Colours unless the referee has given permission for a change to be made. The wearing of an alternative vest without permission of the Referee will lead to disqualification. Attention is drawn to UKA Rule TR5 S1 on Advertising and Sponsorship; this rule will be enforced.
Photography
Photography is taken at ECCA Competitions and Events. Your entry indicates your consent to photography and video being taken of you at the event. ECCA may use these images for press and promotional purposes. This might include printed publications such as newspapers, magazines, brochures and flyers; or online, including our own and partners’ websites and social media. By allowing us to take your picture or include you in any video, you will be giving permission for ECCA and its trusted partners to use images for publicity purposes. Please write to us at admin@englishcrosscountry.co.uk if you do not wish your image to be used. While we will endeavour to remove images on request, due to the public nature of our events, we cannot guarantee your images will not be published.