This is the championship that I would really like people to concentrate on to try and boost the competition in 2026. There are prizes for the top 3 girls and top 3 boys in the following age categories. U10 (minimum age to compete is 6 years old), U12, U14, U16 & U18. This year there will be 13 races for you all to choose from. Out of the 13 Races listed you will need to complete 8 to be eligible to compete and be part of the championship. Points will be given to each runner depending on their position for e.g.) 10 junior harriers compete in the first race and the first Bingley harrier through the finish in their age category gets 10 points the second gets 9 and so on. You are. competing against your fellow club mates every place matters as points mean prizes. I will search through the results after each race and compile a points table so you can all see where you stand and who your main competitors are. The Championship races for this year are listed below and all the details on how to enter can be found on the Junior Fell section of the Teamapp.
- Sun 15 th February 2026 – FRA Hoppitts Hill Fell Race (Yorkshire Championship)
- Sun 1st Mar 2026 – FRA Ilkley Moor Fell Race
- Sat 9th May 2026 – FRA Sedbergh Junior Fell race (FRA CHAMPS RACE)
- Sat 30th May 2026 – FRA Ogden Water Fell Race (FRA CHAMPS RACE)
- Sun 7th June – Bofra @ Kettlewell
- Sun 14th June – FRA Edale Fell race (FRA CHAMPS RACE & INTERCOUNTIES)
- Sat 20th June – FRA Clougha Pike Fell Race ( FRA CHAMPS RACE)
- Sat 27 th June – FRA Eldwick Gala Fell Race
- Thur 2nd July – Murder Mile Road Race (Just for a laugh)
- Sun 11 st July – FRA Baildon Canter
- Sun 19th July – BOFRA @ Cracoe
- Sat 8th Aug – BOFRA @ Arncliffe
- Sun 6th Sept – BOFRA @ Burnsall
For those of you new to fell running there are 2 main places to look for other races available to Junior runners. The FRA is the Fell Running Association and they have their own website www.fellrunner.org.uk all details about races can be found on their website so if you are looking for more races to do here is a good place to look it details out what the race distances are for each age group and also advises you on what age category your child will need to be in when entering FRA races. Important note FRA races age categories are your child’s age at the 31st Dec 2026 for example a child born November 2011 will be 15 on the 31st Dec 2026 therefore they will be entered into the U16 age group. You can also become a member of the FRA if you desire and this will enable you to receive a fell running magazine a few times a year and a race calendar handbook. By been a member you will also be eligible for prizes in the FRA’s own Junior championship. The Fra championship is a series of 6 races and they are all designed to really test the young fell runners’ abilities. Each race in their series will explore different terrain and they are situated in different parts of the country to give athletes from all areas a chance to compete. I have included 4 FRA championship races in the Bingley Harriers set of races as we did really well last year and these are the races we should be aiming to do well in as the competition is high. To compete in the series, you will need to make your junior an FRA member and then you must complete 4 out of the 6 races. If you complete 4 races you are eligible for a T shirt and if you complete all 6 you will be eligible for a hoody. Other Competitions available to young fell runners are the BOFRA (British Open Fell Runners Association) series of races. Their website is www.bofra.org.uk Again, you can become a Bofra member and enter their own championship this will involve you choosing 8 races from their calendar of championship races I have included 3 of their championship races so this will help you out if you are wanting to double up on your chances of a prize. Just to confuse us all BOFRA operate a different age grouping system for their races U9, U12, U14 & U17 Their criteria is age on the 1st may so for example your child is 11 on 1 st may 2026 they will be a U12. The Final set of races available is the Kendal Winter league a winter set of races to get you fell running fit for the summer months here you need to register on the website its free to do so and you just pay if you decided to run each week there is no expectation to do all the races do as many or as little as you want to. Details are here www.helmhill.co.uk/index.php/races/kendal-winter-league Sorry for the very long read but hopefully this will answer any Fell running questions and you will all know what’s what for the fell running season of 2026.
Andrew Jebb (Junior & Senior Fell Captain)