New Balance joins the Series as the Sponsor!

New Balance as the title sponsor of the 2017 Run Alberta Cross Country series.  “We’re super happy to have New Balance on board as our title sponsor” said series coordinator Matt Norminton.  “As a company, they’ve been authentic to the sport of running for a very long time and we hope that they’ll be involved for years to come”.  The Running Room will continue to act as presenting sponsor of the series.

The Run Alberta XC series enters it’s 9th year as Alberta’s premier cross country series aimed at post collegiate and collegiate level runners.  “Our goal when we created the series was to try and get most of our top seniors competing at the same few races in the fall and elevate the level of racing in the province and keep a few more people in the sport” said Norminton.  Over the years, several of the participants have gone on to make national cross country teams including 2015 World Track and Field Championships team member Fiona Benson (800m) from Dawson Creek and 2016 Olympian Jessica O’Connell (5000m) from Calgary.  “After finishing my NCAA cross country career, I returned home to Calgary and continued to train while working on graduate studies” says O’Connell.  “Races can be hard to find as a post-collegiate athlete, and the Run Alberta cross country series has filled the void and provides phenomenal opportunity for Alberta runners”.

All sponsorship money goes directly to the top finishers in the series (using their best 4 results) and since it’s inception in 2008, the series has given over $40,000 directly to Alberta athletes.  Maria Bernard, another 2016 Rio Olympian from Calgary, claimed victory in race #2 of the 2016 series last weekend in her home town.  Race number 3 of the 2016 series goes this weekend in Vermilion.  For more information visit Running Solutions (runningsolutions.shawwebspace.ca) or Athletics Alberta.

Run Alberta XC Series

In partnership with New Balance and the Running Room, the Run Alberta Cross Country Series provides Albertans with the opportunity to experience the benefits and joys of cross country running in Alberta’s only Provincial Cross Country Running Series.

Athletics Alberta actively promotes the physical and emotional health & fitness, individual excellence and personal growth, development beyond sport, inclusiveness and integrity.

The series was created with these goals in mind:

  • To further promote the sport of cross country running in Alberta
  • To afford senior athletes a series of 6-7 competitive cross country races
  • To encourage mass participation in the sport of cross country running

Long term goals of the series include providing funding for Alberta teams to get to the National Cross Country championships and also provide funding to get Albertans to the World Cross country champs.  Currently Canadians must pay their own way to get the world championships as Athletics Canada does not fully fund the team to get there.

Through the profits made in the  XC Series we will look to provide funding for for Alberta Runners.

Running Solutions and it’s partners believe that Cross Country running is an important part of sport in Canada and that a solid and meaningful cross country program is integral to producing world class middle and long distance runners.