2014-2015 Snowball Series Rules

General Information

The Snowball Series is a series of eight races, each of which counts toward series points. Points are awarded in 5-year age groups, beginning with 14 and under, and ending with 80 and over. The rules are as follows:
  1. Your age on the day of the first series race you run is your age for the entire series.
  2. Points are awarded to the top twenty places in each age group. The first place runner in an age group receives 20 points, second place earns 19 points, etc.
  3. You must be a DCRRC member on the day of the race to earn points for that race.
  4. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the victories in head-to-head competition. If there is still a tie, the time difference in those same head-to-head races will determine the winner.
  5. One must run three races to qualify for an award. A runner's top five races will count in the total scoring for the series.
  6. For the Club Challenge 10M event you must run on a DCRRC team to score points toward the series championship. Only DCRRC runners will participate in the scoring; other clubs' runners will not act as "displacers" in assigning Snowball Series points. 
  7. In the event one race is canceled (due, for example, to unsafe weather), a runner's top five out of seven races will count.  In the event two races are canceled, a runner's top four out of six races will count.
  8. You must volunteer at a qualifying event or activity... see below for details.
  9. The DCRRC Vice President of Races has final authority to determine eligibility and awards.
An awards ceremony is held in the Spring and the top three finishers in each age group are presented an award.
NEW THIS YEAR: Special Participation Awards: We are excited to announce the addition of these new awards. In addition to the age group awards, we will be recognizing all those that brave the winter weather with participant awards! Any club member that runs in at least 5 of the races AND completes the volunteer requirement will receive a DC Road Runners commemorative DCRR Snowball Series shirt. Additionally, any member that runs ALL 8 of the Snowball Series races AND completes the volunteer requirement will receive a commemorative DCRR Snowball Series Jacket. 
All Snowball Series Races are free for DCRRC members, $5 to non-members who pre-register online. For race-day registration, the price is $5 for members and $10 for non-members, if space is available. Race-day registration is not available for races that start and finish at National Park Service venues (Bread Run, Gar Williams, JFK, Fort Hunt).

Race Schedule

  1. Bread Run 10K, December 7
  2. Gar Williams Half Marathon, December 14
  3. Al Lewis 10 Miler, January 10
  4. JFK 20K, January 17
  5. Langley 8K, February 7
  6. Club Challenge 10 Miler, February 22
  7. Burke Lake 12K, March 1
  8. Fort Hunt 10K, March 8

Snowball Series Award Eligibility

In addition to the usual eligibility criteria for a Snowball Series age-group award -- running a minimum of 3 races, and being a Club Member -- we have added a requirement that we hope will encourage more volunteer participation in support of our race program.

Specifically, in order to be eligible for an age-group SS award in 2014-15, a Club Member will have to volunteer in one of a specified list of roles between October 2014 and April 2015.

This requirement (like the other Snowball Series eligibility criteria, such as being a Club Member), applies ONLY to the end-of-season Snowball Series awards given out in Spring. All contestants in each race remain eligible for the individual age group awards in that race, regardless of whether they meet the criteria for "Series" awards.

As you will see from the list below, the number and variety of opportunities is quite broad. Some involve work at a Snowball Series race, which we encourage from ALL who participate in the Snowball Series program. Some involve work in other key races or functions.

Eligible Volunteer Roles

No runner will be eligible for a Snowball Series age-group award unless that runner volunteers in one or more of the following roles:
  1. Snowball Series races: Water Stop; Finish Line (timing or scoring); Course Marshall; Race Director or Assistant Race Director. You cannot get volunteer credit for supporting a race that you also run (although you're welcome to both support and run in the same event).  The JFK 20K & MLK 5K races are the same "event" for purposes of this rule.  No exceptions.
  2. Other Races between October 2014 and April 2014: Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, Alexandria Turkey Trot, Predictions & Resolutions 5K, GW Birthday Marathon & Relay. You must volunteer BEFORE the race by contacting the race director directly so that they may assign you a position and have an accurate volunteer count.
  3. Saturday Long Run/Marathon Training: Volunteering to provide beverages for the month.
  4. Marathon/Half-Marathon Training Programs: Coach or small-group coach.
  5. Newsletter Editor; Website Manager; Team Coordinator, Permit Coordinators, Photographer, Weekly Workout Directors (SLR and Wednesday Night).
  6. Other volunteer roles, as suggested, at the discretion of the Club president and vice-presidents acting jointly.
By rough estimate, the functions in 1 through 5 involve at least 150 separate volunteer "positions". This should be ample for people to choose from without "bunching" too many volunteers for a single event. If that occurs, priority will be given to those who volunteered first for the event, and others will be suggested to volunteer at a different event.
 
 DCRRlogotypeRRCA member

The DC Road Runners Club is a member of the Road Runners Club of America and is also affiliated with USA Track & Field. We provide a year-round schedule of running events that offer everyone a chance to participate regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.