About this Race Series
The ten-race series offers everything from a downhill mile to the half marathon distance.
EVERYONE who finishes eight of the ten races receives a Race Series sweatshirt. This includes the shorter race distance at each event. For example, running in the Blacksburg Classic 10 miler OR 5k both count towards sweatshirt eligibility but NOT towards race series points (only runners in the 10 miler are eligible for race series points). The same policy applies to all 2023 Race Series events.
To earn a sweatshirt, participants need to complete EIGHT of the following ten events:
Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler OR 5k
Shamrock 4 Miler
Night of PRs 5k
Brave Heart 5k
Downtown Sundown 5k
Independence Day 5k
Draper Mile
Hokie Half Marathon OR 5k
Brush Mountain Breakdown 12 miler, 7 miler, OR 3 miler
Frosty 5k
To score race series points, competitors must enter:
Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler
Shamrock 4 Miler
Night of PRs 5k
Brave Heart 5k
Downtown Sundown 5k
Independence Day 5k
Draper Mile
Hokie Half Marathon
Brush Mountain Breakdown 12 miler OR 7 miler
Frosty 5k
The TOP FIVE OVERALL point scorers in the Race Series win cash and a shopping spree at RunAbout Sports, as well as a Race Series Champion jacket. Please note that for overall winners, male and female points are combined, not separate.
1ST
$500 cash + $500 shopping spree
2ND
$400 cash + $400 shopping spree
3RD
$200 cash + $300 shopping spree
4TH
$200 cash + $200 shopping spree
5TH
$100 cash + free pair of shoes
AGE GROUP AWARDS are broken into male and female categories. 13 age group categories exist for males and females each (26 total): 14 and under, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, and 70+. Race Series AGE GROUP WINNERS will also receive a jacket; please note that Top 5 overall winners are not eligible to also be an age group winner. You MUST run in at least two races to earn a jacket.
Your points will be based off your age at each race. If you earned 12 points at the Blacksburg Classic, and then turned 40 before the Sundown 5K, your points will travel with you to your new age group. On December 24th, your age will be your final age category even if you don’t compete in the Frosty 5K.
AGE GROUP POINTS are earned by finishing in the top three in your respective age category: 5 points are earned for 1st in an age group, 3 points are earned for 2nd in an age group, and 1 point is earned for 3rd in an age group.
OVERALL PLACE POINTS are earned by finishing in the top ten in a race, regardless of age category: 10 points for 1st place, 9 points for 2nd place, 8 for 3rd place, 7 for 4th place, etc. down to 1 point for 10th place. Overall place points are added to age group points.
POINTS FROM ALL TEN EVENTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN SCORING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU COMPETE. Thus, not participating can only hurt your overall score. Become a Blacksburg Striders member! Striders receive discounts on many things including the races listed.
EXAMPLE SCENARIOS:
If you are the 1st female overall, you earn 10 points plus 5 points for winning your age group
The 2nd place female overall in a different age group would earn 9 points for 2nd overall, and 5 points for first in her age group for 14 total points
The 10th place male overall who is third in his age group would receive 1 point for 10th overall and another point for 3rd in his age group for 2 points total
A 14th place overall male would receive zero points for overall finish, but won his age group so he receives 5 points total
At the end of the race series if there is a tie for the age group winners, the person who ran the most races in the series gets the win. If there still is a tie the person who had the better time at the Hokie Half Marathon gets the win, even if the other(s) did not run the Hokie Half. If those who are tied did not run in the Hokie Half Marathon then the person who ran in the earliest race of the series gets the win. If both ran in that race then the person with the better performance gets the win.
For overall winners (top five point earners), if there is a tie they split the prizes. If there is a tie for second between two people, then second and third places prizes would be added and split into two. In this scenario, combined second and third place prizes are equal to $600 in cash and $700 in a shopping spree, so each person gets $300 cash and $350 in shopping fun.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this race series or its scoring, please use the following email address:
