2024 Season

Official Rules

The RUNColumbus Race Series is a competitive, point-based race series. All paces are welcomed and celebrated. Our goal is to closely simulate head-to-head competition, even if participants are not competing in the exact same races. A cross-section of team members reviews the rules annually and suggests changes. These recommendations undergo beta testing before changes are adopted.

2024 Official Rules Review

The current rules are under review. Changes will be communicated before registration for the 2025 Season opens on September 1

  1. To be eligible for awards, runners must complete a minimum of six series races throughout the season and record their official finish/chip time in the RUNColumbus Team Portal.
  2. There are eight Championship Titles. Awards are presented to the top male and female in each Division.
    • Overall/Grand Champion (This is the top award.)
    • Open (ages 20-39)
    • Masters (ages 40-49)
    • Grandmasters (ages 50-59)
    • Great Grandmasters (ages 60-69)
    • Great Great Grandmasters (ages 70+)
    • Junior Youth (ages 14 and under) 
    • Senior Youth (ages 15-19) 
  3. There are 16 Age Group Titles. Awards are presented to the top male and female in each Age Group.
    • 9 and Under
    • 10-14
    • 15-19
    • 20-24
    • 25-29
    • 30-34
    • 35-39
    • 40-44
    • 45-49
    • 50-54
    • 55-59
    • 60-64
    • 65-69
    • 70-74
    • 75-79
    • 80+
  4. Championship and Division winners are not eligible for Age Group Awards.
  5. Points are accumulated throughout the season. A runner’s top six scores determine Championship, Division, and Age Group winners. In the event of a tie, head-to-head competition serves as the tiebreaker. All races count toward the Road Race Warrior, 50, and 100 Mile Awards.
  6. Participants have 14 days to record their official finish time in the RUNColumbus Team Portal. Times must match the race’s published results. Race times will not be accepted after the 14-day reporting window closes. Once a race time entry is submitted, it cannot be removed. A correction can be made by the RUNColumbus staff only.
  7. During the 14-day reporting window, a runner’s points may fluctuate as other runners report their finish time.
  8. Runners automatically earn Participation Points and Overall Finish Points and may earn Age Group Finish Points. Events that host races of more than one distance are scored separately. Runners completing a race virtually are only eligible for Participation Points.
    • Participation Points are awarded based on the race distance–one point per full race mile.
    • Overall Finish Points are awarded to all finishers. The number of points each runner receives is based on the RUNColumbus field size and order of finish. First place receives points equal to the field size, with each finisher awarded points in descending order after that. For example, if 40 RUNColumbus women compete in a race, first place gets 40 Overall Finish Points, second place 39 points, and so on.
      • If the field size is smaller than 25 for women or 15 for men, first place will receive a minimum of 25 and 15 points for women and men, respectively.  For example, if there are 18 female participants, first place will receive 25 points, second place 24 points, and so on.  (Note: This rule adjustment for the 2024 Season is to encourage participation in races of all sizes. The minimum difference between the men’s and women’s divisions is based on field size.)
    • Age Group Finish Points are awarded to the first five male and female finishers in each age group. First place receives the maximum five points; additional points are awarded in descending order.
  9. Should two runners finish a race in a tie, they will each receive the corresponding Overall and Age Group Finish Points.
  10. Age Group Finish Points are awarded to a runner based on the runner’s age on the date the race occurs. The final standings are based on the runner’s age on the date of the last race in which the runner participates, providing it is one of the runner’s top six scores (see #5).
    • Here’s an example. James is 29 years old when he completes six series races. The Age Group Finish Points he earns are based on how he stacks up against other RUNColumbus participants in the 25-29 age group. James celebrates his 30th birthday and goes on to compete in one more series race where he earns Age Group Finish Points based on how he stacks up in the 30-34 age group. At the end of the season, James’ final standing and eligibility for Championship, Division, and Age Group Awards are based on 30 years of age. If James does not compete in any races after turning 30, his final standing is based on 29 years of age.
    • If a race(s) in which James competes after turning 30 is dropped (see #5), he will contend for Championship, Division, and Age Group Awards in the 25-29 age group.
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