SCHOOLS CHALLENGE

What is the Shire Run Carnival Schools Challenge?

We see the Shire Run Carnival Schools Challenge as an essential part of what the Shire Run Carnival is all about. Its purpose is threefold:

To promote physical activity among young people, regardless of their past experience or ability in sport
To enhance young people’s motivation to participate in regular physical activity by working towards a goal alongside their peers
To provide an exciting and memorable event experience

Who can participate in the Schools Challenge?

All government AND non-government schools from the Sutherland Shire, St. George and Canterbury-Bankstown areas are welcome to be part of the Shire Run Carnival Schools Challenge!

All schools are already loaded on to the online registration process (simply select your school from the dropdown menu when completing your entry).

Is the Schools Challenge separate to the other events in the Shire Run Carnival?

The Schools Challenge is not a standalone event within the Shire Run Carnival. It is incorporated into events already taking place at the Shire Run Carnival.

How do I score points for my school in the Shire Run Carnival Schools Challenge?

Any school-aged student who enters the Shire Run Carnival will be required to select their school during the online entry process (when prompted) to be counted towards their school’s result (if they have entered a scoring distance for their category- see below). This is all you need to do! If there are FOUR (4) or more students who register for the scoring event distance for your category, then your school will be eligible for a team result/prize, so encourage others to register!

What are the different categories?

There are EIGHT (8) different categories for the Schools Challenge:

Are there certain age requirements to be eligible for a school team?

All students enrolled in a school who are 8 Years of age or older (as at 31st December 2024) are eligible to run for their school in this challenge. The distances have been selected to be as inclusive and age appropriate as possible.

NOTE: Ages above are based on 31st December 2024

How is the winner determined for each category?

The times of the fastest FOUR (4) runners from each school in each category for the relevant scoring distance will be accumulated. School placing will be based on this accumulative time (ie school with fastest FOUR combined times awarded 1st place, etc.)

Schools should encourage as many students as possible to register to enjoy the day with their school mates!

What prizes are on offer?

FOUR Gold, FOUR Silver and FOUR Bronze custom Schools Challenge medals will be awarded for each category. The school that finishes with the fastest accumulative time for their TOP 4 runners will receive a gold medal for each of these students and the same for 2nd placed school (silver medals) and 3rd placed school (bronze medals). These will be presented at the official presentation on the day after the last event.

All finishers in the 6km event (applicable for the Male & Female High Schools Challenge for 15+ Years) will receive a Shire Run Carnival finisher medal.

Personalised downloadable certificates for each student (not just the fastest four students in each event for the school). This is available through Multisport Australia results by searching the student’s name. You can also filter results by school.

Are students who participate in the Schools Challenge eligible to receive individual age group prizes for the Shire Run Carnival?

Yes, absolutely!

Can I bring a school tent to the event for students and their families to sit under?

Schools with a total of 10 or more students entered are able to bring a tent for their students to gather. Please note the following regarding tents:

Set Up- Tents must be weighed down at each leg. Tent pegs are permitted. We encourage people to bring picnic chairs. In the event of severe wind, we may request tents to be removed/lowered should we feel that they pose a safety issue.
Location- Tents are only permitted to be set up on the areas indicated on the course/site map, which can be viewed HERE
Drop Off- Tents can be dropped off at the athletics track or netball carpark, which is adjacent to the spectator areas. Please try and make sure this occurs no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the first event of the morning.

Are there any training resources to help Schools prepare their students for the Challenge?

CLICK HERE to access some training plans and other resources you can use if you wish (to be used as a guide only). We encourage you to promote and publicise your student’s progress and efforts internally and to the broader community.

If you would like us to assist with generating some social media tiles for you to use in promoting to your students/school community, please email info@shireruncarnival.com.au with this request and a png/jpeg file of your school logo.

We have some general promotional material available on the General Information page as well

Any other questions?

If there’s something we haven’t covered here, please let us know via email (info@shireruncarnival.com.au )

OTHER DETAILS

Please familiarise yourself with the General Event Information, which is available HERE