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King Henry VIII Relay Race
In this section
50th Anniversary Race in 2022
We have just celebrated our ‘Golden’ 50th anniversary with the race on 2nd February 2022. It was a highly enjoyable day with an extra “alumni” race. More details to follow shortly, but here are all the results:
Entry for the 51st race, on 1st February 2023, will be available from September 2022. See the bottom of this page for entry information.
About the races
Since 1972 King Henry VIII School in Coventry has hosted what is now regarded by many as the best inter-schools Cross Country Relay Race in the UK. We are very proud of our race! Chip timing was introduced in 2015 providing quick, accurate results alongside a UKA trained timekeeper to ensure a fail-safe system.
Boys and girls compete in their own categories: the Boys’ Race is 6 x 2.3 miles; the Girls’ Race is 4 x 2.3 miles. The course is over pavement, grass, woodland – and quite a few puddles – and is largely flat with no significant elevation. Schools should enter their best runners, although this will often include runners younger than the Sixth Form. See the entry requirements below for more details.
Follow us on Twitter to see what we have been up to @KHVIIIRelayRace
History & Previous Results
Founded by Ted Norrish in 1972 as a boys’ race, and joined by a girls’ race in 2000, the event has always strived to allow pupils to compete with the best of their peers across the UK. It has a strong legacy, boasting former competitors of the calibre of Seb Coe, Alistair & Jonathan Brownlee, and Richard Nerurkar. To see previous years’ results and read the race reports please use the links on the right hand side of this page. The ARCHIVE OF ALL RESULTS is a new feature, and if you or your school have ran in this event then you can now look up your time!
In 2021 we put on a Remote Relay race:
2021 Race Information & Results
The No1 schools race in the country by a mile!
Award Ceremony
Prizes are awarded for a variety of categories, and every year sees a different guest presenter with a history of excellence in the athletics field, in competing, coaching or as an ambassador for the sport. The KHVIII Cups will be awarded to the winning teams. For the boys’ teams the JB Vent Cup, LJ Wrench Cup and Matthew Lee Cup will be awarded to the second, third and fourth placed teams. The John Vickers Cup will be awarded to the most improved boys team. Medals will be presented to the members of the first four teams, and cloth badges to members of the first ten teams. Individual times from a relay-chip should be available at the presentation ceremony after the race and emailed after the event. In the girls’ race the Philip Mahiques Cup is awarded to the second placed team, and the Pat Head Cup to the third placed girls’ team. Medals will be presented to the members of the first four teams, and cloth badges to members of the first ten teams. For both races plaques will be awarded to the runners of the three fastest lap times.
‘The event is superbly run, and very much has the look and feel of a championship.’
‘It has now become a highlight on our calendar and is a throughly enjoyable day. Our young runs were pleased with their position and are hungry to compete again next year!’
‘Thanks for a super event. The boys enjoyed their first visit and were pestering me to bring them back next year. I appreciate the huge amount of energy and organisation that went into making sure that everything ran so smoothly.’
Teaching Staff
Mr T Andrews is in charge of the annual King Henry VIII Relay Race.
Mr P Robbins is in charge of the Cross Country team at the school.
Contact
Mr T Andrews – RelayRace.KHVIII@bkhs.org.uk
How to enter
There is a contribution cost of £6 per runner. We do take photos on the day. Group shots may be used on our websites, and identifiable individual shots in programmes – please let me know if you believe this to be an issue. We will retain the names, school and times of all runners for future comparisons.
Entry requirements are that:
All boys’ teams should be capable of finishing the 6 x 2.3 mile course in about 90 minutes.
All girls’ teams should be capable of finishing the 4 x 2.3 mile course in about 72 minutes.
More details about requirements can be found here.
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