Technical Instructions

Runners competing in the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 1,  2025, hosted by the Golden Gate Park XC Open, should be aware of the following points of emphasis.  Competitors who fail to comply with these and other applicable USATF Rules of Competition risk possible disqualification.  There will be no Technical Meeting. All Masters Championship athletes, coaches and other interested parties should read these instructions carefully. Questions should be directed to the Championship Referee, Rick Berman.

1. Registration. Entry information, and the online entry form for the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships may be accessed here.
2. Deadline. Online registration closes at 2:59 AM EDT on Thursday, October 30, 2025.
3. No Late Entries. No entries will be accepted via phone, fax or email after the close of online registration. No entries will be accepted at packet pick-up. No entries will be accepted on race day. Per USATF Competition Rule 341.12, absolutely no changes will be allowed to runner team affiliation after the close of online registration.
4. Eligibility. You must be at least 40 years of age on the day of the race. You must be a 2025 USATF member to enter the USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championships. All Masters athletes must be citizens of the United States and eligible to represent the United States in international competition to be eligible for team scoring and for USATF medals and prize money. Non-citizens who are USATF members are welcome to compete but may not score for a team nor win USATF medals and prize money. If you do not have a 2025 membership, please complete a membership application first here.
5. The Race Course.  The 5 Km race starts and finishes in Lindley Meadow (inside Golden Gate Park). Please follow the directions of course marshals and any road cones. A course map is available here.
6. Cutting the Course.  Any competitor who has been found by the Referee to have gained an unfair advantage by intentionally shortening the route of the race (“cutting the course”) shall be immediately disqualified.  
7. Illegal Assistance. Anyone found to have received illegal assistance is subject to disqualification.  “Assistance” is the conveying of advice, information, or direct help to an athlete by any means, including a technical device. It also includes pacing in running or walking events by persons not participating in the event, by competitors lapped or about to be lapped, or by any kind of technical device. Verbal or other communication, without the use of any technical device, from an individual not on the course shall not be considered assistance. Pacesetting, by a person entered in an event as an officially designated pacesetter, is permissible. There are no designated pacesetters for this event.
8. All athletes should compete honestly with bona fide effort in all Masters LDR Championship events. To that end, pacing by an athlete of the opposite gender in mixed gender championship race could be considered ‘illegal assistance’ and dealt with accordingly by the Referee. We discourage all instances of a ‘faster’ spouse pacing a ‘slower’ partner in Masters LDR mixed gender championship events. The ‘faster’ spouse is not competing honestly with bona fide effort.
9. Water. Water will be available at the start and the finish.  The race will not be providing water in single serve plastic water bottles.  Everyone is encouraged to bring and use their own water bottle.Runners may at any time carry water and other refreshments by hand or attached to their body provided it was carried from the start or received at any official water station.
10. Parking. There is free street parking all along JFK Drive in Golden Gate park.  Public transportation and ride share options (Uber, Lyft, etc.) are a great alternative as well.
11. Wireless Devices. The use of wireless devices (I-phones, I-pods, etc.) is not permitted. Competitors may carry or wear articles of personal equipment such as wrist chronometers and heart-rate monitors. The use of I-phones during the race is not permitted.
12. Competition Front Bib Numbers/Timing Tag and Age/Gender “Back” Numbers. Competition bib numbers must be pinned on the front of the outermost layer of clothing that you will be wearing in the race. Per USATF Competition Rules “bibs are to be worn as issued”. They should not be crinkled, folded, or cut.  The timing antennae or “B” tag is a part of the bib number and is disposable after the race. All Masters entered in the USATF 5 km Championships must also wear an age/gender “back” number pinned to the back of the outermost layer of clothing that they are wearing in the race. Athletes must use 4 pins to affix the “back” number in such a manner that it is visible to any runner behind them and will not flip up. Any competitor failing to wear a competition bib number on the front and a visible age/gender “back” number will be subject to disqualification. If your packet is lacking a “back” number, extras will be made available at packet pick-up and at the start line.
13. Packet Pick-up.  
    • Friday:  San Francisco Marriott Fisherman's Wharf 1250 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 2PM to 8:00PM
    • Saturday: Lindley Meadow, near the start/finish area  3
14. The host hotel is the San Francisco Marriott Fisherman's Wharf.  It is located at 1250 Columbus Ave in San Francisco.  Hotel Booking Link.  The USATF Masters 5k Cross Country Championship rate is $149 per night.
15. Bag Drop. There is no bag drop.  Participants are responsible for their own belongings.
16. Start Time. Each competitor is responsible for knowing the starting time of the USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championship race.
    • Race Schedule:
    • 9:00 AM Masters Women
    • 10:00 AM Masters Men
17. Start Line. All competitors are responsible for being at the starting line in Lindley Meadow no later than 10 minutes prior to the race.
18. Uniform Check.  All complete teams must report together to the USATF Clerks at the start area 20-30 minutes prior to the race start. to verify their team uniforms (see below for uniform apparel requirements for complete teams). All Masters Championship runners on a Team will be checked for proper front bib and back numbers prior to the start. The entire team must be present for the uniform check. Do not wait until the last minute to verify team uniforms.
19. Start. Each race will be started by an USATF Certified Official with the appropriate XC commands and a starter gun.  Overall, Age Division and Team Awards are based on “gun time”. Net times will only be used for Age Graded Awards and Age Graded Results, and Record purposes.  Runners are encouraged to seed themselves roughly by age and/or speed, relative to a nationally competitive field in every age division, in the starting area before the race.
20. No false start. False starts will not be recalled. Runners who false start are subject to disqualification.
21. Team Uniforms. All members of each team must be clearly distinguishable as team members. Team identification shall be clearly visible and shall distinguish one team from another. The jersey or singlet worn by the members of a team (e.g., NE 65 Plus Running Club, M80+ “A” team) in all Masters LDR Championships shall be basically identical for each member in color and style, and must be clearly visible throughout the race, i.e., worn as the outer garment if other apparel items are worn underneath by one or more team members. Individuals not complying with this uniform rule may be disqualified from scoring for a team. Front and back bibs must be securely fastened (4 pins) to this outermost jersey or singlet.  21) “B” Teams. If a club enters two (or more) teams in the same team age/gender division, then members of these teams shall wear different singlets. If this is not possible, then the games committee shall issue identifying letters to all members of the “B” teams to be worn on the back of the singlet. Stick-on letters (“B”, “C”, etc.) will be available at packet pick-up and at the start line.
22. Withdrawal for medical reasons.  A competitor must retire from the race immediately if directed to do so by a duly authorized official of the race or by an appropriately identified member of the race medical staff.
23. Awards Ceremony. There is a one-hour protest period once results have been posted on site (near the start/finish area in Lindley Meadow.   The USATF Master 5 Km Cross Country Championship awards ceremony will take place following all races (approximately at 12:00pm/noon) in Lindley Meadow.  In case of inclement weather, the awards ceremony will shift to a location TBD (probably San Francisco Marriott Fisherman's Wharf).  
24. Results. Overall Masters Championship Individual and Team results will be printed after each race (as soon as possible), and posted on the results board near the packet pick up table in Lindley Meadow (the start/finish area). Please check these results to make sure that your finish is listed. See the Masters Championship Referee if there are any problems/omissions. There is a one-hour protest period once results have been posted.
25. Protests. Protests must be made to the Masters Championship Referee within one hour of results being posted. The Referee will rule immediately on all protests. There is a $75 fee to file a written appeal of the Referee’s ruling with the Jury of Appeal. The filing fee is returned if your appeal is upheld by the Jury. The decision of the Jury of Appeal is final and without further appeal.
26. Club teams. All clubs must be registered with USATF for 2025. Only teams consisting of duly accredited representatives of a member club shall be eligible to score as a team. The formation of club teams must meet all of the parameters found in Regulations 4 and 6 in the 2025 USATF Governance Handbook found here.
    • USATF Association, Regional, or National “all-star” teams are not eligible to compete in Masters Long Distance Running Team competition. According to USATF Competition Rule 341.8, “Only one athlete per team (for example, Club M50+ team) who is a non-resident member of an Association is eligible to compete for a team in that Association”. Consult: Rule Books | USA Track & Field (usatf.org) Club affiliation. Athletes must be bona fide members of a 2025 USATF club in order to represent a club and score team points. All athletes entering as part of a club must be affiliated with that club as part of their USATF online membership profile. Per USATF Competition Rule 341.12, absolutely no changes will be allowed to runner team affiliation after the close of online registration.  An athlete can view their current affiliation by logging into their USATF Connect account by using the ‘CURRENT MEMBER LOGIN’ here.
    • Note that this request must be made by the athlete at least one week prior to the date of the race and finalized prior to the close of online registration. This is the athlete’s responsibility. Rule 341.12 reads as follows: “In Masters Long Distance Running including Masters Cross Country, an athlete may not change affiliation prior to the Championships or be eligible to represent or score points for the club to which he/she seeks to change affiliation after the closing of online entries for Masters LDR and Master Cross Country Championships. If the athlete does not desire to compete for their original club, if any, then they may compete unattached, representing no club. Changing club affiliation prior to Master Championship online entry deadlines is the responsibility of the athlete. For the 90-day rule on changing your club affiliation see the USATF Governance Manual Regulation 4.C.2 here. Also, contact your local Association’s Membership Chair for help.
27. Masters Final Team Declarations. As part of the online registration system, there is unlimited team registration. However, only five athletes are allowed to be on the final team declaration per team respective of team division. If you have listed more than five athletes on your team’s online declaration form, only the first five listed shall comprise your club's declared scoring team unless you revise your team roster. Revisions may be made by a team representative using this Google 5 form prior to the close of online registration at 11:59PM PDT on Wednesday, October 29.  No email, phone or fax declarations will be accepted. After that time, changes can be made at packet pick up with the USATF representative.  No changes will be allowed after 6:00PM PDT on Friday, October 31.
28. Sponsor Affiliation. In addition to a club affiliation, athletes can represent one (1) corporate sponsor. This corporate sponsor must be a registered USATF Corporate Member and be part of the athlete's membership profile. Corporate Membership applications can be obtained by sending an e-mail to membership@usatf.org. All sponsor affiliations must be finalized by close of entries. No sponsor changes will be accepted after this date.
29. Age Verification. If your date of birth/age has not already been verified according to your USATF online membership profile, please upload a copy of your passport or birth certificate. Log into your USATF Connect account and upload the copy under the ‘Athlete Verifications’ tab. If you need help with this process, there is a step by step video to assist you with the uploading process here. Runners whose ages are incorrect at the time of the race are subject to possible protest and subsequent event disqualification.
30. Masters Team Scoring. Masters Teams for all Road Race Championships shall be scored by gun time as follows: The team score shall be the aggregate official time of the scoring members. The team with the lowest aggregate time is the team winner. Team divisions for both Masters Men and Masters Women are: 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+. For all Masters Team divisions – three (3) individuals shall score for each team with a maximum of five (5) individuals declared per team. Each age division shall be scored separately by adding the official times of the top 3 declared team finishers. A runner may only be listed on a single team roster. We will score only complete teams.
31. Incomplete Teams. USATF Rules indicate that when scoring by time; if a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team (that is, fewer than 3 finishers), then that team shall not be scored. However, the team members who do finish shall be counted as individuals in the race results and shall be eligible to win individual awards.
32. Ties. Ties between two or more teams within a division shall be resolved by determining which team’s last scoring member has the faster time. The team whose last scoring member (i.e., 3rd runner) has the faster time will be awarded the higher place. Individual runners who tie in official gun time rounded to the slower full second shall be resolved by the position of their torso at the finish line when viewed by the finish line camera.
33. Drug Testing.  All competitors entered in the USATF Masters 5 Km Championships are eligible for “in-competition” drug testing.  Any questions regarding prescriptions or other over-the-counter medication should be directed to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) at 1-888-233-0393.  If the 2025 USATF Masters 5 Km Cross Country Championship is selected for drug testing, prize money checks will be mailed following our receipt of the drug testing results. The race has no control over when the results of the drug tests are released, and USATF cannot release the prize money until we have official results as it can directly affect the distribution amounts.
34. Shoes. Only running shoes that meet the WMA requirements meet the USATF standard for Masters competition, as set forth in USATF Rule 143.3(j): “For Masters events, shoes shall comply 6 with WMA rules.  As of January 2021, shoes with spikes shall have a maximum sole thickness of 30 mm and shoes without spikes shall have a maximum thickness of 40 mm.” Athletes who do not comply with this rule may be subject to disqualification.  Athletes can check shoe status here.
35. Details of the Prize Purse are included at: Athlete Information | USA Track & Field (usatf.org) Double dipping is permitted for Age-Grading prize winners; they are also eligible for an Age Division prize.
36. Championship medals will be awarded to the top 3 places in each 5-year individual division for both Men and Women (40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, etc.), the top 3 Age Graded Men and Women and the top 3 Overall Men and Women. Championship team medals will be awarded to the members of teams in the top 3 places in each 10-year Team Division for both Men and Women.
37. All Masters athletes must be citizens of the United States and eligible to represent the United States in international competition to be eligible for team scoring and for USATF medals and prize money. Prize money will be awarded to member USATF Masters runners who have appropriately entered the Championship competition. Non-citizens who are USATF members are welcome to compete but may not score for a team nor win USATF medals and prize money.
38. All prize money will be mailed to clubs or individuals following the race.