The Snowball Series is a series of seven events, each of which may count toward series points. Points are awarded in 5-year age groups, beginning with 14 and under, and ending with 80 and over. The rules are as follows:
- Your age on the day of the first series race you run is your age for the entire series.
- For events with multiple race distances (e.g., Bread Run 10K & Gingerbread 2-Miler, Al Lewis 10-Miler and 5-Miler, etc.), only the longest race distance at a given event can earn series points.
- Points are awarded to the top twenty places in each age group. The first-place runner in an age group receives 20 points, second place earns 19 points, etc.
- You must be a DC Road Runners Club (DCRRC) member on the day of the race to earn points for that race.
- In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the victories in head-to-head competition. If there is still a tie, the time difference in those same head-to-head races will determine the winner.
- One must run three races in separate events to qualify for an award. A runner's top four races will count in the total scoring for the series.
- For the Club Challenge 10-Miler event, you must run on a DCRRC team to score points toward the series championship. Only DCRRC runners will participate in the scoring; other clubs' runners will not act as "displacers" in assigning Snowball Series points.
- In the event one race is canceled due to, for example, unsafe weather, a runner's top four of six races will count. In the event two races are canceled, a runner's top three of five races will count.
- In the event a race cannot be held as originally scheduled due to, for example, unsafe weather, government shutdown, or other factors beyond our control, we will endeavor to reschedule it for an opportune date when the course venue is again available. Rescheduled races are included in the Snowball Series point competition.
- You must volunteer at a qualifying event or activity...see below for details.
All Snowball Series Races are free for DCRRC members and $10 for non-members who pre-register online. For race-day registration, the price is $5 for members and $15 for non-members if space is available. Race-day registration is not available for races that start and finish at National Park Service venues.
Snowball Series Age Group Award Eligibility
An awards ceremony is held in the spring and the top three eligible runners in each age group will be presented with an award. To be eligible for an end-of-series award, a runner must satisfy the following three criteria: 1) be a Club member, 2) perform at least one volunteer role in the allotted time, and 3) accrue enough points to place in the top three runners who have satisfied conditions 1 and 2.
To clarify further, if a top-3 point getter in an age group has not satisfied their volunteer requirement or maintained their Club membership, the award will move down in the standings until three eligible runners have been found. If an age group does not have three qualified runners, then awards will only be given for the number that are qualified. The volunteer period to be eligible for the 2024-2025 edition of the Snowball Series begins on October 1, 2024 and ends on March 31, 2025. Specific roles for volunteer credit are outlined in the section below.
Snowball Series Eligible Volunteer Roles
No runner will be eligible for a Snowball Series age-group award unless that runner volunteers in one or more of the following roles:
- Support the Snowball Series: water stop, finish line (timing / scoring / awards / food prep), course marshal, race director or assistant race director, and other roles as defined by the race director. (in-series credit). You cannot get volunteer credit for supporting a race that you also run, although you're still welcome to both support and run in the same event.
- Support other Club races between October 1 and March 31: Alexandria Turkey Trot and other events where the Club has formally solicited volunteer support. You must volunteer BEFORE the event by contacting the race director or volunteer coordinator so that they can assign you a position and have an accurate volunteer count. (out-of-series credit)
- Support the marathon, half-marathon, 10-miler, 10K, or 5K training programs as a coach or pace group leader throughout the season. (out-of-series credit)
- Serve as a member of the board in the year of the series (out-of-series credit)
- Serve in other volunteer roles at the discretion of the Club President and the Vice Presidents acting jointly. (out-of-series credit)
By rough estimate, the functions in 1 through 5 involve well over 100 separate volunteer “positions.” This should be ample for people to choose from without bunching too many volunteers for a single event. If that occurs, priority will be given to those who volunteered first for the event, and others will be suggested to volunteer at a different event.
Snowball Series Shirt Eligibility
We offer a Series Shirt Award to encourage Club race participation and Club volunteering. To be eligible for a series shirt, a runner must satisfy all four of the following criteria: 1) be a Club member in good standing, 2) perform at least one in-series volunteer role (see number 1 above), 3) perform at least one out-of-series volunteer role (see numbers 2-5 above), and 4) run in at least four Snowball Series races.
Snowball Series Jacket Eligibility
We offer a Series Jacket Award to encourage Club race participation and Club volunteering. To be eligible for a series jacket, a runner must satisfy all four of the following criteria: 1) be a Club member in good standing, 2) perform one in-series volunteer role (see number 1 above), 3) perform at least one out-of-series volunteer role (see numbers 2-5 above), and 4) run in six Snowball Series races.
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