12:45 p.m. Masters Men (40+ on race day) 6 km
1:30 p.m. Masters Women (35+ on race day) 4 km

Eligibility
Age 40+ men and women who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens may compete in the national championship and must hold a 1999 USATF card. Non-citizens are welcome to compete (this is also the U.S. versus Canada Challenge) and will receive duplicate medals.
Note: Since this event will be the U.S. versus Canada Challenge, age 35-39 women competitors may participate, but the masters race is not a national championship for women younger than age 40 on race day. Separate medals will be awarded in this age division.

Registration
$20 U.S. or $30 Canadian, includes long-sleeved T-shirt. U.S. entries due Feb. 6 (add $20 late fee). Canadians may fax entry by Thurs. Feb. 5 and pay on day-of-race. All U.S. residents must have a 1999 USATF card and may be asked to show it at packet pickup. Packet pickup on race day: from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the race site and on Fri. Feb. 12 at headquarters hotel from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. NO DAY-OF-RACE REGISTRATION. Make checks payable to PNTF.

Registration Form

Awards
Championship medals will be awarded 5 deep in all 5-year age divisions, 40-90+ for men and women. As noted above, non-championship medals will be awarded for women 35-39. An awards party will be held at the headquarters hotel on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Team Competition
All teams must be registered with USATF for 1999 and must send proof of membership with team entry (USATF club certificate or letter from Association). There is no team fee unless team entry is received after Feb. 6 (then $25). National Clubs are not permitted in masters competition. Team scoring shall be the aggregate time of the scoring members; lowest time determines the winner.

Team Make-up
Men's and women's team divisions are in 10-year increments. A runner may compete in a younger division as a team member and still compete as an individual in his/her true age division. Men's 40-49 and 50-59 shall score 5 members; men's teams 60+ and all women's teams shall score 3 members. All teams may declare a maximum of 8 runners. Team members must be listed on the team entry form; final declaration deadline is Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at packet pickup.

Challenge Divisions
35+ for women and 40+ for men in 5-year increments up to age of oldest competitor using AGE ON RACE DAY.

Challenge Individual Awards
Championship medals 5 deep in all divisions; duplicate medals to non-US citizens. Challenge ribbons to participants.

Challenge Team Awards
No club divisions in the challenge. The winning country will have its name engraved on the perpetual trophy, the Fleischmann Cup. Club divisions for the U.S. championship only.

Post-race
Immediately following the women's championship, scoring will be done for the challenge races and the Fleischmann Cup awarded. Awards Party at the headquarters hotel at 5 p.m.

Scoring Procedure: U.S. vs Canada Masters Cross Country Challenge
1. Scoring will be based on 5-year age divisions starting at age 35 for women and age 40 for men. Age on race day will determine a competitor's age division.

2. Scoring will be based on finish position points within each age division (not on cumulative times). The overall team winner will be determined by the lowest combined number of finish points for all 5-year age divisions. Men and women will be scored separately and later combined for overall team winner.

3. The following formula has been used for many years and will be used this year. It was devised to avoid giving undue advantage to the host country (which presumably has access to more runners) and to give every runner who turns up for the race an opportunity to score points for his/her country.

a) In age divisions having entrants from both countries, there will be no set number of runners to be scored. The lowest number of starters from either country will determine the scoring base for that age division. For example, if Team A has 15 runners and Team B has 10 in the M40 division, only 10 runners from Team A will score points for their team. However, the other five non-scoring members of Team A can displace (finish ahead of) Team B runners, thus adding points to Team B's score.

b) Only if one country has no competitors in an age division shall the number of runners be set, but that number shall not exceed two. For example:

i. If Team A has one runner and Team B has none in that age division, Team A would score 1 point (for first place) and Team B would be assigned 2 points (for 2nd place).

ii. If Team A has two runners and Team B has none in that age division, Team A would score 3 points (1st and 2nd) and Team B would be assigned 7 points (3rd and 4th places).

iii. If Team A has more than 2 runners and Team B has none in that age division, Team A would score 3 points (1st and 2nd) and Team B would be assigned the points for the two positions behind the last finisher from Team A. For example, where Team A has 3, 4, or 5 runners, Team B would receive 9 points (4th and 5th), 11 points (5th and 6th), and 13 points (6th and 7th) respectively, and so on.

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