Team Divisions:  Masters Men:          40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+
                              Masters Women:    40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+

Scoring: At each event all complete teams in each division (40+, 50+, 60+, 70+, 80+) will earn points as follows: 

Grand Prix Awards:

1^st Place teams – $1000, club-house banner and USA Masters LDR Team Grand Prix certificate

2^nd Place Teams – $500 and USA Masters LDR Team Grand Prix certificate

3^rd Place Teams – $250 and USA Masters LDR Team Grand Prix certificate

4^th thru 10^th Place Teams – USA Masters LDR Team Grand Prix certificate.
 
Eligibility:
Team Eligibility: To be eligible for any Grand Prix awards, teams must participate in a minimum of 3 of the designated 2023 USATF Masters LDR Championships with Team Scoring. [See Schedule] Team point totals will be the sum of points scored in that team’s best 5 events. These are Teams scoring points not individuals. The same runners do not have to represent Teams in different events. All Teams must represent 2023 USATF member Clubs according to USATF Rules of Competition and USATF Operating Regulations. An individual’s team membership must conform to USATF rules. Final place ranking in a team division will be determined by total points in each team’s best 5 events and awards will be determined by these final rankings. For award purposes only, teams meeting the minimum participation standard may displace teams who do not meet the minimum standard in the final rankings.
 
Clubs: All clubs must be registered with USATF for 2023. Please submit your club application to your local Association office. 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 as noted in Regulations 4 and 6 in the USATF Governance Manual, Section III and the USATF Rules of Competition, specifically Rule 4 and Rule 341.8. This will be strictly enforced. Pursuant to Rule 341.8, Masters Teams shall represent current member clubs of USATF, verified through the national office. USATF Association, Regional, or National “all-star” teams are not eligible to compete in Masters Long Distance Running Team competition. Team members shall be affiliated with the club they are representing on their USATF membership record prior to entering the competition. One athlete per team e.g., Club M50+ team) who is a non-resident member of an Association is eligible to compete for a team in that Association. This assumes that the non-resident member of that club has transferred their membership to the proper Association and is a bona-fide member of that club.

Club Affiliation: Athletes must be bona fide members of a 2022 USATF Club 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 membership. Athletes wishing to change affiliations can make such a request through their local Association (note that this request must be made by the athlete–see Regulation 4 in the USATF Governance Manual, Section III).

Sponsor Affiliation: In addition to a club affiliation, athletes are able to 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 for any Masters LDR Championship event.
Unattached athletes are encouraged to join a local club or create a new club. Contact your local Association for information on starting your own club. “Unattached/Non-Scoring” athletes (those athletes not with a registered USATF club) may participate but will not be factored into team scores.

Date of Birth and Citizenship of Member Athletes: Unless your date of birth/age has already been verified according to your USATF online membership profile, all entries for Masters LDR Championship events must be accompanied by a copy of a legal document (passport or birth certificate) to verify date of birth and citizenship. Specific instructions on how to log into USATF Connect and upload the documentation is provided in the Technical Instructions posted on the Event page for each Championship.

There are no performance standards to participate in Masters LDR Championship events.
 
All Masters Athletes: All Masters athletes must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens at least 40 years of age on the date of the competition. All athletes must be 2023 members of USATF in good standing. USATF memberships may be purchased online, or through your local Association Office. Existing members can manage their account. Athletes will not be permitted to compete unless they have a 2023 USATF membership and completed the entry process for each event. Resident aliens may compete but may not score for a team nor win awards.

Breaking Team Ties in the Final Standings:

1. In case of a tie or ties for first place team in a division, the tie(s) will be broken using the following guidelines:
   1. Compare head to head competition between/among the tying teams. The team with the most head to head higher places between/among the tying teams will be awarded 1^st place in the division.
   2. In case teams are still tied after applying #1, then the team with most 1^st place team titles among the tying teams will be awarded 1^st place in the division.
   3. In case the teams are still tied after applying #1 and #2, then the teams which are still tied will be declared division co-champions. Each team will receive a banner and the money prizes for the tied places will be added together and evenly divided between/among the tying teams.
2. In case of a tie for 2^nd and/or 3^rd places in a division, the ties will not be broken and money prizes for the tied places will be added together and evenly divided between/among the tying teams.
3. In case of ties for 4^th through 10^th places in a division, the ties will not be broken and duplicate certificates will be presented to all tying teams.
4. Ties for places above 10^th will not be broken.

Appeals: Grand Prix scoring decisions of the Masters LDR Committee are final and are not subject to appeal.
 
2023 USATF Competition Scoring Rules:
 
Cross Country Scoring: Team scoring for Cross Country shall be as follows:

• M40+ and M50+ five (5) individuals shall score with a maximum of nine (9) individuals declared per team;
• M60+ and above and all women’s teams three (3) individuals shall score with a maximum of five (5) individuals declared per team.
• All Masters Cross Country team scores will be calculated by place within the division.
• Ties will be broken according to USATF Competition Rule 7.9.b

[“Ties between two or more teams shall be resolved in favor of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.”]

Road Race Scoring: Team scoring for all Road-Racing Championships shall be as follows:

• All Masters teams, men and women, in all 10-year age divisions, three (3) individuals shall score with a maximum of five (5) individuals declared per team.
• All Masters Road Race Team scores will be calculated by total time of the scoring team members. Ties in team scoring will be broken according to USATF Competition Rule 7.9.b. [“Ties between two or more teams shall be resolved in favor of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.”]

 Team Uniform Rules and Team Eligibility Rules are explained in the Technical Instructions posted for each Championship event. Teams that fail to comply with the requirements in the Technical Instructions shall not earn Club Grand Prix points from that Championship.