Cross country runners are referred to as harriers. Men and women of all ages compete in cross country, which, in the United States, usually takes place during fall. Cross country running is one of the disciplines under the umbrella sport of "Athletics. USA national cross country championships have been held since The rules and traditions of cross country racing emerged in Britain with the English championships first held in Races usually take place in the winter months, outside the usual track and field season.
The IAAF recommend for international competitions that there is a main course loop of between m and m with natural obstacles used where possible, and the likes of deep ditches, dangerous ascents and descents as well as thick undergrowth should be avoided.
The first international cross country race was staged in at Ville d'Avray, France. Men's cross country races have also taken place at three summer Olympics, in , and Portugal's Carlos Lopes became the oldest individual winner when he won the third of his trio of titles in at 38 years and 34 days. At the other end of the spectrum, the youngest individual winner is Kenya's Lydia Cheromei, who took the junior women's title when she was just 13 years and days.
He achieved five consecutive double victories between and in both the long course and now-discontinued short course races. In addition, he got an unprecedented sixth senior men's long course victory in and won the junior title.
Regulation teeth for cross country courses range from. Alternatively, rubber studded shoes may be worn, as spikes are forbidden in some leagues. While spikes are suitable for grassy, muddy, or slippery conditions, runners may choose to wear racing flats if the course includes significant portions of paved surfaces or dirt road.
Flats are typically less aggressive in foot positioning and heavier than spikes. They possess less rigid outsole tread than spikes and do not have any metal teeth. In recent years, international cross-country has been dominated by eastern Africans, particularly those representing Kenya and Ethiopia.
Several athletes have won three or more individual titles at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships: Carlos Lopes, the first man to win three times; John Ngugi, the first man to win five times; Paul Tergat, the first man to win five times in a row; Kenenisa Bekele, the only man to win the short and long courses each five times in five years; Grete Waitz, the first woman to win five times; Tirunesh Dibaba who won three times at the long course and once at the short; Lynn Jennings, who won three times; Derartu Tulu, who won three times; Gete Wami, who won twice at the long course and once at the short; and Edith Masai, who won the short race three times.
Canada Cross-country running is a far reaching sport in Canada. Starting in elementary school, most children have had some form of exposure to cross-country running, usually in the form of an annual all-school event. In middle school, races are more serious and are divided by grade and gender. In high school the races are very serious and tend to be the main talent pool especially at the senior level for university or national-level runners. At the university level, the sport is administered by the CIS.
United Kingdom The organization of cross-country running in the United Kingdom has continued to be mostly devolved to the four national associations: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The sport is based around the clubs, which usually are mixed cross-country and road running clubs. Cross-country running takes place from roughly September until March. Most matches are parts of different cross-country leagues, which are organised on an ad hoc basis.
These vary from large, high quality leagues, such as the Birmingham League and SurreyLeague which is unusual in requiring ten runners to score to small, local leagues such as the Gloucestershire AA league , and individual clubs can be a member of several leagues. Typically there will be four or five fixtures a season.
In addition there are county championships, area championships north, south, and midlands , the national championship whose location rotates around the three areas , and the Inter-Counties Championship which is often the best quality race owing to its restricted entry and its role as the trial for the World Championships. In addition there can be many inter-club matches, particularly among the older clubs.
Most league matches are around 10 km 6. Most clubs are mixed, though men's and women's races tend to be run separately. Secondary school aged students are also to compete at local schools races, with a set number of students qualifying for county level, at which there is a further race to qualify for the English Schools Cross Country race.
There is also quite a lot of racing between universities, with larger fixtures organised through BUCS. Most elementary schools in the US do not have school teams, but many running clubs exist for youth runners of 18 years of age and younger.
Course distances for this age group vary depending on the age of the athlete. Common championship distances are:. Many middle schools grades in the US offer cross country as a school sport and youth running clubs are still very dominant in this age group. A typical middle school course 7th and 8th grade is usually around 1. In states such as Illinois, 3. However,states differ in their regulations, and in some, different distances, mostly 3 miles and 4 kilometers, are typical for females.
At college level, distances are usually 5 km or 6 km for females and 8 km 5 miles for males for most invitationals and NCAA Division III regional and national meets. The largest cross-country invitational in the world is at Mt. The long course is 12 km for men and 8 km for women, while the short course is 4 km for both men and women. Outstanding American cross-country runners include Don Lash, who won seven consecutive national championships from to and Pat Porter, who won eight titles from to Login Create an Account SportsEngine.
Twitter Facebook. What is XC? What is TF? What is Cross Country? History A cross country race in Seaside, Oregon. Courses and Distances Each cross-country running course is different in its make-up. Marking the Course The runner is responsible for staying within a specified distance of the marked path.
During the Race After the first — meters, runners typically fall into their "race pace", or a steadier pace that can be maintained for a long period of time. The Finish The course usually ends at a finish line located at the beginning of a funnel or chute. Scoring When two or more teams of cross country runners compete, a score may be compiled to determine which team is the better.
Equipment Cross-country running involves very little specialized equipment. Note on examples, there are usually 5 scoring runners on each team, 4 is for brevity. Notable Athletes In recent years, international cross-country has been dominated by eastern Africans, particularly those representing Kenya and Ethiopia. Regional Organization Canada Cross-country running is a far reaching sport in Canada. US Armed Forces cross country meet.
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