Cross-country running

Cross-country running is an individual and team sport that involves running over open country, as opposed to a track. The course is over natural terrain, often dirt or grass, and may include inclines, declines, and flat surfaces. The course will include straight stretches, curves, and turns. Cross-country running is a popular high school and college sport, and many cross-country races for adults are held worldwide. It was an Olympic sport in the early twentieth century but is no longer included.

Cross-country running has its roots in ancient history, when runners would carry messages from city to city. Running was a necessary skill rather than a means to maintain or increase physical fitness. As a sport, its history is about two centuries long. The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt in England is the world's oldest running club. The school is credited with establishing the cross-country running tradition shortly after 1800.

Running remained largely an organized sport until the 1960s, when people began to run as a hobby. Since then, the number of adults who run has increased, and the sport expanded to include a variety of events. More than thirty million adult runners in the United States participate in running events. Many cite the simplicity of the sport, which requires little in the way of equipment beyond appropriate footwear, for its popularity.

Origins and History

Running has often been a part of military training and has its early roots in practical purposes. One ran to get to a location, catch something, or deliver an item. For example, people ran as a means to share a message during war. Running was included in the ancient Olympic Games as a display of physical fitness. The first Olympic running event was the race in armour, which proved participants were ready for battle. Runners carried shields and wore helmets and greaves, or shin armour. Eventually running events expanded and included short races and marathons.

Modern cross-country running developed in England during the early nineteenth century. The students at Shrewsbury School developed a running game they called a paper chase. The event was modeled after fox and hare hunting, which involves hunters on horseback using hounds to track foxes or hares throughout the countryside. The sport involves jumping over hedges and fences and racing throughout forests and fields. The runners in the Shrewsbury paper chase were called harriers, or hare hunters. Two runners played the part of the prey, either hares or foxes, and had a ten-minute head start. They zigged, zagged, and doubled back, while they tossed shredded paper, which served as the scent the pack of hounds would follow. Younger students aged thirteen to fifteen made up the pack, which followed the scent and canvassed the area when the scent was lost. Older students of sixteen to eighteen years made up the field, or the huntsmen. They followed the pack as it tracked the foxes or hares, and when they caught up with the prey, the field gave chase. Catching the prey was called the kill. Many terms used by the Shrewsbury students remain in use in cross-country running. A mid-pack runner, for example, was one in the middle of the hound pack, and a runner ahead of the field is winning.

The Shrewsbury students also organized races called steeplechases. These races were patterned after the actions of the boys' fathers, who galloped on horse from village to village, using the tall steeples as sight markers. The youth steeplechase was a running event on a marked course that took them through brambles, over fences, and across streams. The course could also include portable hurdles.

Cross-country running was included in the Olympic Games from 1912 to 1924. The 1924 event was held on a very hot day, which taxed the strength of athletes. Many passed out, and officials had to send rescue crews out to search for athletes who needed medical attention. After that event, cross-country running was removed from future Olympics.

Rules and Regulations

The distance of the race varies by age, gender, region, and ability. International Athletics Association Federation (IAAF) world and national championships are 12 km for men, 8 km for women and junior men, and 6 km for junior women. Many races use a loop course, which ensures participants are meeting requirements and helps spectators view the race. A typical loop course for an event may be 2,000 meters, so men run the loop five times, women and junior men complete four loops, and junior women run three loops. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) race standard is 10 km for men and 6 km for women. The season begins in the fall.

The course of a cross-country race is open but usually includes a variety of surfaces and terrains, including grass, hills, mud, and water. Obstacles may be included, such as bales of hay, as they accommodate large numbers of runners in a pack and other concerns, such as spectators and officials. The course must be clearly marked by flags or tape to guide runners.

The athletes stand in a long line at the start line. Usually, teams are assigned to start in boxes, or divisions, at the start line. The best runners for each team stand directly at the start line with the rest of the team waiting behind them. A gun fired by an official signals the start of the race. The finish line is marked with a banner. Runners are directed into a chute, so officials may score them properly and rank them. Championship races typically use chip timers or some other device to track runners and clock times.

Although runners are awarded for individual performance, the focus of most events is the team championship. The top five runners for each team are scored by their finishing positions. These scores are combined. Faster times are equivalent to a lower score. The winner is the team with the lowest number of points.

Strategy and Tactics

One way a team can score better is by displacing members of other teams. The scores of the first five team members are used to determine the team's score. If a team consists of eight runners, for example, and any of the remaining three finish ahead of any of the top five members of another team, the opponents will gain more points by being lower in the rankings. For example, Team A's sixth runner finishes thirteenth, while Team B's sixth runner finishes fourteenth; this gives Team A an advantage.

Runners must consider how to pace themselves and the course itself. They must ensure they have enough energy to cope with terrain changes and upward slopes. If they plan to put on a burst of speed, also called a kick, near the end, they must be aware of the conditions they will encounter. An uphill finish, for example, may require the runner to kick early to gain a lead, while a muddy stretch may force a runner to delay the kick.

Some athletes maintain pace with the pack, while others focus on their own race. Staying with the pack is appropriate for runners who know where they want to finish—they stay with the athletes who are direct competition. They can measure their own pace based on how well or poorly the other runners are doing. By focusing on the others in the pack, they can avoid distractions. Staying with the pack allows a runner to take advantage of drafting. Drafting, which is a technique used in sports such as cycling and car racing, is taking advantage of others in the race to cut wind resistance and save energy. Athletes who run their own races should know their own strengths, weaknesses, and conditions. They must maintain focus and evaluate their condition throughout the course. Runners may gain a sense of accomplishment as they pass competitors because they are following a personal race strategy. A disadvantage of running one's own race is that an individual may be unable to catch a fast-moving pack if it gains an early lead. Most runners choose to pace themselves early in the race. They usually run faster in the second half of the course.

Professional Leagues and Series

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body in the United States for long-distance running, race walking, and track-and-field. In addition to high school and junior high school athletes, it includes more than thirty million adult runners. Its premier event is the annual USATF National Club Cross Country Championships. Men and women compete for individual and team medals in junior, senior, and masters categories. USATF also holds a variety of championship events for adult and youth athletes at local, regional, and national levels.

The IAAF organizes the World Cross Country Championships. Since 2011, the formerly annual event has been held biennially in odd-numbered years during March. Men and women compete for individual and team medals. The event includes both senior and junior events.

Popularity

USATF reported that cross-country running had been growing in popularity among adults in the early twenty-first century. In 2001, the masters national club races drew 83 men and 24 women. In 2011, 356 men and 152 women competed. The organization cites a number of reasons for the boost in popularity. Many participated in cross-country running in high school and college and sought to regain the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie they had in their youth. Events are open to runners of all ages, including the 90+ division. Younger adult runners cite the example set by older athletes as motivation to keep pursuing their goals. Another draw may be the prize money. The USATF open and masters prize purse was worth $20,000 in 2005 and grew to $40,000 in 2013. First-place men and women at the 2023 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships open took home $5,000 each.

Cross-country running also remained one of the most popular high school sports, though it experienced slight declines in the 2020s. Still, the 2023–24 school year saw over 239,000 boys and over 192,000 girls participate in cross-country in the US.

Bibliography

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