What+is+Cross+Country?


 * __What exactly is Cross Country Running?__**

Everyone will have their different defenitions for cross country. Using the defenition from (wikipedia.org, 2010):

" Cross country running is a sport in which runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain. The courses used at these events may include grass, mud, woodlands, hills, flat ground and water. It is a popular participatory sport, and usually takes place in temperate regions during the autumn and winter when soft conditions underfoot prevail." (defenition obtained from: [])

I personally define cross country as sport where athletes run long distances with out stopping and compete in races consisting of varying terrain such as sand, dirt, mud, gravel, grass, and pavement. Individual athletes are scored by what place they come in. With teams, the top 5 runners of each team are scored. The team with the lowest score wins the meet as a team.

High School Cross Country meets are 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) while College/University level meets range anywhere from 4-7.5 miles (9300-12000 meters) for men, and 1.25-3 miles (2000-5000 meters) for women.


 * __History of Cross Country__**

Cross Country running started in 1837 in various English Rugby Schools and was continued to be "practiced" by all English private schools during the ealry 1800's. In the year 1868, rowing club members looked to cross country as a way to stay in shape during their off-season. Soon, many other groups joined them until 1883. That year, the "English Cross Country Union" was established and brought with it, National Championships.

Cross Country came to the United States in 1878 by a man named William C. Vosburgh. It originally started as summer training for track and field athletes. In 1887, cross country was made a "formal" sport of the U.S.A. but was only avaliable to men. Finally, cross country running was made avaliable to women in the 1960's by the "International Amatuer Athletic Foundation." It was included in the Summer Olympics until 1924 when complaints were made saying that this sport was not appropriate for the season. Today, cross country is very popular in almost all temperate climates excpet the continent of Asia. The IAAF now organizes the World Cross Country Championships and have changed the courses from the slower, wetter, and more traditional courses to courses that tend to be faster and drier.