Outside of high school and college, cross country is the
forgotten version of competitive running. With the local road race scene so
crowded on any given weekend that you can barely throw a rock without hitting a
race, and with the recent growth of trail running, many runners have forgotten
about the real roots of running – cross country.
Although one may think a cross country course is the same as
a trail run, the typical cross country course does not seek out the rocky
paths, steep hills, and deep woods that many trail runners have come to love.
Cross country makes more use of fields and open spaces. There may be some creek
jumps and wooded areas to traverse, but these are not nearly as demanding as
the trail run may be. Personally, although the trail runs are fun, when I’ve
done trail runs I’ve missed the competitive aspect as I seemed to be more
worried about foot placement and finding the next trail marker as opposed to
running down the competitor 50 meters ahead of me.
I do not in any way demean trail or road running. They are
all wonderful variations of the activity of distance racing. But when you look
to plan your races this fall, try something different, or return to your roots in the true cross country setting you once thrived in. The best place to find
open cross country races is your local running shoe store or running club. You
may need to search a little longer or drive a little further to find a true
cross country race, but I think you’ll be pleased that you did. When you do
find a great race, or if you are hosting one, leave a comment and spread the
word to fellow readers!
-Larry Rechtin
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