Cross country running

Cross-country running is a sport in which teams of runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain before other teams. It differs from road running or track running principally in the course, which may include grass, mud, woodlands, or water, and in its scoring system. Teams are composed of between five to nine runners.

Cross Country running in the United States

Distances in United States amateur running differ based on gender and league. In grammar school cross country, the courses are around 1.5 miles or 2,400 m in length and include less challenging terrain then in the more advanced leagues. In secondary schools, the standard male and female varsity distance is 5,000 m, or approximately 3.1 miles. The U.S. Nationals are 5,000 m as well. However, states differ in their regulations, and in some this may be reduced to 2.5 miles for females or junior varsity males. At the university level, distances are 5,000 m or 6,000 m for females and 8,000 m or 5 miles for males for most invitationals and DIII regional and national meets. For DI, teams race 10,000 meters at regional and national competition.

Related Topics:
United States - Varsity - Mile - States - Junior varsity

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Scoring

In the US, Cross-country running is normally scored on a team basis. Points are awarded to individual runners equal to the position in which they cross the finish line. Only the first five on each team are counted towards that team's score. The sixth and seventh runners on each team are called "pushers," because while they do not earn points for their team, they push up the point score of each opponent after them. No runners after the first seven per team count in the scoring in most cases. Teams are awarded ranks based on the number of points their top five runners have, with lowest being best. The rules in the event of a tie vary depending on the competition. Often, the team which has a lower sixth-place runner is the winner. However, in the NCAA, the 6th runner is not used and ties are possible.

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The lowest possible score is a 15 (1+2+3+4+5), achieved by a team's runners finishing in each of the top five positions. The opponents would have a score of 40 (6+7+8+9+10), which is considered a "sweep" for the winning team. Of course, if the winning team's 6th and 7th runner's came in 6th and 7th, the opponent's score would be a whopping 50 (8+9+10+11+12).

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