Cross Country Running
How it works

Races, for both teams and individuals, are run on either grass or woodland courses and might also include stretches of gravel paths, road and hills. 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 1750m and 2000m with natural obstacles used where possible, and the likes of deep ditches, dangerous ascents and descents as well as thick undergrowth should be avoided.

History

The first international cross country race was staged in 1898 at Ville d'Avray, France. The first International Cross Country Championships (the forerunner to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships) was held five years later at Hamilton Park Racecourse in Scotland. The inaugural IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on 17 March 1973 in the Belgian town of Waregem. Men's cross country races have also taken place at three summer Olympics, in 1912, 1920 and 1924. 

Strategy

Because of differences between courses in running surface, frequency and tightness of turns, and amount of up and downhill, cross country strategy does not necessarily simplify to running a steady pace from start to finish. Coaches and cross country runners debate the relative merits of fast starts to get clear of the field, versus steady pacing to maximize physiological efficiency. Some teams emphasize running in a group in order to provide encouragement to others on the team, while others hold that every individual should run his or her own race. In addition, whether you run ahead 'of the pack' or behind it and pull ahead in the end is important, but can vary according to the runner's individual skill, endurance, and the length of the race. Runners should also account for food intake prior to the race. Most important, however, is the training beforehand

Distances

Courses for international competitions consist of a loop between 1750 and 2000 meters. Athletes complete three to six loops, depending on the race. Senior men and women compete on a 10 kilometre course. Junior men compete on an 8-kilometre course and junior women compete on a 6-kilometre course

Equipment

Cross country running involves very little specialized equipment. Most races are run in shorts and vests or singlets, usually in club or school colours. In particularly cold conditions, long-sleeved shirts and tights can be worn to retain warmth without losing mobility. The most common footwear are cross country spikes, lightweight racing shoes with a rubber sole and five or more metal spikes screwed into the forefoot part of the sole. Spike length depends on race conditions, with a muddy course appropriate for spikes as long as 25 millimetres (0.98 in). If a course has a harder surface, spikes as short as 6 millimetres (0.24 in) may be most effective. While spikes are suitable for grassy, muddy, or other slippery conditions, runners may choose to wear racing flats, rubber-soled racing shoes without spikes, if the course includes significant portions of paved surfaces or dirt road

Atelaw Yeshetela Bekele of Belgium (L) and Andrew Ledwith of Ireland (R) compete during Senior Men Race at European Cross Country Championships in Velenje on December 11, 2011

Gold standard

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele has won 16 gold medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, 12 individual and four team wins. He achieved five consecutive double victories between 2002 and 2006 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 2008 and won the 2001 junior title.