2026 XC Season

This is the info page for the 2026 Cross Country season that LSRC plans to participate in! "Register" if you would like to receive email communications about XC! Doing so is for information only and does not sign you up for any of the individual events.

What is Cross Country (XC)?

XC is a long standing team sport that is common in schools, colleges, and running clubs all over the US and other countries! LSRC will be participating in a series of these races throughout the fall, and we'd love to have you join us for any of them! Although XC races tend to attract very fast runners with competitive mindsets, there is NO requirement for experience or ability level to join us! In fact, joining LSRC for XC is a perfect stepping stone toward becoming a higher level runner. There will be some casual races and some competitive races where we will be competing against other run clubs in the area throughout the season.

How does XC work?

XC races are similar to a traditional road or trail races, but with a few exceptions. 

The start line will be very wide such that every team will be able to line up evenly. LSRC will have a designated “box” for all of our athletes to start in. This makes for a very exciting early stage in the race as runners jockey for position! 

Team scoring: The cumulative overall placement of the five fastest runners on each team will serve as the team score. The lowest sum of the first five positions ranks the highest. Importantly, this means you can only help the team by participating. No need to worry if you feel you aren't fast or are inexperienced. In the USATF races, each 10 year age division and open (Under 40) will be scored separately for each gender. Women will race separately from Men, and Masters (40+) or Super Masters (60+) in some cases have their own race.

Courses

XC courses are typically on soft, non-paved surfaces. These surfaces may include a combination of grass, gravel, packed dirt, or wood chips, and the path is usually wide enough for a large number of runners to pass through at once. Since these races occur in the fall, courses are often muddy. Specific shoes known as XC spikes are ideal for grassy and muddy conditions, due to their exceptional grip and light weight, while regular road shoes may still be favorable for dry, hard packed surfaces.

Typical Distances

Casual/community, unscored: 5k

Non-USATF, Club/Collegiate Meets: Women: 6k, Men: 8k

USATF Meets: Women: 6k, Men under 60 years: 8k or 10k, Men 60+: 8k

Workouts & Training

Training for XC is similar to training for 5-10k road races, but with more emphasis on strength and power, which comes into play on hills, rough spots, or when surging. The recommendation is two light workouts (intervals and tempo), plus an easy long run lasting 90-120 minutes each week. While we may hold a few organized workouts, most training will be up to the individual. We also recommend attending one of the local parkruns each Saturday on non-race weekends as a tempo run (80% effort) followed by 5-10x 1 minute intervals or hill repeats after a 5-10 minute cool down. The tempo will help you with your pacing, and the intervals/hill reps will improve your strength.

2026 Schedule

Registration

All casual meets require individual registration (outside of the LRSC website). For competitive meets, LSRC will handle registration and cover the costs of doing so. Some meets will require individual USATF membership ($55/year), but is not necessary until the registration deadline of such event. Until then, simply register for the event on the LSRC website to indicate interest, and we will reach out to coordinate as needed.

Please note that you must be a Full Member of LSRC to receive all of the amenities that LSRC can offer for XC. Some events will require you to wear a club singlet to be counted for team scoring. These are available for purchase although we may provide the option to borrow one for the race on a case by case basis.