Cross Country (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, including Club Nationals (held in Tacoma this year!) 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. We will also be hosting XC specific workouts and training sessions to prepare for these races. Read below for details.
How it works
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 to the race as runner 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 like you aren't fast or are inexperienced. In the USATF races, each 10 year age division and open (Under 40y) 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.
Distances
Casual Meets: 5k
Non-USATF, Club/Collegiate Meets: Women: 6k, Men: 8k
USATF Meets: Women: 6k, Men U60: 8k or 10k, Men 60+: 8k
Schedule
| Event |
Date |
Length |
Course Description |
Competition |
| Redmond HS Community 5k |
Aug 31 |
5k |
Mostly flat, windy trails, some pavement, and grass |
Casual, not scored |
| WWU Bill Roe Classic |
Sep 28 |
6/8k |
Grass, gravel |
Competitive, scored |
| Twilight Invitational |
Oct 5 |
5k |
Mildly hilly, golf course |
Casual, not scored |
| Emerald City Open |
Oct 12 |
6/8k |
Hilly, grass, gravel |
Competitive, not scored |
| Hole in the Wall |
Oct 12 |
5k |
Mostly flat, grass, track, trail |
Casual, not scored |
| PNW Championships |
Nov 9 |
6/8/10k |
Flat, packed dirt, gravel |
Competitive, scored |
| PNW Regional Championships |
Nov 23 |
6/8k |
Flat, open, golf course |
Competitive, scored |
| Club National Championships |
Dec 14 |
6/8/10k |
Flat, open, golf course |
Competitive, scored |
The casual meets are unscored and bring a variety of runners. The last 3 meets have team scoring and require uniform (LSRC Jersey) and USATF membership ($50/year). You are not obligated to attend all of the meets.
Registration
The club will handle registering members for the events and cover the costs of doing so. Some meets do require individual USATF membership ($50/year). We will provide more details on that once the schedule has been determined. For now, simply register for this event on the LSRC website to indicate interest. One of our team captains will be in touch as the season draws near.
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
