The start of the race is an area of primary concern where the NCAA and USATF course regulations are concerned. Colorado Track XC file photo.
Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you know there's been a great deal of recent discussion--both on this site and elsewhere--about what makes for a good cross country course for a championship meet. I've held off a little on the publication of this article to let some of the heat surrounding that issue blow over. Hoping that most of the heat has blown over and people are ready to have the kind of discussion that leads to some productive decisions, here is some detailed information about course design from the two governing bodies that oversee the highest levels of cross country meets in this nation.
As early as this past summer, the cross country coaches of the Colorado High School Coaches Association voted to send track and field/cross country President Ron Shepherd to the CHSAA cross country committee meeting to make the request that the CHSAA committee work on the issue of defining what we should look for in a championship cross country course. Shepherd dutifully presented that request though, as far as was evident in the meeting itself, no further action was taken on the request from the CHSCA. That, of course, is not the same as saying no action will ever be taken on the request.
Much of the issue here has arisen, in some fashion, from the treatment (or lack thereof) of cross country courses in the NFHS rule book. Rule 9 on the NFHS track and field/cross country rule book is devoted to cross country and does touch on course design in Article 1. Unfortunately, much of what is contained in the Article deals with the archaic use and meaning of red, yellow, and blue course marking flags.
The NFHS handbook offers no differentiation between championship courses and non-championship courses. What the rule book does offer in the way of course specifics are these:
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No ground obstructions which may cause tripping, turned ankles, etc. No overhead objects such as tree branches lower than 8 feet above the ground.
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A 2-inch wide starting line marked at the beginning of a lengthy straightaway, wide enough to accommodate all teams; i.e., a width of the number of teams multiplied by 6 feet.
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At the end of the course, a straightaway of at least 150 yards ending in a rope funnel with a mouth 15 feet wide...
So, in short, the NFHS rule book doesn't give a lot of direction about course design. Whether that is by design or by neglect of the issues involved is a matter difficult to determine from this vantage point. The use of directional flags and of yards as a measure of distance, however, suggest that it has been a long, long time since these rules were a matter of discussion at the NFHS national level.
Realizing that the NFHS rule book has little in the way of direction for design of cross country courses, I sent an inquiry in the direction of John Supsic, former Metro State cross country coach and race director for the USATF Cross Country Championships in Boulder on February 15. Supsic has experience setting up courses for both NCAA (RMAC and DII Central Region championship meets) and USATF events, so I asked him to explain to me what specifications must be addressed for courses for events on either of these levels.
For NCAA meets, it is recommended that courses by limited to fields, woods, and grasslands. Parks, golf courses, or specifically designed cross country courses are the most desirable venues. Turf should be even and promote the safety of the runners. Beyond that:
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Dangerous ascents or descents, undergrowth, deep ditches, and in general any obstacles and hindrance detrimental to the competitors must be avoided.
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Continuous traversing of roadways should be avoided.
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The width of a championship course shall not be less than 10 meters throughout.
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The width of a nonchampionship course, and of a championship course with fewer than 30 teams or 210 individuals competing, shall not be less than 5 meters. However, for a non-championship course, infrequent narrow gaps of not less than 2 meters are permitted.
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The start shall be located so as to provide a long, straight route from the starting line.
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The first turn of a non-championship course shall not be less than 400 meters and preferably not less than 600 meters from the start. The first turn of a championship course shall not be less than 600 meters and preferably not less than 800 meters from the start.
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Turns shall be gradual. If a course layout requires a sharp turn, any such turn shall be clearly marked. The runner shall be provided with a distinct barrier through that turn.
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The last 200 meters of the course must be straight and at least 10 meters in width to the finish line.
USATF rules are somewhat more lenient than the NCAA rules, perhaps due to the fact that USATF races are typically smaller than NCAA championship races (and many of the larger NCAA invitationals). The major differences from the NCAA rules are as follows:
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The course must consist of 2k loops (this is required because there are 6 championship races throughout the day that are each divisible by 2k).
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The first turn shall not be less than 400 meters from the start
It is not my place to suggest which of the NCAA and USATF course requirements are desirable at the Colorado high school level and which are not. Like a lot of other people, I have my opinions, but this is not the kind of decision best left to an individual. These kind of decisions are best left to small, but representative, groups of people who know and understand the sport in an intimate sort of way, with some diversity of opinion represented on the committee that ultimately makes the decisions.