Cross-country running is a sport in which teams of runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain faster than other teams. It is a popular participatory sport, and usually takes place in seasons when soft conditions underfoot prevail.

Terrain

What makes cross-country different from road running or track running is that the courses could consist of open terrain, grass, sand, woodlands, mud, and open water. Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, goes off road over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty.

Distance

The length in courses varies in each school and/or university. For men, the courses could be anywhere from 5000 to 12,000 meters, and for the women, the races are about 2,000 to 5,000 meters.

Scoring

Scoring is different than any other sport, wherein the less points each team has the better. No matter how many athletes there are on a team, only 5 teammates score and the points equal the place the runner would finish within the race. For example, if a runner were to finish in 3rd place, that runner would get 3 points. All five runners' points would be added up at the end of the race and the team with the least amount of points is the winner.

History

The sport can be dated back to the 1800s in England where it was a team sport in public schools. At that time, the sport was named “Hare and Hounds” or “The Paper Chase”. The sport would consist of a group of runners that would lay a trail of paper or other devices to mark a trail and another group of runners would follow the trail.

In 1837, the first competition was held at Rugby School, which later turned into the sport having a course pre set over open country land. The sport became so popular in England in the later 1800s and finally, in 1876 the first English National Cross-Country Championship took place.

Attire

Difficulty of the course and rough-n-ready attire is an integral part of the event. While safety precautions have been taken, the nature of this event recommends that runners wear attire that reduces the possibility of mishap, such as long pants, boots, long-sleeve shirt and possibly gloves.

Many myths are out there on what to wear and not wear. 100% Cotton that is loose fitting is bad. Anything that retains water will soak up the mud and water and weigh you down, not to mention chaff you. Sweat Pants are extremely bad? Running shorts/biker shorts are extremely good. Spandex is best. Knee high socks? Really bad, hello ankle weights!

Now let's gab a moment about running shoes. Exactly that? Running shoes! Not cross trainers, Converse sneakers or basketball shoes. Running shoes that breathe are what you want (leather is bad). You DON'T need to duct tape your shoes onto your feet, but you may if you want to look like the serious adventure runner! Simply double-knot your laces and TUCK them in.

If you duct tape your shoes, people have the tendency to tape too hard and cut off the circulation, or limit the range of motion in your foot, causing injury. By taping, you loose 50% or more of the traction on the bottom of your shoes as well. 345 yards into the race is the first mud hole! You do the math. From the first obstacle on, it's mud, dirt, mud after mud for 2 miles. Then it's a 3 mile stroll. History shows that most runners pull off the tape on the back side of the run.

Orienteering is a running sport involving navigation with a map and compass. The traditional form (sometimes referred to as "Foot Orienteering" or "Foot-O") involves cross-country running, though other forms have evolved. The competition is a timed race in which individual participants use a special purpose map and a magnetic compass to navigate through diverse terrain (often wooded) and visit, in sequence, control points that are indicated on the map.

Some wicked courses contain interesting obstacles like river crossings. If you read you map well you might find a rope across. Otherwise you can simply swim across. Keep your map dry.

The course of control points is kept a secret from competitors before the start, when they are provided with a detailed topographic map on which the course is marked. Competitors start at staggered intervals, are individually timed, and are expected to perform all navigation skills on their own. Standings are determined first by successful completion of the course, then by shortest time on course.

Equipment

The basic equipment required for orienteering is usually listed as a compass, appropriate outdoor clothing and, in some countries, whistle. The whistle is for use in emergency situations. Competitive orienteers usually use specialized equipment, such as a "thumb compass". GPS and other electronic navigation devices are not normally allowed.

Competitors may also use a "punch-card holder" for hands-free orienteering. A modern variation on the punch card is electronic punching, where a small plastic 'punchcard', also called a 'dibber', which straps to a competitor's finger, is inserted into a special, battery-operated station at the control point. The time at which the control was punched is recorded. Some electronic punching systems have stations that beep and/or flash a light to notify that the punch is OK. For important events there should be some kind of independent backup available in case of equipment failure.

Recommended Clothing

Participants sometimes wear visors to keep rain, dust and twigs out of their eyes. Purpose-made lightweight nylon or lycra suits provide full body cover for racing in areas with undergrowth. Gaiters are also often worn. Lightweight studded (and often cleated) orienteering shoes are commonly used.