This is THE DUMBEST idea. Glendover is a terrible course to decide an XC team. If they run it before the high schoolers the course will be chewed up to bits before them. If they run it after it'll be torn up for the pros. There is a noticeable difference for the second race every year at NXN. They should have it on the Footlocker course instead.
Agree 100%.
Whoever came up with this idea is several tacos 🌮 short of a combination platter.
Mixed reception on here (as per usual towards anything USATF does, maybe understandably), but I really like this. I love that all of these events are being combined into one location - good for the sport! Since everything is in the same spot, I might travel there to watch if I can.
I've never been a fan of how many "national meets" there are in the US postseason, both for XC and track and field especially, between Nike and Footlocker and New Balance and runninglane and Brooks and U20, so it is nice to see some of these get intertwined a little bit for world XC selection.
My only concern is that the U20, Footlocker, and NXN all race separately for the same team - and when you are adding in stuff like guaranteed spots and college freshman it might get a little messy.
I'm sure a ton of these pros will enjoy the trip down memory lane. Guys like Hocker and Young made their breakouts on Glendoveer.
As someone that usually participates in these XC championships, I'll tell you it's a bad idea for this particular location. Yes, a combined meet makes a ton of sense for fans, athletes, and the organizers. However, there will be at least 4 Usatf races and at least 2 NXN races. How they schedule this all out will have a dramatic affect on one or two of the championship races, be it the pros or the HS kids. It could end up being a dry December, but it's unlikely. As mentioned, the world's course and weather are polar opposite from that of pnw.
A similar format was followed in 1985 at Meredith College in Raleigh, likely for the same PR and cost saving reasons. The course was 90% grass, rolling. Day 1 hosted a bunch of Jr. Oly races, followed the next day by TAC XC Champs (Sr. Men & women, Jr men and women). It rained for three days straight, Day 3 of rain being Day 2 of the races. I ran Sr. men. By the time our race started, the course had badly deteriorated, such that one encountered knee deep mud 100m from the start where even xc spikes garnered no grip - multiple runners fell. More than one competitor experienced debilitating knee or ankle injury due to the slipping and twisting. I ran fairly well, despite stomach flu, but I can assure you that the majority of athletes in the final two events expressed significant displeasure with the format afterwards. Given how different Tallahassee is, one can validly question the wisdom of this choice, esp. since Portland NXN is flat and thus not "true" xc anyhow.
I do realize such a course would be unremarkable viewed from European standards but they at least have the benefit of experience in such conditions. Nor are "groomed" courses unique to the USA. I ran regional jrs in Australia and that course was more "American" than the stereotypical British mudfest.
This post was edited 5 minutes after it was posted.
Most years I can remember that course gets EXTREMELY muddy just from a couple high school races.
This course is going to be a disaster before half of the planned races even start. Not fitting for championship selection.
Another bad Gault opinion, this is a terrible idea.
Hey it's okay if we disagree. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I'm quite excited for this. I think it has the opportunity to be a great celebration of the sport, especially if the top US stars turn up (and I think they will).
It is a great idea but not on the Glendover course. Gault, have you been to or watched any of the NXN races the last 10 years? Even on the good years the second race of the day (they alternate between which gender runs first) suffers greatly from the course being torn up. More falls occur in the second race, the turns are awful etc. They should have had this at the Footlocker course where conditions and the course will be closer to what we can expect in Florida.
This is THE DUMBEST idea. Glendover is a terrible course to decide an XC team. If they run it before the high schoolers the course will be chewed up to bits before them. If they run it after it'll be torn up for the pros. There is a noticeable difference for the second race every year at NXN. They should have it on the Footlocker course instead.
The problem with Balboa Park I think is handling a large field would be tough as it narrows down to ~3-5 meters wide within 200 m or so, no?
Idk why everyone is worried about the mud on the course, it’s cross country. Like ya it’ll be torn up but most of the people running probably ran NXN in HS they’ll be fine they’re pro runners. I love this move 10/10
Does USATF even have events anymore? Seems like they've cancelled or fumbled everything in 2025. No domestic pro meets, juniors is with nike, cross is with nike, barely could find a host for junior olympics, they seem to be completely out of any control when anything is in Eugene with tracktown leading the charge, needless to say they've never hosted a road running event since the 12k a decade ago. What are they even doing for the sport besides being in the way?
The above was my first thought too. I think combining it with NXN is a fine idea, but I don't love having the races on that course in Portland. If this was just a championship race I think it would be fun, but for a qualifying race I'd like the course to be more similar to the World's course so we end up with the best team possible for World's. Frankly, with World's being in the US we should take advantage of that and have the qualifying race be in Tallahassee too.
And… the selection race had better be held before the high school races, otherwise the course will be a mud pit and even less likely to get the top six “fastest” for worlds.
USATF website says it will be held after the NXN races. Better for the pros to go through the tougher beaten-up course than the HSers. The poor U20 athletes will be running in a tornup mud pit.
Does USATF even have events anymore? Seems like they've cancelled or fumbled everything in 2025. No domestic pro meets, juniors is with nike, cross is with nike, barely could find a host for junior olympics, they seem to be completely out of any control when anything is in Eugene with tracktown leading the charge, needless to say they've never hosted a road running event since the 12k a decade ago. What are they even doing for the sport besides being in the way?
Yup.
With all the piggybacking, they're just jumping into already existing meets and doing absolutely nothing. But charging a fee, of course.
I remember when Hollywood TV industry, mainly ABC Wide Worls of Sports, wrote the 1979 Stevens Amatuer Sports Act. It was supposes to be retired mid-level Hollywood TV industry Execs taking over Oly Sports orgs for no pay or an $1000/yr honorarium, They were supposed to bring in children to Oly Sports and lead them to the podium
This is a cool idea in principle. Anyone wanting to qualify for world xc had better train xc as they are going to be racing in mud. This could be very different course conditions than Florida.
The CEOs were supposed to formalize the Oly Sports into a true amatuer sports organization. At the time there was no computers and internet. The individual Oly sports were typically run out of a Keds shoe box stored in the trunk of a 1972 Chevy Chevelle by someone with accounting knowledge whose daughter was a hopeful. Once the kid didn't make it, the Keds shoebox was passed to the next parent of a hopeful.
Nobody has mentioned it (or probably cares), but it looks like the Masters races will be run the next day. Good for keeping the course better for the pros, but it will probably lead to some broken hips for the old folks.