NXN is on! Is Runninglane dead?

We already announced we are running RunningLane today. Can't beat the fast times in the South.

Is your post intentionally provocative? I couldn't host my usual neighborhood pool party the first day after schol got out because I closed my pool due to Covid. I closed the pool therefore I couldn't host a party. And it is due to Covid which makes it even more ridiculous to say I couldn't.

I hope NXN disappears. Our NXR course is terrible. It is too expensive. Runninglane course and experience were great. The only issue there was that the crowd was so large, we couldn't see the finish.

I vividly remember watching Lauren Ping choking & gasping from the thick dust cloud being kicked up by the golf cart just ahead of her. Here she was, the front runner (and eventual winner) in the girl's race, and at the finish she was caked in a layer of dust...

I'm also hedging Nike will cancel NXN. Word on the street in Eugene is Nike is going to axe a majority of it's running assets, including events.

They should host it after NXN and Eastbay and invite the top 10 from each (in addition to standard format) and make this the true national championship. Eastbay and NXN would become the semi finals

I was at RunningLane last year. Top notch event that was very well produced. With that being said one of the meets should change their dates to not divide the talent anymore than they need to. I know RunningLane changed mid stream last year to accommodate CA kids finishing up their State so it's more than possible for one of them to change now and it's not too late.

RL folk are on social begging for travel money. Does Garmin not give them enough to survive?

No company outside of maybe Adidas would be capable of footing the bill for something like NXN. It's good to see Garmin jumping into the sport, but I guarantee you they aren't footing the bill for travel for the teams and individuals.

It's kind of like the PGA tour vs. LIV tour, except without the dirty Saudi Arabian blood money. It's the establishment who invented this, vs. the new alternative who wants to make it different.

My main problem with Runninglane is that they want a fast course. That's not what cross country is about, they should have a tough course for the best runners, with long grass and hills.

Ask the kids what they want, you sound out of touch with what the KIDS want, it isn't about what old coaches, parents, past runners want.

Speed Kills!

As 'riley stops' pointed out Nike's campus was still closed in the fall of 2021. Traveling to NXN is vastly different than participating in NXR, EB, or RL. For NXN, 400 kids plus 100 adults from all over the country spend a long weekend together: same hotel, riding buses together, meals together, etc. With the campus closed to employees, what did you expect Nike to do? If anyone thinks Nike "bailed," you're an idiot. Optics or not, it wasn't a decision that surprised most coaches.

It'll be interesting to see where top programs choose to race. I know a lot of people like the idea of running really fast at RL, but I personally hope NXN remains the choice of top teams. I'd rather see teams (and individuals) battle it out on a course with hills than a track meet on grass.

Last year many top teams ran in their respective NXR meet before competing at RL. I imagine those placing in the top 2 this year won't decline an all-expense paid trip to Portland.

Finally, the NXR-SW course is back to Casa Grande. It has not been updated on the website, but I received confirmation last week. The soccer academy at Casa Grande did not allow it to happen there last year due to, ...wait for it, ...Covid.

You sound like a Nike shill, how many kickbacks to you get from them?

different rules in different states. Oregon is very woke. you know this.

It is their course. Do you want them to dismantle a course that they spent millions to develop?

And you sound angry that Nike is back in play this fall.

Don't confuse using sound logic with anger. I'm glad you concede that you are a Nike shill.

I hope you sleep well at night knowing the money you get from Nike comes from slave labor in China.

You do realize that Garmin has multiple manufacturing facilities in China, right?

it stinks that nike dipped out last year, seemingly for no good reason. but tough to beat them flying people out for free. i get that the regionals can be expensive, depending on where you live. I think for most people, its a 5 hour drive or less, and a night in a hotel room. idk. everybody will have to weigh their own cost/benefit.

If they spent millions to develop a ridiculously flat, fast course, they are not cross-country fans, they are opportunists who play up the egotistical side of the sport, not the hard working and competitive side of the sport. That is a change for the worse. They are not doing it for sport, they are doing it for show.

Cross country has hills and challenges, whatever they are going for is not cross country.