Hardest Highschool Xc course

Tom sawyer park in Louisville. Brutal and the course is DEVASTATING

Holmdel doesn't seem too bad, but the times there have been pretty slow. Think about it: Literally every single half-decent runner since the 70s in NJ has run there, and only two have broken 15, one of whom is the best college athlete maybe ever. Probably the hardest course that people run on at their peak.

Van Cortlandt and Mt. Sac lose points for not being 5k. Once the times are unique to the course you're just kinda running.

Sunfair (Yakima, WA)

Hangman Valley (Spokane, WA; Home Pre's last NCAA title, though interestingly enough he called it an easy course)

Mt Sac - totally agree it's a b!tch

"Rimrock in Lawrence, KS is the toughest XC course I've personally run, and it used to be even tougher, with a BRUTAL ascent at the 4200m mark, and a sharp hairpin turn at the end of a downhill that was notorious for causing wipeouts."

Paul Roberts from CO tore this Rimrock course up for a 15:10 last year!

NOT HARD.

Again, Battle Mountain @ Beaver Creek = hardest. No contest

I'm surprised BOWDOIN PARK in New York has not been mentioned. The course record is 15:29, and any mark below 16 minutes there is considered "special". It hosts 3 or so competitive invitationals where the likes of CBA compete (only one coming to mind right now, been out of the game for a while), the NY State Section 1 meet (which includes the northern suburbs of New York. Incredibly deep, whether or not there is a ton of talent at the top like Cali), the NY Federation meet, and finally the NXN regional. The course is essentially up and then down with a small hill before the finishing straight. Very easily harder than Van Cortlandt. More people have competed on Van Cortlandt probably on account of the Manhattan invitational.

This one doesn't attract many teams but the White Plains high school course is BRUTAL. It has a lot of steep up and down, but most notably it has the wall. 50m of >70% slope that sucks the life out of your legs that you have to do twice, one of which right before the final charge home. State Qualifiers is held there next year, can't wait to see that. For the record, the course record is held by a 25 minute 8k runner at Marist. 16:41.

Battle Mountain Invitational in Beaver Creek, CO- a total b**ch. definitely one of the hardest courses out there!

I will agree with the Battle Mountain Invitational (Beaver Creek CO). That course not only was at altitude (8,500ft), but it also was literally going up a never ending hill.

Rogues wrote:

I will agree with the Battle Mountain Invitational (Beaver Creek CO). That course not only was at altitude (8,500ft), but it also was literally going up a never ending hill.

I was going to bring up two courses in SW chicago but they are not even the same sport as that SH!T!! OUCH

Another vote for the Maryland course. I think a girl broke the record last year at an invitational there when I was watching. That kid was flying.

I ran Holmdel multiple times. Holmdel is tough when dry, but is especially brutal when wet or just after hard rain. The water creates too many ankle-twisting ruts and the grass in the bowl seems to get slippery. It is also brutal because if you don't go out hard at the start you can get stuck right away behind slower runners in a narrow path where passing is difficult in the first mile.

I'm happy to never race that course again.

Brandywine Creek is also a biatch. Its net uphill - you start in a lower valley and end on top of hill overlooking the start. So called "maintenance hill" is not the bad part - for me it was the hills that followed. I don't think I ever raced it when wet. Times were slow here, but we seemed to race it in early Oct and everyone raced it with 'tired legs' as there was absolutely no taper that time of year.

I'm happy to never race that course again.

I remember when I was in high school cross country team and our school went to the Battle Mountain Invitation in Beaver creek (Colorado). I wanted to quit after that. Who the h$ll hosts a cross race on a fre$king ski course at f$$$ing altitude?? The first couple miles were going up and up and up.... Everybody walked at least for a couple seconds, come on, let's be honest!

Belmont Plateau/Philly and Vandy Bronx,NY.

Neither of these can touch some of the real strategically hilly courses in SWPA and N. WVA

Derryfield Park, Manchester NH

Garret Mountain, Paterson, NJ. That course totally blows.

Hereford now sux. So many changes due to school construction it now borders on dangerous. Even worse for spectators. years ago it was fine, but they haven't added anything to make it a better event. Meet director and Baltimo0re County just suck up the entry fees.

Eottidbma wrote:

I remember when I was in high school cross country team and our school went to the Battle Mountain Invitation in Beaver creek (Colorado). I wanted to quit after that. Who the h$ll hosts a cross race on a fre$king ski course at f$$$ing altitude?? The first couple miles were going up and up and up.... Everybody walked at least for a couple seconds, come on, let's be honest!

Definitely Battle Mountain. I think it's the only course that everyone walked. I mean everyone.

But many years ago (about 40) there was an Arapaho (Colorado) course that crossed a stream 2-3 times. After a good rain the stream was a river and the steep banks and hills coming out of the river bed were simply mud and not doable- sliding back into other runners behind you- on hands and knees, swimming down river to find a better place to exit, etc. I believe they even put in some hand rails in later years for runners to use. Is that course still around??

There is a race in Oregon called the Seaside Three Course Challenge. Which obviously has three courses, an Easy, Moderate, and Hard course.

The Hard course is pretty brutal, with guys that run in the 16 minute range on the WA state course often running 19:30 to 20 minutes on the Hard course.

Also my old high school course way back in the day was pretty brutal. the course was under three miles (I believe it was measured about 2.93 miles), and less than a dozen people have broken 16 on it. Including at least two Footlocker finalists.

Souix Passage in North Saint Louis County.

Ever see McFarland? That conference course where we ran up and down a 3000ft mountain is probably the toughest.

Plus had to be at least 8, maybe 10 miles.