What is the most famous cross country course?

Has to be either Parliament Hill or possibly Wimbledon Common based on the history of either.

As mentioned above Parliament Hill is a pig, but it's the home of cross country and that makes slogging around the nine miles a little bit more tolerable at the Southern...

Cinque Mulini internationally and possibly Açoteias for the Almond Blossom?

If the link works, these are some pictures taken on November 19, 1977 during a Turkey Trot at Veteran's Acres Park in Crystal Lake, IL

Van Cortlandt

Bowdoin State Park XC Course

Bear Mountain XC Course

Homdel ....never ran it but since I lived on the Jersey border stories of some sky high hill at some course in jersey would make it's way into our xc team's locker room chatter.

"What is the most famous cross country course?"

A better question would have just been - "What cross country courses can you name?"

Then, just add up the responses.

O.K. If you add up the web hits it's the FL Regionals and FL natl Champs that are the most viewed. The HIT HITS for the finals at Balboa, San Diego are through the roof.

I don't know or care whether Holmdel is famous but I do know that on a cool fall day its heaven. Also, the whole which course is harder thing is irrelevant to the original posters question. Oh and Shore Coach's Invitational(HS) is allowing entrants from out of state this year and Monmouth University holds a college invitational every fall. The 8k course is an absolute beast.

How about Mombasa GC in Kenya? World champs in 2007 had 60k in attendance, including folks sitting on barbed wire!

UW-PARKSIDE is definitly at the top of the list. Footlocker, DII Championships, Regionals and Conference Meets, DI Conference Meets, NAIA Championships, WIAA Sectional, Conference and countless invites, 5 other NCAA events, Brooks Border Wars soo much more... it's soul use is cross country. Its gutty, muddy, snowy, hilly.. too awesome! Wayne E Dannehl National Cross Country Course!

Holmdel wrote:

I don't know or care whether Holmdel is famous but I do know that on a cool fall day its heaven. Also, the whole which course is harder thing is irrelevant to the original posters question. Oh and Shore Coach's Invitational(HS) is allowing entrants from out of state this year and Monmouth University holds a college invitational every fall. The 8k course is an absolute beast.

The Holmdel course is great....probably a "nicer" course than VCP in terms of overall asthetics. However it's not famous outside of NJ.

I don't get how Homdel is still getting mentioned. No one outside of Jersey runs there. They finally allowed one meet to bring in out of state teams, but all the other big courses have been doing this for years. The only thing this discusion is proving is that Jersey people are the most vocal about their state course.

Hereford Sucks! Their two races are either in 90 degree heat or 25 degree weather. Horrible for spectators, the septic tanks stink up the place. Parking is awful. If it rains - everything is mud and the course is unusable. The course is not about cross country, but survival. Has nothing to do about how good a runner you are, but how good you can run monster hills. Food is overpriced and lines are too long. Bathrooms are non-existant. One person keeps the state championships there instead of finding a course that is centrally located and fair for everyone in the state.

VCP (at least to everyone in the US and Ireland)

Cinque Mulini (probably best known worldwide)

By the way, Foot Locker West is at Mt SAC, not Balboa

Is this Famous or Toughest? Or Infamous?

As far as INFAMOUS- the very mention of Holmdel makes me have to go to the restroom. Kenosha has the same reaction in the Midwest.

Famous- hands down- it's Van Cortland.

Toughest- Holmdel!

LaVern Gibson, Im proud to say- only 13 years old- is still building it's reputation. It's certainly the standard in the Midwest with the Indiana State meet and Nike meet at the hs level- and NC's 7 years running. Sorry Kenosha!

Many states have their own "Diamond League" xc circuit- in Indiana it's State Preview-Flashrock-New Prairie-Culver for instance. If you were fortunate enough to grow up in NJ, you had Belmont Plateau, Shore Coaches (Holmdel), Manhattan (VCP) etc etc. They are the standards that other courses are measured by- that's key- "Such and such is +/- than Holmdel" for instance.

The Roy Griak course, I hate to admit- is incredibly tough! As is the Swain course in Duluth- Minnesota kids have it rough!

Detweiller? Not much ambiance there. None. Sorry.

From what I hear- Bowdoin Park (NY) is incredible.

If you're looking for shear visceral reaction- then I cant imagine beating Holmdel for those of us from NJ. Out of staters tend to go over and jog the course and deem it average- racing the thing is a cold sweaty nightmare. Unless your name is Eamon Blanchard, or Rosa, then its a casual stroll.

I agree. However having grown up with it as my home course I always thought it was a "normal" course and all other courses were abnormally flat.

Lidingö in Stockholm. It's the largest in the world with tens of thousands running various distances over several days. The main race is 30k.

Birdlegs, those are some great pictures.

Our team actually went to Veteran Acres today to get some good hill running in, and to review the course for our meet on the 4th.

Great course =]

Van Cortlandt Park in NYC is famous.

Belmont Plateau in Philly is great.

In northern CA, has to be Crystal Springs

http://www.dyestat.com/ATHLETICS/XC/crybook.htm

Like that the web address has "cry" in it - course made me want to cry a few times in HS.