Hardest Highschool Xc course

Woodberry Forest has a tough course, especially for someone from a flat area. Does UVA host a hs meet? I imagine Panorama Farms is a tough course too.

fnu wrote:

Jasper Indiana

I grew up close to Jasper, but never ran there. I will say that Southern Indiana has some very hilly courses, unlike the newer flatter courses I see in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Hoosier Vol wrote:

fnu wrote:

Jasper Indiana

I grew up close to Jasper, but never ran there. I will say that Southern Indiana has some very hilly courses, unlike the newer flatter courses I see in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Roadman Park course in California, PA and the Pennsylvania State Champs course in Hershey are brutal.

Sunken Meadow was MUCH harder before part of the course got wiped out due to Hurricane Sandy. The hills are still difficult, but there used to be about 200 meters of pure sand right at the beginning of the course, then straight up Snake, really sapped your legs early. IIRC the course was also modified slightly because coaches complained that the numerous races held there throughout the season beat up kids legs for the state meet (which they believe was why Section XI never did well, LOL)

for sure Woodbridge

What the heck is so hard about Woodbridge? Go run Rimrock on a snowy day, and tell me how hard these other courses are.

https://youtu.be/TsLYz8oeFAw?t=420

electron1661 wrote:

Boardman in Ohio wasn't that tough but times were always super, super slow there. Maybe it was the mud.

Not HS but All-Ohio college XC race in Delaware was insane. Huge hills for the entire 8k course.

Boardman - don't think my team ran there - only meet up north I remember going to was Strongsville.

All Ohio/Delaware - grew up a handful of miles down the road and it was also a common venue for local high school meets - "insane, huge hills" is a little overboard IMO. Let's face it - Central Ohio is pretty flat to begin with and real hill training was limited, but nonetheless I loved this course in both HS and college. Maybe it's just a perspective thing - perhaps you were expecting a pancake only to be surprised by a few hills.

This thread says Rimrock has 250 feet elevation change on the 5K course. Almost half the course is somewhat flat. I've run Mt. Sac's switchback hills. No comparison, Rimrock is a beast.

https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6699042

tarckstar wrote:

What the heck is so hard about Woodbridge? Go run Rimrock on a snowy day, and tell me how hard these other courses are.

https://youtu.be/TsLYz8oeFAw?t=420

I can't believe I just watched the 2014 NAIA women's xc race...

Bwineftw! wrote:

Another vote here for brandywine creek. That was my home course so I ran at it for at least half our duel meets. My first day of xc was a race since I joined the team late. When I saw maintenance hill I said "f$ck!" I made it to the top and was totally deflated when I was told that it was only half way and I still had another 1.5 to go. The course is hard because it starts you at a low elevation and ends at near the highest point in the park. The course was guaranteed to take at least a minute longer than your pr.

Imagine how hard it is for the teams from flat middle and southern parts of Delaware to race the state meet there. Some of them have never seen a hill before.

Brianruns10 wrote:

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.

My man. I ran Rim Rock Farm probably 4 times back in high school. Three invitationals and a state championship. Only one hill is named cemetery hill (at 4200m) but there's 3 others that could easily bear that title.

It makes for such a good NCAA championship course in Running With the Buffaloes for a reason.

With that said, Bull Run/Oregon Ridge in Maryland are both heavy hitters.

BBB wrote:

for sure Woodbridge

I was at the Woodbridge course last night. Loops around a soccer complex. Brutal.

Don't know which is the hardest but I will say that VCP is truly the most epic and greatest course in the entire world.

The old course at USI in Evansville was pretty brutal too.

Y'all might b saying Hershey in PA but nothing in that state compares to Susquehanna Com. 's course. It's a two loop course (so once you're done the first time, the real show starts the next time). After the gun is fired, you go on a few slight hills, but they're slanted, so you're running sideways. That's the first half of the loop. After strolling around the school all calmly, you get to (what i call) Sabre Mountain. THIS BETCH IS MASSIVE. From what i remember, the mile marker is somewhere near halfway, and by the time you're all the way up, you've traveled through about 0.4 of steep, never ending hill, only to stop and continue (after a nice "oh, im done!" moment) for about .1 more. ass. THEN you get to the downhill, which is basically the side of a cliff, so you trip, and then you do it aaalll over again. yay.

Also the coach told us on the course walk that there's usually bears in the area so i coulda got feckin mauled up there

Definitely Hereford and the Agricultural Farm Park (Montgomery County).

Hereford is self-explanatory and the Agricultural Farm Park, although only about ~80 people run it at once, is insanely hilly and has a stream crossing.

I 100% agree, that being said the time of the season has something to do with the difficulty of the course. More often than not, temperatures are around 90 degrees at the first meet there. Districts are often hosted there too but districts are much more enjoyable with 60 degree weather. Still the course is horrendous. the first 800 you run a 200 meter straight then down a long and steep hill for 200 more meters. the next 400 you go up a hill and then down a small dip through the woods. for the next 800 you wind around baseball and deck hockey fields with constant small hills and dips that make it impossible to gain speed . The only good part about the first mile is the adrenaline pushes you through the first 800 and the people cheering makes the second 800 somewhat tolerable. The first half of the second mile is the best part of the course, you run on crushed limestone which is very very fast. the second half you run on grass through the base of a bowl. No one is really there so the quiet is nice to get your thoughts in check before the "exterminator hill" which is about a 20% grade for 50 meters or so. It is so steep you are practically walking up and you cannot sprint it because you will definitely burn out after. The top is the 2 mile mark. The 3rd mile is brutal, first you run around more baseball fields but with no one cheering you on, after you get done with the baseball fields, you run down the bullet hill which destroys running form because you are too tired to bomb it and it is too steep to go slow. you then run through the woods in the bowl for about 400 meters and then you get to the base of the incinerator hill, which is steep and rocky and theoretically shouldnt be to bad but since your body is so gassed it is. at the top you do a little loop then run down a hill. After that hill you have 400 to go. You run up the 200 meter long exasperator hill which is terrible. At the top you have a 200 meter sprint to the finish.