hardest x-c course you've ever run

Brandywine Creek in Delaware gets my vote. I'm 41 and have run quite a few xc races. Nothing in my high school or college career reminds me anything of B-wine Creek. The only flats (completely on trails) on the course have about a 15% camber.

And how about that World xc course in 1984 at the Meadowlands? I didn't run it but my, those fake hills and haybales sure looked tough.

Anyone ever run Belmont on Philly? Not terribly difficult but I do love the haybales placed in 2 or 3 places while going UP parachute hill.

with out a doubt it is the footlocker race at mt sac.

I'll put in a vote for Sunken Meadow as well. The first and last 300 meters are the only flat portions of the whole course. In my day there were two named hills - "The Snake" at about 600 meters into the race is short (<300 meters), but gets hands and knees steep at the end. The worst part was that it descends even more quickly on its back side. My senior year the last kid to be left off the team for states fell on the way down and dislocated his shoulder (still finished 9th). Of course "Cardiac Hill" is the real bitch, maybe 600 meters long and steep enough to force all but the top 15-25 runners in big invites to walk (or run at walking speed). I always though the worst part of the course was the picnic area right before cardiac though, 6-700 meters of gradual, but noticable climbing leading to the base of cardiac. My best time there was over 17minutes (well over) and I regularly ran low 16s on most courses (high 16s at Van Cortland). I never heard of anyone breaking 16, except maybe Anthony Famigaletti.

Talking about Rim Rock...

SWEDES wrote:

Agreed soldier, it may not be the toughest, however the year I ran it, it was about 95 degrees. So on that day I doubt there were many harder courses out there. Constant hills, no place to get into a rhythm, in other words a gread cross country course. They need to hold the NCAA's there again.

Apparently the NCAA is iffy about holding Nationals there again. Granted, its hands down the best course in the nation, but the surroundings are not those for a meet of that size. Poor parking, iffy neighbors, and only one road to get to it make Coach Timmons' place get passed over on bids.

I ran the course in NH for HS New Englands... needless to say, I'm happy I never had to run that course again.

Brian Dalpiaz from Sayville H.s and now at Georgetown used to run Sunken Meadow in about 15:30/40. That was in his junior year where he placed pretty high in Footlocker (12th i think) and would run 14:40's at other courses.

Nope. i'm from up north. and it's the hardest course ive ever run!

In the Chicago area, in my experience, it was the course at Crystal Lake.

It was a crazy hill and I would love to see the CV- McDaniel Invite return at CV High, if possible. It was a classic XC Meet and Southern Tier High School XC is not the same without it.

Think of the great runners who ran there in the past. I remember Dave Dobrzynski running right about 15:00 for the old 3 mile course. Don Paige ran their, Pete Pfitzinger, Jonathon Riley and many more.

Only the very best were able to run up the hill without walking.

I heard CV has a new coach- will he bring the meet back?

PLEASE DO

west virginia university's XC course. on the side of a mountain at some farm. ridiculous hills.

ran there once, and never again: winning time for 8k was almost 28 minutes (27:50), for a guy who was 8th @ mid-atlantic regionals later that year, and was a 14:05 guy.

There's two, one course has one long steep hill and a shorter really steep hill that you run twice, we have to run it like three times a year and they have a scrimmage there when everyone's out of shape and people always start puking because they hold it at 4 o'clock when it's like 90 degrees and it has NO shade. The only one that's tougher is our home course, which sucks, it has like 7 steep hills. We have a runner that could go to nationals and I don't know if he can break 17:00 on it.

Dalpiaz is #7 all-time with a 15:46.1. John Gregorek has held the CR of 15:32.3 since the first year of te 5k course in 1977.

To an earlier poster, Fam didn't get anywhere near breaking 16 at Sunken Meadow.

93 the nysphaa meet was at sunken meadow and each race was won in under or right at 16:00. if you arent dead at the top of cardiac you can roll home downhill or flat last mile. anyway, the hardest course i can remember was 99 world cross in belfast northern ireland. tergat couldnt run 5 minute pace on it, and 6:00 was 75th in the world. insane. up and down, mud up to your knee, side hill running, jumping hay bails. it had it all.

Small correction, it was the '92 State meet and nobody broke 16. Fogarazzo had the best time of the day with a 16:06.

Only 23 guys have broken 16 minutes since the course was first unveiled in 1977.

I guess the toughness of a course would depend on where you are from. For example, someone says Sunken Meadow is a tough course. I think a lot of Upstate Runners think it is not very challenging, except one hill that was not very steep, but very "sandy" making it hard to run up.

Many people felt that the CV State Park course (site of the 2004 NY States) was challenging. Certainly not the toughest they have ever run, but challenging. Local runners fel that it is "easy" and fast.

But, I love reading about various courses and people describing the tough sections.

You people in the south/midwest have no idea what you're talking about. Even people from NY or PA. Sunken meadow? Do you realize that a truly difficult 5k HS course should make it impossible for anyone short of an olympian to break 16? You need to experience some of the stupid courses people make in the true northeast (NH,VT,ME) or mountain region (CO MT etc).

there is a high school 5k dual meet course in new jersey where the course record is around 19:00 for boys!, by a guy who ran DI at UPenn, i believe - not the best runner in the world, but no slouch either

most runners on that course don't break 21:00.

the "hill" is ridiculous. you practically have to hold on to branches to go up it, and coming down, it's basically walking because it is so steep.

it shouldn't even be classified as an XC course, because it's not really running for a good portion of it.

sorry man, i've been away all day....

the geneva on the lake race(in ashtabula ohio, also called "the legend" --thanks to those who helped me out with the names) is not formally run anymore...i'm not sure if they have an open race. it was independently run by one guy every year the second weekend in october. The race itself was open to anyone--clubs, individuals, and four or five community colleges. It was cancelled two years ago by the race director for a worsening turnout and financial strains (so i was told....apparently he was funding the race completely out of pocket). anyways, if they ever bring it back i HIGHLY recommend it....helluva good time. ashtabula is right off interstate 90 just west of the ohio/pa border on lake erie.

HARDEST COURSE hands down.. there is no tougher 8k around..

Holmdel Park, NJ 8k Course...

find a harder course u cant

Kalaby wrote:

Small correction, it was the '92 State meet and nobody broke 16. Fogarazzo had the best time of the day with a 16:06.

Only 23 guys have broken 16 minutes since the course was first unveiled in 1977.

Thats right, I was thinking class of '93, but that would be fall 92. good one. either way, holmdel, meadow, 5k, 10k, you have to go across the pond to win this contest. Those team members will testify.