Petition to NCAA: 8km Race Distance for ALL at the NCAA XC Championships

We request .... We?

Not absurd. Physiologists will tell you the best predictor of 800m success is 400m results not 10K XC results. U.S. in aggregate have more sub-47 400m men than any nation in the world. [Kenya most likely have more sub-47 men per Capita compared to any nation in the world.] In a thread yesterday a debate if it's coaching or talent. Coaches have to create environment for the most talented to join T&F team. XC has been set up in u.s. to make 3000mSC to future Marathoners happy. Relatively, we in u.s. have had poor r.o.i. attempting to basically make 6, 7 & 8 XC runners happy. In u.s. we need MORE 400m high school athletes going out for XC. In u.s. we need more 400m athletes moving up to 800m. No Dave Wottle type has won Olympic 800m gold since 1984, J Cruz. Fifty years ago D Wottle would have helped your case, not today.

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This is absolutely pathetic. If you want things to be equal, make both races 10k. 10k is perfect for men. Why ruin the men’s race?

Both run 10K - PERIOD - END OF STORY. Want equity run the same distance !!! Does not seem to bother you when it comes to the track where we crown a womens NCAA 10K Champ every year.

Make all races 8k for men, 6k for women. This results in approximately 20-25 minutes of racing for each—allowing both middle distance and distance specialists to fill out a team.

8k women would nuke middle distance runners impact—not really a huge deal for the schools who focus solely on distance, but if you want a greater number of competitive teams, increasing the distance is a bad idea.

Men should move back down to 8k. There are plenty of 1500m guys out there who can help out a little in an 8k, but become irrelevant with the increase in distance.

Here you go:

6 miles is not 10k.

I think, "Thanks, I didn't know they ran six miles in 1971" is what you meant to type. Well, that would have been a far more becoming response, anyway.

Such a change would make sense only if World Athletics assigns world ranking points to the reconfigured NCAA XC Championships. Currently, it does not.

This is either a solution in search of a problem or a poorly thought out "equity" solution for those who probably don't want it...or both.

I will admit I’ve wondered for a long time why the men run 8k all season and then switch to 10k just for regionals and nationals. Makes no sense.

That’s not gender equity and inclusion. Run the women at 10k but don’t lie about what you are trying to accomplish.

I’d either go 8k men and 6k women or 10k men and 8k women so the races are more similar in time as opposed to similar in distance. (Or maybe 8/7 or 10/9). That is more equal than making distances the same. Similarly, hoop heights in basketball should be set at a ratio of average height, lowering the women’s hoop about 6 inches, I’d guess.

I’d also require anyone running at nationals, regardless of whether their team goes, to have run at least 4 qualifying performances prior to nationals unless they are certified as injured for substantial portions of the season.

But no one should care what I think.

Why not? The coaches and athletes would know the distance of the courses prior to the season starting.

Maybe the 9.1k regional is a grass track but the Championship is a difficult and hilly 5.5k.

You would rotate the Championship courses.

You would see more competition up front instead of the teams that are dominated by 5k/10k track guys.

Make Cross Country Great Again.

Good luck. Will be in Bathurst for world xc where both men and women will race 10k. Don't males and females race same distance at every athletics meet in the world? I can still remember when females raced 3k on the track instead of 5k or wait women weren't allowed to run olympic marathon till 1984. It's 2022.

Bring your swimmers to Bathurst as women's race will start at 4pm in 80-90 degree weather. Going to need a dip in the pool after that one.

I knew this is where you were going with this and it is so you.

+1. To malmo, technically correct is the best kind of correct (but only when it serves his purposes). He’s the worst kind of pedant.