Now that Footlocker is dead, Let's Talk About Ways to make NXN even better

I forgot an obvious one. All qualifying races (NXR's or State meets) need to be the same weekend. Some states qualify 2-3 weeks in advance, and have a huge advantage - while regions' winners don't know until 4 days before their flights.

They have to work around everyone's state meets. With no footlocker regionals maybe everywhere can be the weekend of the ca state meet.

Combine the New York and Northeast regions

10 burpees every quarter mile

Add a few more individual qualifiers per region, and combine new york and heartland

New York and Heartland are far away from each other geographically so it wouldn’t work.

So…

Combine New York and Northeast
AND
Combine Heartland with Midwest, OR add Colorado to the Heartland region since it’s not ideal to have Utah and Colorado in the same region at this point

Make it 15 laps around the infield of Hayward Field.

You think I'm kidding ...

The computer could sort out regional all star team scores but nobody will care if they are there with their school team.

No need to alter girls and boys courses between races. They are essentially different courses...one sloppier than the other.

I dont believe Nike will be interested in hosting the meet anywhere outside of Portland. Regional meet sites aren't changing unless they have to like NW which probably now will be at The Course in Spokane after the grass takes hold next year. It's ot as easy as you think to put together a site that's got all the help needed to run an all day event. In my opinion, most of the courses are not that challenging but fair to the athletes for racing each other.

Advantages you see from earlier contested regionals over later also have disadvantages so there's not a good answer for having them on the same day. I think CA teams that qualify have figured out how to make arrangements for transportation well enough. Ideally, every region runs 2 weeks in advance but it just can't happen that way for all regions for a variety of legit reasons.

I would be interested in hearing about all the complaints about the NXR & NXN meets from the athletes themselves. The ones that actually competed, especially NXN. I dont think there's as many complaints as commentary here believe there are.

maybe add more qualifying spots for team or individual idc. If one nationals is gone, the other should get bigger or it can stay the same and be more elite competition which I also like the idea of(though i want to get to nxn and there’s no way my team is going so i would like more qualifying spots individually)

Very good point worth discussing.

Best way to have the fairest qualifying system would be for all regionals to be held on the same day.

Saturday following Thanksgiving Day would be ideal as all state meets except CA have concluded, while the CA State meet that day serves as its own regional.

Then, move NXN to the 2nd Saturday in December -- always the date of now fondly remembered FL National Championships -- to give all competitors, families, coaches, etc., an extra week to recover from NXRs while getting in an extra training session or two to better prepare for NXN.

Like many others, would love to see NXN held on a purpose-built xc course; i.e., Laverne Gibson/IN, Zimmer/WI, Greiner Family/OK, Gans Creek/MO, or the soon-to-be-opened The Course Spokane Valley/WA. However, this is likely a pipe dream; not expecting Nike to move the meet far from its headquarters. At least Glendoveer is a golf course which xc runners are familiar with -- and light years better than the Portland International Raceway. Frankly, Nike should work with the City of Portland & local high schools and colleges to construct a purpose-built xc course nearby -- with an emphasis on drainage & firm footing as the above-mentioned venues have done.

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2025–2026 USATF Cross Country Championships Headed to Portland

USA Track & Field and Nike announced that the Nike Cross Nationals will serve as host to the 2025–2026 USATF Cross Country Championships on December 6–7 in Portland, Oregon. Hosted annually for…

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USA Track & Field and Nike announced that the Nike Cross Nationals will serve as host to the 2025–2026 USATF Cross Country Championships on December 6 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon.

• High School on Saturday.
• Semi-Professionals afterward
• USATF Men's & Women's 2 KM Championship
• USATF Men's 10 KM Championship
• USATF Women's 10 KM Championship
• USATF U20 Men's 8 KM Championship
• USATF U20 Women's 6 KM Championship.

usatf.org

USA Track & Field | 2025-26 USATF Cross Country Championships

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Right now, individuals don’t have the same depth of team spirit or competition structure as full teams. Expanding qualifiers to teams of 7 instead of 5 makes sense. It would give individuals the same sense of belonging and add a layer of competition where you could crown an individual regional champion team. It also means more kids get to experience NXN, which is always a plus. There’s no real downside since the starting line has room, and it would align with standard team scoring logic.

Lower the cost.

Allow entry into any regional or multiple regionals. It will only make nationals stronger and provide more revenue.

Amen.

Also love Fan Out West's idea of moving NXN back a week.

With USATF's going on after NXN, they better have a brigade of asphalt rollers out there to roll out the mud in some areas. It is going to be barely passable, and athletes are going to get spiked when they fall.

Create a rocky mtn region (MT, CO, WY, NM,UT, ID)

Create a west region CA, OR, HI, AK, NV, AZ)

Combine NY to Northeast.

Combine heartland and Midwest.

Increase individual qualifiers by adding wildcard qualifiers (like if you won your state meet but missed out on individual qualifier by x%)

And for heaven's sake...don't have the meet every single year in Oregon. I understand that's a Nike requirement but come on folks...does.everything have to be in Oregon???

Has Nike ever considered running NXN at RedTail Golf Center in Beaverton? It used to be called Progress Downs. It is less than 5 miles from HQ and practically across the street from the event hotel. It seems to sit on fairly high ground so there's a good chance it would drain better than Glendoveer.
This of course assumes that RedTail is interested in hosting the race.

How about moving NXN a week LATER to the date when FL Nationals traditionally is and then running an actual West regional the week after the CA state meet? The current situation for qualifying from CA (a merge of results from different races at the state meet) is the worst and completely unfair to the athletes.

Make sure NXR Southeast is not on the same day as the Florida state meet

Yes. Perfect example: In 2014, Great Oak boys won D1 but didn’t place high in the merge because of temperature differences.