I got an email from a spanish coach. Here is the relevant part:
I wonder if you could let me know the ,more or less,the name of the most important cross country Races in US and the date.
Thank you for your help
And the more I started to think about it, there are very few races in the US of high quality.
What would you recommend?
The NCAA XC Championships, nothing else in the US really compares. The size of the field, the depth, the anticipation, the spectators and fans.
Paul Short
Roy Griak Invitational Sept. 23
Great American Cross Country Festival Sept. 23
Paul Short Invitational Oct. 01
NCAA Cross Country Championships Nov. 21
USATF National Club Cross Country Championships Dec. 09
USA Cross Country Championships Feb. 18-19
If you are going to put down Griak, Great American, and Short then you should include Notre Dame.
assuming the question is for a post-collegiate foreigner, pretty much the only one is the Mayor's Cup in Boston, right?
All the others are either collegiate or only for Americans (or at least residents), i.e. National Club XC and PAUSATF XC.
san antonio's college "mt sac"
My first jr. high meet. Seriously, it was my first xc meet ever and the feeling I got from it was amazing that it hooked me to the sport for 36 years and counting!
"mt sac" is the name of the college. Mount San Antonio College. It's just called The Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational. It's not really that big a deal on a national scale, but for California it's the biggest thing there is. Lots of spectators.
if youre going to include other major college races, dont forget stanford and chile pepper.
I don't know if I would call it important but Living History Farms is supposed to be the biggest cross race in north America. It is a real cross course not like that golf course crap we normally run on.
http://www.fitnesssports.com/November_races/LivHistFarms/lhf_index.html
On the Mt.SAC website it say's "The course has changed little over the last 60 years, making it one of the few courses where different generations can compare times."
But this link say's thats not right -
http://prep.caltrack.com/2001crosscountrynotes/011020MtSACAlteredCourseRG.htm
Itr's gotta be that Iolani invitational in Hawaii that John Dye sponsors every year because it's a junket with an open bar.
1:49.84 - 800m Freshmen National Record - Cooper Lutkenhaus (check this kick out!!)
Jakob on Oly 1500- “Walk in the park if I don’t get injured or sick”
Emma Coburn to miss Olympic Trials after breaking ankle in Suzhou
VALBY has graduated (w/ honors) from Florida, will she go to grad school??
Men who run twice a day and the women who love/put up with them