I couldn't agree more with "From Terre Haute".
It frustrates me how people complain about having to travel to Terre Haute. That its not a great town. So what? Are you traveling to compete, or to go on vacation... The town of the meet shouldn't make a difference. The point of the journey is to be at NCAA's, not to sight see and be a tourist.
I've worked the Pre-Nats and NCAA's a couple of times before and they are highly organized. There is a lot of preperation and work that goes into this event and they don't half @$$ anything. They bring in as much help as they can. It is true that there are at least 100 volunteers working behind the scenes. They have a committee that works on ways to improve the meet from year to year. And they do make improvements from year to year.
There is a lot of maintenance that goes into the course. All money that is made at the gate of the course, is put back into maintenance. The school doesn't see a penny of that. The course is their pride and joy.
There have been a few comments about the course being rough and having bad footing. They do their best to fill in all holes and prevent bad footing. The footing is even across the course.
The course is excellent for hosting a National cross country meet. It has a big starting line for the 250 runners competing, long straightaways, and wide paths. Which is perfect for races of this capacity. Also, it isn't the easiest course in the world. Its constant rolling hills make it very challenging, strength is required. Its not "Grass Track Nationals" as someone stated earlier. NCAA championships have been won and lost on the 500 meter long uphill in the middle of inner loop one.
I'm not a Terre Haute fan, or ISU fan for that matter. But I think they do a great job of hosting this event and until someone shows they can match the proficiency Indiana State has of putting on the championships, it should stay there. At least, every other year.