Some water crossings.
Some hardpack dirt.
Some narrow sections.
Narrow sections would discourage sit and kickers. They would loss too much time waiting to get through.
Some water crossings.
Some hardpack dirt.
Some narrow sections.
Narrow sections would discourage sit and kickers. They would loss too much time waiting to get through.
...and of course, some good uphills, downhills, and turns.
What's wrong with sitting and kicking?
Grouping some of the ideas and adding my own:
12k XC Course for men + women:
Four 3k loops. Makes it easy for TV crews to set up multiple views, in-screen TV shots (leaders in the front, with corner screen coverage of runners 4-7), motorized TV crews can drive through stretches,etc. 15m wide at it's widest point, 5-10m wide at it's narrowest point, with hills (not moto cross style hills, ala Nike XC nationals 2005), but a few good up and downhill stretches. Perhaps hay bales set up throughout the course for hurdling. Grass, mud, dirt, etc. No gravel. Grass start and finish line, 4' high chain link fencing around course, to keep spectators out.
Team Qualifying:
All team members must have hit at least 1 B standard for 1500m through Marathon. This will appease IOC for smaller nations to be competitive (13:27 was B Standard for 2012 Olympic 5k).
Race Schedule:
Like others have said, Day 1 of competition. Keeps it simple, and allows for recovery for doubling back at other events.
Personally, I'd also love to see the DMR and SMR added to the track schedules.
what's wrong? LOL..... snooze-fest...
Great ideas. The public would love this sport on day one. What an insane introduction to the Olympics, especially if some difficult obstacles are added, such as hay bails, steeplechase-type pits, and difficult hills.
How do we make this happen?!?! Ideas please!
I'm telling you has to be AFTER the track distance races are run, not before.
Track medal hopefuls will skip the XC event if they think it will hurt their medal chances.
They are more likely to double back to do XC for fun after they have tried to accomplish their main goal.
The marathoners will just not be part of XC.
They are less likely to do it anyway.
Kenya will have a lot of leftover talent not on their track and marathon team and I'd bet the track 5K guys would fill the XC spots before their marathoners.
Hills and Thrills wrote:
Letsrun has a surprising history of starting some pretty cool and useful movements among the running community.
Looking for ideas on turning my dreams of a Winter Olympic cross country race into reality.
If it doesn't start here, where will it?
Discus.
______________
Discus?
I threw the discus in high school. What does that have to do with Cross Country?
"Track medal hopefuls will skip the XC event if they think it will hurt their medal chances."
Ummm, you seem to be assuming the XC qualifiers will also be track qualifiers. Nope. Also, XC would have medals. Just like today, competitors get to pick which event to "try" to get into the Olympic.
Is Cheserek likely the best cross country runner on the planet, seeing as most pros focus on the track and roads this time of year? I bet he'd win the Olympics.
Tradering wrote:
Trade the track 10k for a XC event. The XC track should include water crossings . Much for interesting than the snooze-fest the track 10k has become.
You mean like this snooze-fest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkbazvD055oStar wrote:
I'm telling you has to be AFTER the track distance races are run, not before.
Track medal hopefuls will skip the XC event if they think it will hurt their medal chances.
They are more likely to double back to do XC for fun after they have tried to accomplish their main goal.
The marathoners will just not be part of XC.
They are less likely to do it anyway.
Kenya will have a lot of leftover talent not on their track and marathon team and I'd bet the track 5K guys would fill the XC spots before their marathoners.
not a bad point.
but the track meet is usually at the end of the OG - I don't think they would change that. So having the xc race at the end of the track meet is not really practical, is it?
You have to spread out the 5000 and 10000 so people can double - so either way, you'll have the xc race right after either a 5k or 10k.
but if you have the xc race on day 1, you would have at least a week to recover, and likely much longer.
Sure, some people would skip the xc race to avoid tiring or injury, but likely just the potential medalists - that's only a few people.
The beauty of the xc race is the team element - have chips keeping a constant score on the screen - people would understand that.
And the visuals would be spectacular - the bright uniforms and flags - pure sport and spectacle.
Blahhhh wrote:
Tradering wrote:Trade the track 10k for a XC event. The XC track should include water crossings . Much for interesting than the snooze-fest the track 10k has become.
You mean like this snooze-fest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkbazvD055o
you're not helping your point - that race was a 26 minute parade followed by a nice 1 minute race.
sure, for hardcore track fans that is ok. But hardcore track fans are a tiny sliver of the watching public.
Why get rid of the 10.000m? There are XC specialists, Lynn Jennings for instance. She wasn't as dominant on the track as she was at XC.
1986 - 2nd World Cross Country Championships
1987 - 4th World Cross Country Championships
- 6th World Championships 10,000 m
1988 - 4th World Cross Country Championships
- 6th Olympic Games 10,000 m
1989 - 6th World Cross Country Championships
1990 - 1st World Cross Country Championships
- 3rd Goodwill Games 3000 m
1991 - 1st World Cross Country Championships
- 5th World Championships 10,000 m
1992 - 1st World Cross Country Championships
- 3rd Olympic Games 10,000 m
1993 - 3rd World Indoor Championships 3000 m
- 3rd World Cross Country Championships
- 5th World Championships 10,000 m
Cyclist wrote:
Otherwise cyclocross would already be part of winter olympics.
Man I wish cyclocross was in the winter Olympics. Such a fun sport to watch.
Blahhhh wrote:
You mean like this snooze-fest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkbazvD055o
You posted the WRONG link to the 14:54 5k USA championship final.
You people realize cross country WAS an Olympic sport for many years and got removed...
Team races are dumb and unfair to small countries. There are already enough team sports and relays for the USA to easily win thanks to its huge population. An individual XC would be cool, but not if it diluted the talent pool even further. To get in the winter games it would have to be some kind of snow running.
I bet some kind of trail/ultrarunning has a better chance of getting into the Olympics...
ummm ever heard of Jordan Hassay?
Now a Coach wrote:
Why get rid of the 10.000m?
You should pay more attention to the meets held in Europe. The 10k is usually omitted.
10k RIP wrote:
Now a Coach wrote:Why get rid of the 10.000m?
You should pay more attention to the meets held in Europe. The 10k is usually omitted.
You should pay attention. It's still run in major championships.