How Long Is A Cross-Country Race? A Detailed Explanation

We'll look at how long cross country races are depending on country, age-group, gender, and competition type, as well as addressing some cross country FAQs

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 7:55 pm

Amber Sayer, MS, CPT, CNC

Amber Sayer, MS, CPT, CNC

Certified Personal Trainer + Running Coach, Masters in Exercise Science

Here's My Full Profile

learn about our editorial process

Senior Fitness and News Editor

Updated by Felix Hewitt

Felix Hewitt

minibio

Here's My Full Profile

learn about our editorial process

Certain races are defined by their distance. For example, every 5K is 3.1 miles. A marathon is always 26.2 miles or 42.195 km. A similar thing could be said for the mile, a 10K, or the half marathon.

However, some races have more open-ended distance criteria.

For example, an ultramarathon race can be any distance longer than a standard 26.2-mile marathon, so a 50K counts as an ultramarathon just as much as a 100 miler or more.

Cross country is similar, in that there is no set distance that a cross-country race has to be, and different cross-country races may be different lengths.

How Long Is A Cross Country Race?

Cross country races are usually anywhere from 1.5 to 6.2 miles or so (2-3 km to 12km).

The distance for a cross-country race primarily depends on the age of the runners competing in the event as well as the country or region where the race takes place.

With that in mind, we will compare cross-country race distances in the US vs. the UK.

How Long Is A Cross Country Race In the US?

The length of a cross-country race in the US might be anywhere from around a mile (for young cross-country athletes) up to 10 km.

Even though the customary unit of distance in the US is miles, many American cross-country race course distances are still measured in kilometers, owing to the British roots of the sport.

How Many Miles Is Youth Cross Country?

Youth cross-country races are usually just a couple of kilometers. A 1 km cross-country race for the youngest runners is just 0.609 miles, and a 2 km race is a little more than 1.2 miles.

How Many Miles Is Cross Country In Middle School?

Middle school cross-country races are usually 3k (1.8 miles) or 2 miles long.

How Many Miles Is Cross Country In Middle School?

High school cross country races are typically 5K (3.1 miles), although some might be shorter, such as 4k, or involve some random distance close to 3 miles based on the course layout where the race is run.

For example, local high schools that go head-to-head in cross country meets on their ‘home courses’ (cross country courses at their school or nearby park) might compete on cross country courses that are 2.9 miles.

However, while odd distances are common for small informal dual meets, championship races at the high school level in the United States are almost always 5 km, save for a few states that may race 4 kilometers.

How Many Miles Is Cross Country At College?

The length of cross-country races increases at the collegiate level. Women typically race 6 km, and men may race 8 km or 10 km, depending on the NCAA division and level of the race. NCAA Division I and II, men’s cross country championships, are 10k, whereas Division III men race 8k cross country courses.

How Long Is A Cross Country Race In the UK?

As is the case in the US, the distance for cross-country races in the UK is largely determined by the age and division of the runners, with younger cross country teams running shorter distances.

For example, at the English National, the length of the cross country races are as follows:

Under 13: 3km boys, 3km girls

Under 15: 4km boys, 4km girls

Under 17: 6km men, 5km women

Under 20: 10km men, 6km women

Senior: 12km men, 8km women

The current length of cross country races for the English Schools Championships are as follows:

Under 15: 4.4km boys, 3km girls

Under 17: 5.5km men, 3.8km women

Under 19: 6.7km men, 4.4km women

How Long Are Cross Country Races In The World Cross Country Championships?

The World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) Cross Country Championships is the most significant international cross-country competition, with many famous runners throughout history first qualifying and gaining media attention there.

Traditionally, they have consisted of a senior men’s race of 12 km, a senior women’s race of 8km, a junior men’s race of 8km, and a junior women’s race of 6km.¹

In recent years, the women’s senior race has increased to 10km.

Cross country runners running on a trail.

Gender Differences With Cross Country Race Distances

As can be seen, there are differences in cross-country race distances for men and women in the same age group, which is a point of contention in the sport.

Many argue that gender inequality with cross-country race distances is in poor form and is an antiquated practice that we must eradicate.

In the United States, the motion is to make all collegiate cross-country races for all divisions and both gender categories standardized at 8 kilometers.

Currently, women race 6k and men race 10k in DI and DII, and 8k in DIII. This represents a 4k difference for most divisions.

There is a petition on Change.org to standardize the cross country race distance to 8k for men and women, and on January 5, 2022, Run Equal submitted their first proposal to the NCAA to campaign for men and women in all three divisions to race the same distance (8k) in cross-country meets.² ³

There are similar debates in the UK about the distance inequality for senior championship cross country races; however, results from an ECCA poll revealed that runners are split in their opinions, with a small majority preferring to keep the gender distance discrepancy.⁴

Although the survey population was 50.4% female and 49.6% male, when asked, “Do you think that Senior Men and Senior Women should run the same distance at the National Cross Country Championships” only 47.9% responded yes, and 52.1% said no.

Time will tell how cross-country race distances change, but for now, there is some variability between sexes and across age groups.

Now that we’ve discussed how long a cross country race is, you may be intrigued and want more information on cross-country racing in general.

How Long Were Olympic Cross Country Races?

Cross country had a short tenure in the summer Olympics through the years 1912, 1920, and 1924.

There is no official documentation online showing how long the race distances were during these years. However, some estimates put the distance at around 12km in 1912 in Stockholm, based on finish times of around 45 minutes.⁵

The distances in 1920 (Antwerp) and 1924 (Paris) were likely shorter, based on finish times closer to half an hour.

The Paris race was notorious for being the hottest day of the year, which when combined with high levels of pollution from a nearby factory, resulted in runners crossing the line highly disorientated and cross country being dropped from the summer Olympics the following games.

This makes sense, as cross country season usually spans from October to February or March in order to avoid high temperatures.⁶

A map of the 2024 Paris course is available here.

Cross Country FAQs:

What Is Cross Country?

If you are a beginner runner who didn’t take up running in your youth, you may be unfamiliar with cross country running. It is a distance running discipline that’s contested among youth, high school, and collegiate runners.

There are open and master’s cross country races, but the sport of cross country is far more popular in younger demographics.

Cross country, sometimes written as XC running, is a type of running that involves racing on primarily off-road courses.

Runners may have small sections of the route on paved roads or bike paths, but most of a cross-country course will take place on terrains such as open fields, trails, wooded areas, forests, wood-chipped paths, cinder paths, or even golf courses.

There is a mass start, usually involving a very wide starting line with runners lining up side by side across the entire length of the starting line.

When the starting gun goes off, runners might quickly funnel into a narrow trail or path, depending on the particular cross-country course.

Cross country is usually a team event with five cross country runners scoring for each team. The sixth and seventh runners serve as alternates in cases where two or more teams have a tied score.

However, there are certain individual cross-country races, particularly high-level events or open championships.

The sport of cross country has its roots in England, spanning back to 1883 when English rugby players sought a way to practice and train during the offseason.

Although unintentional at the time, the open foot races they developed over rough terrain began modern cross-country running.

How Are Cross Country Races Scored?

When a cross-country race is a team event, the top five runners score points for the team.

The lower the score, the better the team placement. Runners earn the same number of points as the place they finish.

For example, the first-place winner scores one point for his or her team, the second runner to cross the line scores two points, the third runner scores three points, etc.

Therefore, the lowest possible team score in cross country is 15 points, representing the score of a team that ‘sweeps’ the race, meaning all five runners have finished before the first runner of any other team.

Depending on the cross-country race, there may also be unattached runners who are not competing with a team.

These runners will get an individual placement and finish time, but the points awarded for their finish place number will skip to the next runner.

For example, imagine that the first three runners to finish the race are from team A, so they score 1, 2, and 3 points for their team, respectively.

The fourth runner is running unattached, so he or she does not score any points.

Thus, the runner who crosses the finish line in fifth place will earn 4 points for his or her team, and the runner who finishes in sixth will earn 5 points.

As mentioned, the top five runners from each team will score points for the team.

In varsity cross country races, only seven runners can compete for any given team.

When the team scores are tied with five runners, the default is to move down to the score for the sixth runner and then seventh if need be.

What Is The World Record Cross Country Time?

There is no single world record cross country time, due to the varying distances between races.

However, the senior men’s team race in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships was won by Ethiopia or Kenya every year from 1981 to 2017 in both the short and long races, which is an impressive record in its own right.