No, please no no no 1000 times no.
It's not a good spectator sport, not even an honest participant sport. The real crossers of country are doing trails, ultras, orienteering, that sort of thing. Traditional cross country is just an after-school activity on mowed grass, noone takes it seriously, noone should.
Star wrote:
kirkandorules wrote:
100%
For the millionth time, all Winter Olympic sports require ice or snow to be incorporated in the event.
XC does not require ice or snow in order for it to happen.
It has to be a summer sport.
Nix the track 10,000 and have a 12K XC event.
Do they have snowshoe racing? That would be fun
If XC is added, the 5000 or 10,000 should be taken out.
Or both.
The overlap between the events is ridiculous already. it's almost as bad as the swimming events with people medaling in 4 events. 400/800/1500 freestyle lol.
Cut the 200, too.
100/400/800/1500/5000/12k XC/marathon
rational set of events wrote:
If XC is added, the 5000 or 10,000 should be taken out.
Or both.
The overlap between the events is ridiculous already. it's almost as bad as the swimming events with people medaling in 4 events. 400/800/1500 freestyle lol.
Cut the 200, too.
100/400/800/1500/5000/12k XC/marathon
The overlap is not ridiculous and the 5/10 or 10/marathon doubles are doable.
None of the elite distance runners will want to run XC instead of the 10000. Not all sprinters are equally good at the 100 and 200 so the 200 needs to stay. Your plan would also decrease the possible number of medals for sprinters from 6 to 3.
ZZ wrote:
Neither here nor there, but I just learned that cross country is already part of the summer olympics... in the Modern Pentathlon, in an event called laser-run which combines running with shooting.
The full pent also includes horseback riding, fencing, and swimming. Who on earth would / could train for that...
You may be surprised to learn that Dr. Jack Daniels was a two-time Olympic medalist in the modern pentathlon!
https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20783773/a-running-life-jack-daniels/Star wrote:
kirkandorules wrote:
100%
For the millionth time, all Winter Olympic sports require ice or snow to be incorporated in the event.
XC does not require ice or snow in order for it to happen.
It has to be a summer sport.
Nix the track 10,000 and have a 12K XC event.
100%. track 10000 is much less interesting than 8-10-12km XC
march sadness wrote:
Last time xc was in the olympics was Paris 1924
Whatever.
Or… just allow countries 7 entries in the marathon and make a team scores event?
SDSU Aztec wrote:
T&F utility man (200-3000)m2 wrote:
I was a middle distance guy. A poster asked me about my handle awhile back. I started as a 200m & 400m guy. I did participate in XC, high school & college, so I am not uniformed about XC and all events, T&F. I actually wanted to do throws, that's a long story.
I have read posts from you stating you were a 5000m & 10000m guy in college. That is fine.
I believe you would agree, not for let'srun but for gals & guys who dine at Applebee's or patrons of dive bars and sport bars, 5000m & 10000m are awful television. Did you ever race XC on a true XC course? I did. I loved it even though I didn't race XC well on long grass, hay bales and water. Gals & guys falling all the time. It would be great tv. I know you would watch! Wouldn't you rather have seen Rod Dixon in 1500m in 1976 Olympics? Wouldn't you have rather seen Eamonn Coghlan and Thomas Wessinghage in 1500m, 1983 W.C? We all wonder today how well Mohammed Farah would have done, 1500m at Olympics & W.C? Miruts Yifter in 1500m or 3000m would have been entertaining. 1976, it would have been great tv, I am sure you would agree, Frank Shorter versus a fresh Lasse Viren in Marathon. Think about Said Aouita, 1984 Olympics in 1500m. Maybe it would have been a 1500m race as fast as men's 1500m race a few days ago in 1984. I have stated on other threads I want to add 3000m. Three-thousand metres, no barriers would be great tv. Wasn't the 3000m Mary Decker v. Zola Budd hype exciting? If there were 3000m, no barriers, 1980 Olympics and Olympics without 5000m & 10000m, if schedule would have allowed, Steve Ovett may have tried 800m/1500m/3000m triple. That would have been entertaining.
If the longest race was 3000 and Komen was running, every 5/10 guy could kiss off winning a Gold Medal. There are guys whose best distance is 3000 and I would maybe put Centro in that category.
You say your dream XC race would be great T.V. but outside of possibly the 1500m and marathon, the great unwashed are not going to be interested in distance running. The elite runners and their coaches would be vehemently opposed to bumping the 5 & 10 for the 3000 and XC. They aren't going to participate and the XC race would be B-level.
No tragedy losing the 5 & 10. Also the steeple is enough, no need for a 3k. Anyone not fast enough for the steeple would definitely participate in XC, if they wanted to be Olympians.
Star wrote:
kirkandorules wrote:
100%
For the millionth time, all Winter Olympic sports require ice or snow to be incorporated in the event.
XC does not require ice or snow in order for it to happen.
So then add snow around the course and have it be 25 degrees outside. This isn't rocket science. NCAAs are ran in snow sometimes
Was catching up on some Olympic Events I had missed live, and was watching the Cross Country portion of Eventing last night. It would have been perfect area for a XC event. They had set up a 4.5KM course, with hills, turns, shallow water, barriers if need be. 98% on grace, crossing a few dirt pathways.
Really needs to be a sport again.
Perch wrote:
Yes but it should be more than the glorified track meet on grass that passes for HS and collegiate XC in the US. Should have hills, water crossings and low barriers to be hurdled.
^this x 100! American collegiate xc is wayyyy to flat. An Olympic worthy course needs challenging hills, mud even hay bales. 12km for an individual event plus a mixed relay like they had at worlds or PanAms.
not a tragedy wrote:
SDSU Aztec wrote:
If the longest race was 3000 and Komen was running, every 5/10 guy could kiss off winning a Gold Medal. There are guys whose best distance is 3000 and I would maybe put Centro in that category.
You say your dream XC race would be great T.V. but outside of possibly the 1500m and marathon, the great unwashed are not going to be interested in distance running. The elite runners and their coaches would be vehemently opposed to bumping the 5 & 10 for the 3000 and XC. They aren't going to participate and the XC race would be B-level.
No tragedy losing the 5 & 10. Also the steeple is enough, no need for a 3k. Anyone not fast enough for the steeple would definitely participate in XC, if they wanted to be Olympians.
You're plan would make the T&F WCs by far the most prestigious event for the athletes, or do you want to destroy that as well?
Steeplechase or XC? Why do you hate distance running?
CC For Me wrote:
French Dawg wrote:
Yess. I remember asking my coach in HS if there were any iconic courses like Mt. SAC for collegiate XC and he said not really. I thought that was lame. It’s more fun when the times are so slow that you can’t relate them to a track performance at all and it’s all just about the race and the course.
It would be great to have Cross Country in the olympics, but it is a dying sport not an up and coming sport. It does not lend itself well to 10s tick tock segments.
FYI, I grew up in Virginia and almost every dual meet course was better than Mt. SAC's course. They had grass, dirt, mud, hills, forest. I ran Mt SAC after moving to Ca after college because I heard how "iconic" it was.
So Cal just lacks open space so Mt SAC gets hyped because it is mostly dirt rather than the pavement of most other So Cal "Cross country" races and has been around a long time. Many So Cal regional parks could host a better course, but it is a dying sport so they don't...
Agreed, there is a much greater chance of getting obstacle course racing in the Olympics (think Tough Mudder or Spartan Races), it’s an up and coming sport and has lots of money and sponsors and there’s already a movement to get it included:
https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1SH08FIf that succeeds no way they will add plain old cross country to the Olympic program, summer or winter.
lazy orman wrote:
XC should be a winter olympic sport.
Don't they already have X country skiing?
Are you saying snow showing?
Tortoise wrote:
Perch wrote:
Yes but it should be more than the glorified track meet on grass that passes for HS and collegiate XC in the US. Should have hills, water crossings and low barriers to be hurdled.
^this x 100! American collegiate xc is wayyyy to flat. An Olympic worthy course needs challenging hills, mud even hay bales. 12km for an individual event plus a mixed relay like they had at worlds or PanAms.
It seems odd you would want to watch something so bizarre but the most important thing to consider is that the world's best distance runners will have no interest in participating.
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