The Cross Champs is an annual professional cross country running competition in the United States. First held at Mt. San Antonio College in 2021, it has since been held at Camp Mabry park in Austin, Texas and it usually takes place in November or December. Since its inception it has been a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold status meeting, the highest level, and the only such meeting in the United States.[1][2]
| Cross Champs | |
|---|---|
 Camp Mabry, where the event has been held since 2022 | |
| Date | November / December |
| Location | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Event type | Cross country |
| Distance | 5.5 miles (8.9 km) (2021)[1] 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) (2022-) |
| Established | 2021 |
| Official site | Official website |
The distance was 5.5 miles (8.9 km) in 2021, but from 2022 onwards it was held over the more standard 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) cross country distance. The competition is organized by Sound Running, and was sponsored by FitnessBank in 2022. Since 2022, it has been held in conjunction with The Running Event expo in Austin.[3]
The Austin course is flat, but is considered difficult because of rocky footing and hay barrels inserted on the ground at portions. Runners could choose to run over or around the barrels.[4]
Past professional race winners edit
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| Edition | Date | Men's winner | Time (m:s) | Women's winner | Time (m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 December 2021[5] |  Dillon Maggard (USA)
|
27:03.6 (5.5 mi) | Allie Buchalski (USA)
|
31:53.6 (5.5 mi) |
| 2nd | 1 December 2022[6] |  Edwin Kurgat (KEN)
|
23:27.5 | Alicia Monson (USA)
|
26:55.7 |
| 3rd | 30 November 2023[7] |  Adriaan Wildschutt (RSA)
|
22:07.4 | Katie Wasserman (USA)
|
26:49.4 |
| 4th | 21 November 2024[8] |
References edit
- ^ a b Winter, Karl. "There Was A Pro XC in America on Saturday: Allie Buchalski & Dillon Maggard Dominated The Sound Running Cross Champs". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "2023 Cross Champs Results". live.runfarusa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "Teams Ready to Clash at Sound Running's Fitness Bank Cross Champs (December 1, 2022), from World Athletics". runblogrun. 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ LetsRun.com. ""Im Scared People Are Going to Fall Over" - Cross Champs XC Course in Austin". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "2021 Results". finishedresults.trackscoreboard.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "2022 Results". live.runfarusa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "2023 Results". live.runfarusa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "Cross Champs". Sound Running. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
