World Cross Country, March 2013, Poland, photo by PhotoRun.net

To some, the World Cross Country is the race of races for elite distance runners. I recall a conversation with 1975 winner Ian Stewart, who told me that the World Cross country was like nothing else a distance runner races in their career. ” They go out fast, and it just gets faster.” noted Mr. Stewart.

The tradition of the race continues. It was so great to see how the US values the event and the fine teams we sent on all four levels.

We will all of the competitors the very best and look forward to pictures and video from Guiyang, China on March 28!

NIKE presents #TheJourneytoCompete, A NIKE Cross Country newsletter, celebrating cross-country, Issues, 1-14, Back Issues, Winter 2026

Doris Brown-Heritage and the Roots of World Cross Country

#TheJourneytoCompete:Issue 13, January 2, 2026, the NIKE Cross-Country Newsletter, the World Champs come to the USA!

COURSE AND SCORING DETAILS – IAAF WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS, GUIYANG 2015

Â© IAAF

The Chinese city of Guiyang is ready to welcome more than 400 runners from 51 different countries at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Guiyang 2015 on Saturday 28 March.

The championships course is located in a mountainous area approximately 30km away from the city and is set in, and around, a horse racing circuit.

It is a facility which has since 2000 hosted Asian and national cross country championships.

The course loop of 2km, combined with the start and finish straights, will make up the following approximate distances for the four races: junior women – 3 laps, 6km; junior men – 4 laps, 8km; senior women – 4 laps, 8km; senior men – 6 laps, 12km.

Full details of the course and its profile can be found in the appendices of the Team Manual, which is available to download in both English and French from the dedicated competition mini-sitehere.

How many can run, how many can score?

In all races, IAAF Member Federations may enter a maximum of eight athletes; but no more than six shall be allowed to start in each race with four to score.

The team results are decided by the aggregate of places recorded by the scoring athletes of each team. The team with the lowest aggregate of points will be judged the winner.

If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, the runners finishing shall be counted as individuals in the race result and be eligible for the individual prize money (senior races only).

In assessing the aggregate, no adjustment to the scoring of the finishing teams shall be made in respect of any non-scoring team runners or of individual entries.

In the event of a tie, it shall be resolved in favour of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.

Further background information and complete coverage of the championships, including entry lists, previews, biographies, reports and results can be found on our dedicated competition mini-site (click here).

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Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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