National Club Cross Country Championships

Lehigh University Cross-Country Course Description

The 2019 USATF Club Cross-Country Championships will make use of the existing 6-K course for the women’s races. The 10-K course for the men’s races will consist of two shortened loops of the women’s course. The 8-K course is a truncated (and somewhat easier) version of the 10-K course. The course distances are accurate to within ± 1%.

The course is 100% grass, except for road crossings, and spikes are recommended, especially in wet conditions. There are three macadam road crossings on each loop. The Lehigh course is characterized by long, gradual ascents and descents rather than short, steep segments. Footing on the course is generally good, with the exceptions noted below.

The women’s 6-K (Brown) course is marked at every kilometer and every mile. The men's 10K course will be marked every kilometer.

The starting area for the course is located in a large grassy field immediately to the north of the football stadium. The photo at right shows the starting area. The course proceeds to the west across a level expanse towards the Steel Trees (you’ll know them when you see them). The course makes a gradual 180° turn just in front of the trees at about 950 m and heads back to the east. In wet conditions, serious mud may be expected at around 1100 m. At around 1500 m (5600 m for the second 10-K loop) the course begins a gentle 400 m ascent before making the first paved road crossing. At 2100 m (6200 m), the course swings right and makes a second paved road crossing, turning left immediately for a short segment paralleling the road before turning left again and recrossing the road, heading north. The course then runs along the periphery of several athletic fields. It is here that the men’s 10-K course deviates slightly from the women’s course, with the men’s course cutting diagonally across the athletic fields instead of keeping to the periphery. At around 3200 m (7300 m), the course makes a short descent to a wooden footbridge that crosses a small creek. Protruding roots on this section pose a trip hazard.

Crossing the footbridge, the course begins to ascend and passes in front of the starting line, curving to the left towards a line of trees. The course passes through the tree line at around 3800 m (7900 m) and turns left for a short descent before turning to the right just prior to the 4000 m (8100 m) mark. The most difficult climb on the course begins at 4000 m (8100 m), ascending to a tree line, turning right, and continuing to climb before topping out at around 4700 m (8800 m). At this point, the M60+ 8-K course will deviate from the 6-K and the 10-K courses in that the 8-K course will turn sharply left downhill to rejoin the 10-K course. The 6-K and 10-K courses then turn left, flatten, and after another left turn, begin a long descent down to around the 5300 m (9400 m) mark. It is at this point that the second loop of the men’s 10-K course begins when the men’s course turns abruptly right just before a tree line, hops over to the other side of the tree line, and continues about 50 m before rejoining the previous course. The 6-K course will continue on into the finish on level terrain, with a slight rise at the finish, with a slight rise at the finish.

In the event of snow (hardly impossible in Pennsylvania in the middle of December), every effort will be made to plow the course down to a runnable depth, say 1-inch of snow. If this proves to be infeasible, the race may, at the discretion of the Local Organizing Committee, default to 2-K loops around the football stadium.

Click here for a very nice video tour of the course, produced and narrated by Chuck Shields of the Greater Philadelphia Track Club.