The Lehigh University Cross-Country Course: A Short History
by Amby BurfootRunner's World Editor-at-Large
Nestled against the sheltering southern shoulder of South Mountain, the Lehigh University cross-country course is one of the U.S.’s most historic courses. It has been the site of three NCAA Div. I Cross-Country Championships (men--1979, 1983, 1993; and women--1983, 1993). Every October for four decades, Lehigh has also hosted the massive Paul Short Run with more than 5000 college and high school runners from 20+ states, ranging from Massachusetts to Michigan to North Carolina to Texas. Last year, Harvard’s James Leakos and Dartmouth’s Abbey D’Agostino won the 8K and 6K races.
Through the years, dozens of American greats have raced the gently-weaving course through former woodlots and corn fields. Deena Drossin (Kastor) could only manage a 6th in the 1993 Div I Champs, but 11 years later won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon. Other U.S. Olympians who have raced at Lehigh: Jen Rhines, Amy Rudolph, Sydney Maree, Jim Spivey, John Tuttle, Brian Diemer, Ed Eyestone, Alan Culpepper, Keith Brantly, and more.
The most hallowed Lehigh race took place at the 1979 Div. I Champs, when bold, 21-year-old Alberto Salazar dared to challenge the unbeatable Henry Rono, six years his senior. Rono had set four world records the previous year (3000 meters, 3000-meter steeplechase, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters), but Salazar attacked between 3 and 4 miles, opening a slight gap. On a dazzling, Indian summer day, the University of Oregon star was encouraged by a boisterous crowd of 10,000 spectators rooting for an American upset. “I was trying to keep the pace as hard as I could,” Salazar said later. “It sounded like Henry was breathing hard.”
Maybe. Or maybe the Kenyan standout was just waiting to shift into a higher gear. Two miles later, he began a series of surges that dropped Salazar. “I used to try to lead from the beginning,” Rono explained. “Now I am in the best shape of my life, so I have the confidence to wait until the last mile.” Rono broke the tape in 28:19.6, nine seconds ahead of Salazar, and nearly 90 seconds under the course record.
Other top American finishers: Thom Hunt, 5th; Sydney Maree, 7th; Jon Sinclair, 9th; Rudy Chapa, 10th; Chris Fox, 11th. “It was a spectacular day for running, and we’ve always kept the course in great shape,” remembers John Covert, the Lehigh coach who created the course in 1967. “Still, the rolling hills make it sneaky tough.”
No other runner came within a minute of Rono’s winning time before the course was slightly modified in the mid-1980s for the construction of Goodman Stadium. Last November, Goodman hosted the 149th playing of America’s oldest and most-frequently-contested football rivalry, between Lehigh and nearby Lafayette College. The 150th game will take place in Yankee Stadium on Nov. 22, and will be televised by ESPN.
On December 14, 2019, entrants in the USATF 2019 National Club Championships will be racing on another course variation. But make no mistake: You will be running in the footsteps of legends.
