General Information
The 2019 USATF Club Cross-Country Championships will be contested on December 14, 2019 on the Lehigh University cross-country course. The Lehigh course is one of the best-known cross-country venues in the nation and the site of the annual Paul Short XC Invitational and three previous NCAA Championships. The Championships consist of four separate races: Masters Women at 6 K, Masters Men 60+ at 8 K, Masters Men (40-59) at 10 K, Open Women at 6 K and Open Men at 10 K. A total of $40,000 in prize money will be awarded to winning athletes and teams.
The Club XC Championships was inaugurated in 1998 and has been growing steadily in popularity and participation since that time. At the present time, it is the largest of USATF’s National Championships in terms of number of athletes. The 2014 meet, held on the Lehigh course, set still-standing national records for a post-collegiate XC meet in terms of number of participants, attracting 1930 athletes and 170 USATF clubs. We hope to exceed those numbers this year.
At the Open level, the meet attracts a fair number of elite and sub-elite runners, as well as a considerably larger number of cross-country enthusiasts. Participation in the Open race has climbed noticeably over the last 3-4 years, especially in the women’s race. Awards are made to the top 10 runners in each race, as well as to the top five teams.
The Masters races may arguably be claimed to be the most competitive age-group races in the nation, and annually feature the top runners in the country in every age division. Age divisions begin with the 40-44 year old division, and going upwards in five year increments. Individual awards will be made to the top three finishers in each five-year division, as well as to the top three teams in each 10-year division (40+, 50+, 60+, etc.).
All competitors must be current members of USA Track and Field. If you are not a USATF member (and you should be!), click here to join. Race registration is online only. The meet is not currently open for registration, however registration will be done through the USATF website for the race. Because of age-group scoring in the Masters races, there is a different registration module for the Open and the Masters races. Click here to register for the Open race and Click here to register for the Masters race. To check registration status for the Open race, Click here and for the Masters race, Click here.
Note that there are no qualifying standards for this race; USATF membership is all that is required in order to run. At the Masters level (but not at the Open level!), non-US citizens who are USATF members are cordially welcome. The first-place finisher in the 2013 Masters Men’s race was, in fact, Australian. However only US citizens are eligible for Masters championship medals and/or monetary awards, and only US citizens may score for their Masters club teams.
Despite its name, the Club XC Championships are open to athletes who are not members of a USATF-affiliated club. Such runners should select “Unattached” when asked to specify a club on the race registration page. Competing on a club team, however, adds enormously to the cross-country experience.
Post-race showers facilities will be available for all runners in the stadium house located across the footbridge immediately south of the starting line and at the north end of the football stadium. Bring your own towel and soap.
Runners are advised that there will be NO bag check facilities at this meet, and are strongly cautioned against bringing any valuables other than small amounts of cash to the starting/finish area.
One or more food trucks will be stationed in the vicinity of the start/finish area from which food may be purchased.
A 20' x 20' tent will be available for the use of athletes immediately behind the starting line. However individual clubs may want to explore the possibility of renting tents for their own use and having them set up in the tent city area located in the grassy expanse just to the west of the football stadium. A rental agencies whom clubs may contact for this service is Smith Brothers Tent Rentals (www.smithbrotherstentrentals.com, 610-433-6703).
All participants are cordially invited to a post-race party with DJ from 7-10 PM at the race hotel, the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel.
For questions regarding local arrangements, race day matters, or matters regarding the course, please contact us at clubxc@gmail.com. Questions involving individual and team registration and eligibility issues should be addressed to CrossCountry@usatf.org.
