Running offers a lot of benefits. It can enhance you physically by giving you a well-chiselled upper body and a very stable lower portion. The psychological effect of running has been also noted as it is said that certain endorphins are released during the peaks of your run. This is why more and more communities are growing as they stride harder and longer to make running even more recognized across the globe. There have been lots of events showcasing running in a variety of distances. One of which enable the participants to cross countries via distance running. Let’s take time to see how it is done.
Let’s get your engines revving by pinpointing what cross country running is really all about. It has been considered a sport especially in areas across the world which is considered as temperate regions. Cross country running events usually take place during autumn and winter. These sessions are quite challenging as they are done over a course that covers rough terrains. When you join in such events you will have to encounter grassy, muddy, and watery woodlands.
Variations are made in every course. The weather and the underfoot conditions really dictate how participating teams can perform on the courses. The distance and length between two courses may vary over time.
Cross country running is a sure fire fun-filled event as teams race for supremacy in different challenging areas and terrains. Let’s take a look at how the race really takes place. Races are started in a single gun fire or sound of a horn which signals the teams to head on for the finish line.
At times teams have their own boxes or what is coined as bull pen along the starting area. These boxes may be big enough to accommodate the whole team. In other meets, there may be ample room for only one runner on the starting line. The other members of the team which may be around 2 to 7 persons wait their turn in a line. Once the race has started it gets rough as a number of persons start to converge on narrower paths. So you really have to be quicker in order for your team to gain some sort of advantage.
During the middle of the race the runners are designated to stay on a marked path. Normally markers such as ribbons, cones, flags, chalk, and tapes are utilized. Runners are advised not to run over and take markers such as cones and flags down in order to avoid confusion as to where the rest of the course goes.
Just like any other race, this one too ends and at times it’s like a party at the finish lines because of the numerous participants involved. The finish line is marked by a chute of funnel. Your average chute is composed of a lengthy walkway made of rope. This keeps the athlete in ending the race in a more organized single-file order.
Due to the large amount of people involved in the race helpers are tapped into action to assist the athletes in keeping their movements forward as more finishing runners make their way to the end. Finishing positions are tracked using a slip at the bottom of a runner’s number. This is ripped off at the conclusion of the race in order to get the information of the said runner.
There can never be a limit on how far your capacities will take you. Surely it will take more than crossing countries to stop the thrills and spills of a distance running.