“Aren’t Cross Country and track like the same thing?” That is the question many runners get a lot, and it drives us crazy. This is because they are not the same thing at all. Yes you do run competitively against other teams, however they are both very different from one another, including the distances, terrain, and how much time the meet takes. The first thing I want to point out when running cross country is the distance, for both boys and girls it is a 5k race (3.1 miles). According to Maddie Verbeke “You arrive, the gun goes off, and everyone runs the same race. That’s it. Other than differences between high school and college, there’s no variety in XC.” (Maddie Verbeke) As for track the longest race distance is the 3200 meter run (2
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Aside from track having the shorter race, track also has many different races and events such as the 100 meter dash and the 4X4 relay. Not only does track have running events it has field events a well which include Discuss, shot put, long jump, high jump and pole vault. Cross country has one long distance race and track has a variety of races and race distances. On the other hand Track teams are bigger for the simple fact there are a variety of events that XC does not offer. Another difference between these two sports would be the terrain. In Cross County you have to be prepared for anything the course throws at you such as hills, mud, or sand. “In cross country, we can run our meets anywhere in the grass. We have courses on soccer fields, golf courses, parks, and even cornfields.” (LOVETORUN17) For track it's pretty straightforward you run around an oval track. There are different types of distance for the track length, an outdoor track is 400 meters around. And an indoor track is 200 meters around.“In track and field, you always know what the track is going to look like,” Rietz said. “In cross country, the
Aside from track having the shorter race, track also has many different races and events such as the 100 meter dash and the 4X4 relay. Not only does track have running events it has field events a well which include Discuss, shot put, long jump, high jump and pole vault. Cross country has one long distance race and track has a variety of races and race distances. On the other hand Track teams are bigger for the simple fact there are a variety of events that XC does not offer. Another difference between these two sports would be the terrain. In Cross County you have to be prepared for anything the course throws at you such as hills, mud, or sand. “In cross country, we can run our meets anywhere in the grass. We have courses on soccer fields, golf courses, parks, and even cornfields.” (LOVETORUN17) For track it's pretty straightforward you run around an oval track. There are different types of distance for the track length, an outdoor track is 400 meters around. And an indoor track is 200 meters around.“In track and field, you always know what the track is going to look like,” Rietz said. “In cross country, the