Cross-Country Running a Sport?

Cross-Country running started back in the 1800s in Europe. When it was introduced in 1878, cross-country was considered a training method. In 1887 cross-country was considered a sport in the United States (Word Press, 2007, p. 1). Some people think that cross-country running isn’t a sport; it is just a way of training for a real sport like football. Cross-country isn’t in the Olympics so this is one of the reasons why some people believed it isn’t a sport. Cross-country was part of the Olympic Games in until 1924, but after that they saw it as an inappropriate sport in the summer games (Word Press, 2007, p. 1). This was because with cross-country, every race course has a different terrain, thus making some places have more hills then others, which can lead to the course being more difficult. It is hard to have records for cross-country because every race course is different so times runners finish may be off because of the different courses runners run it. For example the fastest time for a 4k is 11 min in Fargo, but in Valley City for a 4k the fastest time is 12 min. This is due to the different terrains at each course. Running in Fargo compared to Valley City is totally a different land composition. Fargo is very flat, whereas Valley City is hilly. It’s not like a track, where there is a set amount of length and every track is the exact same around the world.
With cross-country running, runners deal with courses covered with grasses, mud, and even sometimes water and snow. This involves different courses and different places runners run at. But with track the weather is different at every race so it is just like how the terrain of every course in cross-country is different at every race. All and all I believe cross-country is a sport and should be considered in the Olympic Games.

REFERENCES:http://www.lifeinfozone.com/sports/cross-country-running-training-a-not-so-secret-weapon/

Word Press. (2007, September 8). Cross-Country Running Training: A-Not-So-Secret Weapon. Message posted to http://www.lifeinfozone.com/sports/ cross-country-running-training-a-not-so-secret-weapon/