Cross Country Newbie

Johnk16

Hi All,


Very much a beginner to the whole running scene. Not a member of any club but was thinking about trying cross country. Anyone know if the course at the national sports campus is tough?


Was thinking of attempting the Cross Country Xperience on Oct 20th, would i be ok in runners?

Kissy Lips

Absolutely fine today. The ground in Santry is perfect.

If it has been raining heavy, you could slip a lot, maybe fall over but you will still get around.

adrian522

Also take a look at the BHAA cross country races if you want to try cross country, they are a good introduction.

https://bhaa.ie/calendar-2019/

Evan Scully

BHAA races are probably a better race for your first cross country. The Cross Country Xperience is more like a national championships! I know if I was doing my first XC race, i wouldnt want to be in that race!! haha. Dont let that stop you tho.
To answer your question, depending on the surface on the day will depend on your footwear. If you just want to get around then runners will be perfect. If you dont want to lose your footing then i'd invest in spikes or at least trail shoes. Out the back of the course, it tends to get a little wet and muddy but nothing like a traditional XC course which is in a random field that is used to raise cattle!

Sacksian

Evan Scully wrote: »

BHAA races are probably a better race for your first cross country. The Cross Country Xperience is more like a national championships! I know if I was doing my first XC race, i wouldnt want to be in that race!! haha. Dont let that stop you tho.
To answer your question, depending on the surface on the day will depend on your footwear. If you just want to get around then runners will be perfect. If you dont want to lose your footing then i'd invest in spikes or at least trail shoes. Out the back of the course, it tends to get a little wet and muddy but nothing like a traditional XC course which is in a random field that is used to raise cattle!

The Cross Country Xperience is separate to the Autumn Open XC.

They're both held on the same day, and on the same course, but the two Open races are on at 2:00 (women) and 2:45 (men), whereas the Cross Country Xperience race starts at 3:45.

Open timetable:

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/downloads/events-timetable/autumn_open_timetable_2019.pdf

Cross Country Xperience details & poster:

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/runzone/cross-country-xperience

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/downloads/events-timetable/SPAR_Cross_Country_Xperience_Poster.jpg

The Cross Country Xperience is absolutely targeted for beginners.

It's only 4k and, based on the entry standard, looks like a much lower standard than BHAA.

Sacksian

Johnk16 wrote: »

Hi All,


Very much a beginner to the whole running scene. Not a member of any club but was thinking about trying cross country. Anyone know if the course at the national sports campus is tough?


Was thinking of attempting the Cross Country Xperience on Oct 20th, would i be ok in runners?

Go for it!

Murph_D

Sacksian wrote: »

Go for it!

Looks like fun. Pity it’s so close to the marathon - bit risky! I bet there will be a few racehorses in the 26 mins and over event.

HelenAnne

Johnk16 wrote: »

Hi All,


Very much a beginner to the whole running scene. Not a member of any club but was thinking about trying cross country. Anyone know if the course at the national sports campus is tough?


Was thinking of attempting the Cross Country Xperience on Oct 20th, would i be ok in runners?

Definitely try it! The whole aim for that race is to give people who aren’t in clubs and haven’t done xc before a chance to try it.

And you could try the BHAA too! They’re fun, have every standard in them, and there’s always tea and brack after