Winter Cross Country 2024 Program
About Cross Country
Nowra Athletics Club offers cross country competition during the middle (Winter) months each year, outside the usual track and field season.
Historically, according to the World Athletics definition, cross country running takes place on grass or woodland courses and might also include stretches of gravel paths, road and hills. Nowra Athletics Club courses stay true to this definition with a variety of surfaces provided on a selection of courses around the Shoalhaven. The courses include uneven ground with natural obstacles such as sticks, tree roots and rocks.
Our competition caters for athletes of all ages and abilities with varying distances available to suit the long distance enthusiasts, the super- fast elite runner, the steady jogger who just wants to keep fit, the school-aged athlete who wants to train for school events or just the beginner. Walkers are welcome too! The scenery of many of the courses is worth taking in!
Distances include:
1km
2km
3km
Long course – approx 10km
Medium course – approx 5km
Most club runs are handicapped, with the slower runners starting first and the faster runners starting last with everyone else in between. Points are allocated for each runner in the order they cross the line, so the runner who finishes first is the winner and gets the top points allocated. Through our handicapping, all runners are offered the opportunity to ‘win’, not just the fastest runners. In this way we aim to provide more motivation to all members to continue to race and enjoy their sport.
Some races may have a sealed handicap where athletes start at the same time. After the race is complete, the officials will adjust the finish times using the handicap times to determine the net time for each athlete. In this case, the athlete with the lowest net time is the winner.