Cross-country running is a sport in which teams of runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain faster than other teams. It differs from road running or track running principally in the course, which may include grass, mud, woodlands, and water, and in its scoring system. Teams are typically composed of between four and twelve runners. It is a popular participatory sport, and usually takes place in temperate regions during the autumn and winter when soft conditions underfoot prevail.

Cross country running as an organised sport originates from England. In the early 1800s cross country was practiced in public schools, especially Rugby. In 1850, undergraduates at Exeter College, Oxford organised a foot grind. This was an analogy with steeple chasing on horse where a race would be held towards the nearest church steeple, forcing riders to clear rural obstacles such as hedges, fences, and ditches. A two-mile cross country steeplechase formed part of the Oxford University sports (in which many of the modern athletics events were founded) in 1860, but replaced in 1865 by an event over barriers on a flat fields, which became the modern steeplechase in athletics.

In 1868, members of Thames Rowing Club looking for winter exercise (when rowing did not take place then) formed Thames Hare and Hounds[1] in Roehampton on the south-west fringes of London and adjoining Wimbledon Common on which cross-country races were staged. They were joined by Peckham Hare and Hounds in 1869 (which became Blackheath Harriers in 1880), Cheshire Tally Ho Hare and Hounds in 1872, Birchfield Harriers 1877, Cambridge University Hare and Hounds in 1880, and Ranelagh Harriers in 1881. The English Cross Country Union followed in 1883 which introduced the National Championships. Most of these early clubs continue to thrive to this day. The reason for the names associated with hunting is that in many of the early matches, the course was set by paper chasing: a few runners (the hares) would have a start on the bulk of the field (the hounds), and lay a 'scent' by scattering a paper trail behind them which the hounds would follow. Racing would take place between the hares and the hounds and within the hounds themselves. Because of the obvious nuisance this can generate, this form of racing was largely discontinued quite early on. Occasional matches still take place, by Cheshire Tally Ho and the popular Hash House Harriers, for example. However, from an early date steeplechases and championship races also took place over fixed courses, as today.

In 1878, the sport was introduced into the United States by William C. Vosburgh. At first, the sport served mainly as training for summer track and field athletics. Nine years later, cross country running became a formal sport in the United States. Despite the international popularity of cross-country, the sport was dropped from the Olympic Games after 1924 due to it being an inappropriate summer sport. In the 1960s, the International Amateur Athletic Federation, which regulates cross-country running, allowed women to run for the first time.

The sport is still popular in temperate countries. Internationally, the IAAF organizes the World Cross Country Championships, which is perhaps the best quality distance race that takes place as it attracts runners who normally specialize in only one or two track or road distances. In recent years the type of course at this event has changed, moving from the traditional form to faster, drier courses.

Each cross country running course is different in composition. Distances are generally standardized in leagues, however there will be little in common between any two courses other than their distance. As such, accurate comparisons cannot be made between performances on different courses or even on the same course on different years as the weather and underfoot conditions can be significantly different. For this reason, records of the fastest times in international competition are not kept.

Races are started en masse, sometimes each team having its own pen or box along the start line. A gun or horn is then sounded, and runners have a few hundred metres to converge from the wide starting line into the much narrower path that must be followed until the finish.

The runner is responsible for staying within a specified distance of the marked path. Courses may be marked using various methods, such as tapes and flags. One method is to attach to poles colored flags which communicate direction. A red flag means left, a blue flag means straight, and a yellow flag means right. Flags must be passed on the opposite side of the direction to which the runner is turning, with the exception that blue may be passed on either side. Ground markings are also used, usually a solid or dashed painted centerline.

The course usually ends at a finish line located at the beginning of a funnel or chute. The chute is a long, roped walkway that keeps athletes single-file in order of finishing. Scoring is done by the noting of a number, or the issuing of a disk with the runner's position stamped on it which clubs use to compose a return for the race organisers. This helps the people running the meet make sure everyone is scored correctly. Less common is an open finish line, which usually involves reading radio-broadcasting computer chips (sometimes referred to as "chip timing") attached to each runner. Prior to the finish line, the course may widen to allow more passing.

Generally, cross country races for women will range from anywhere from 2 km to 8 km (1.25 to 5 miles) while men's races will range from 5 km to 15 km (3.1 to 9.3 miles).

Cross country running is normally scored on a team basis. Points are awarded to individual runners equal to the position in which they cross the finish line (first place gets 1 point, second place gets 2 points, etc). Only the first runners in for a team up to a limit (often five, six though ten or 12 are possible, and in mob-matches-whole club competitions- the limit can be much larger) are counted towards that team's score. Teams are awarded ranks based on the number of points their top runners have, with lowest being best (similar to golf). The numbers of scoring runners can vary from four to twelve. The rules in the event of a tie vary depending on the competition; often the team that closes scoring first wins, though in the US NCAA ties are possible.

The lowest possible score in a five-to-score match is 15 (1+2+3+4+5), achieved by a team's runners finishing in each of the top five positions. If there is a single opposing team then they would have a score of 40 (6+7+8+9+10), which can be considered a "sweep" for the winning team. In some competitions the placings include non-scoring runners (and so are sometimes known as "pushers" or "displacers" , in others this does not happen; so in the above match, if there are two non-scoring runners and they came 6th and 7th overall, the opponent's score would be 50 (8+9+10+11+12). Accordingly, the official score of a forfeited dual meet is 15-50.

Cross-country running involves very little specialist equipment. Unless it is particularly cold, most races are run in shorts and vest or singlet (usually in club or school colours). Footwear is usually a pair of spikes, which is a light running shoe with a fairly rigid rubber sole into which spikes can be screwed. Which length of spikes are used depends on the conditions and varies from 6 mm to 15 mm, (.25 to .5 inches). Studded shoes, where the sole is made from rubber moulded into patterns of studs (spikeless racing cleats), are often used on drier courses.

Several athletes have won three or more individual titles at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships: Carlos Lopes, the first man to win three times; John Ngugi, the first man to win five times; Paul Tergat, the first man to win five times in a row; Kenenisa Bekele, the only man to win the short and long courses each five times in five years. After the 2006 Championships, he indicated that it may have been his last time competing at World Cross.^{[citation needed]} In recent years, international cross-country has been dominated by eastern Africans, particularly those representing Kenya and Ethiopia.

Grete Waitz, the first woman to win five times; Lynn Jennings, who won three times; Derartu Tulu, who won three times; Gete Wami and Tirunesh Dibaba, both of whom won twice at the long course and once at the short; and Edith Masai, who won the short race three times. J.J. Waldron got his PR of 26:45 at Cloverleaf COlt Pack CC Invitational in 2006.

Coaches move throughout the course to dictate strategy and motivate their teams. While the race is usually won by an outstanding individual, it is often the battles between the secondary teammates that determine which team wins.

One of the most successful cross-country coaches in the U.S. at the collegiate level is Jack Daniels of SUNY Cortland. The Daniels training method outlined in his book Daniels' Running Formula is used in all levels of cross-country from high school to the international elite.

In high school competition, coaches sometimes build "home" courses on or near the school campus. This allows their runners to train on it frequently, giving them an extra edge over the competition.

As in all distance races, runners try to run even splits for the most efficient use of their energy. They also run in packs to lessen the mental strain put on each individual runner.

Other strategies include running the top 5-7 members of the team as a pack for as long as possible, even to the finish; deploying a rabbit to lure the other team's top runners into using up their reserves; and "kicking," staying on the shoulder of the leader until the last 100-200 m, turning the three-mile fight into an exhausted sprint to the finish.

The organisation of cross-country running in the United Kingdom has continued to be mostly devolved to the four national associations: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The sport is based around the clubs, which usually are mixed cross-country and road running clubs. The current position (which is changing) is that in England, the ECCU is part of the Amateur Athletic Association. Cross-country running takes place from roughly September until March. Most matches are parts of different cross-counry leagues, which are organised on an ad hoc basis. These vary from large, high quality leagues, such as the Birmingham League and Surrey League (which is unusual in requiring ten runners to score) to small, local leagues (such as the Gloucestershire AA league), and individual clubs can be a member of several leagues. Typically there will be four or five fixtures a season. In addition there are county championships, area championships (north, south, and midlands), the national championship (whose location rotates around the three areas), and the Inter-Counties Championship (which is often the best quality race owing to its restricted entry and its role as the trial for the World Championships). In addition there can be many inter-club matches, particularly among the older clubs. Most league matches are around 10 km (c. 6 miles) in length, and most championships 12 to 15 km (c. 7 1/2 to 9 miles) long. Most clubs are mixed, though women's races tend to be run separately from men's and to be shorter. Children are accommodated in the same structure and at schools. There is also quite a lot of racing between universities.

Distances in United States (US) amateur running differ based on gender and league. Most elementary schools in the US do not have school teams, but many running clubs exist for youth runners. Courses for this age group are around 1.5 miles or 2.4 km in length and include less challenging terrain. In middle school, grades 6-8, the distance run is generally a 3 km (1.84 miles). In secondary schools, the standard male and female varsity distance and the Footlocker US High School Nationals are 5 km, (3.1 miles). However, states differ in their regulations, and in some a shorter 2.5 miles course is typical for females or junior varsity males. At the university level, distances are 5 km or 6 km for females and 8 km (5 miles) for males for most invitationals and NCAA Division III regional and national meets. For NCAA Divisions I and II, men race 10 km and women 6 km at regional and national competitions. The largest cross-country invitational in the world is at Mt. SAC.^{[citation needed]} The USATF National Championships consist of a long course and a short course similar to the IAAF World Championships. The long course is 12 km for men and 8 km for women, while the short course is 4 km for both men and women.

Outstanding American cross-country runners include Don Lash, who won seven consecutive national championships from 1934 to 1940, and Pat Porter, who won eight titles from 1982 to 1989. The only American man to win the IAAF World Cross Country Championships is Craig Virgin, who won in 1980 and again in 1981. Lynn Jennings is the only American woman to win the championships, which she did from 1990-1992.

Athletics (track and field), orienteering, cross country skiing, cycling, swimming, triathlon, and fell running.

• History of Cross-Country Running
• U. S. Cross-Country Championships
• Dyestat.com-U.S. national records of cross-country and track
• Thames Hare and Hounds club