Cross Country Running
Cross country running is an organized sport that originated from the Crick Run held every year since 1837 at Rugby School in England. In the early 19th century, cross country was practiced in all private schools in England. In 1851, 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 was replaced in 1865 by an event over barriers on a flat field, which became the modern steeplechase in athletics.
The sport is still popular in temperate countries, but is relatively unknown in Asia. Japan’s love of distance running has manifested itself in a slightly different format, the Ekiden, which began in 1917. Internationally, the IAAF organises the World Cross Country Championships. In recent years, courses have tended to change to faster, drier courses than the traditional ones.