Fukuoka International Cross Country
The Fukuoka International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in Fukuoka, Japan in either late February or Early March. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru first won at age 16 in 2003
Meseret Defar was the 2005 women's champion
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically 3–12 kilometres (1.9–7.5 mi) long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road and minor obstacles. It is both an individual and a team sport; runners are judged on individual times and teams by a points-scoring method. Both men and women of all ages compete in cross country, which usually takes place during autumn and winter, and can include weather conditions of rain, sleet, snow or hail, and a wide range of temperatures.
A men's cross country competition with Elliott Heath and Hassan Mead leading a large pack in Northfield, Minnesota
A children's cross country competition in Čakovec, Croatia
The start of a typical cross country race, as an official fires a gun to signal the start
Runners at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal