Event Details
Weekend Schedule of Events:
Friday February 1st:
8:00am - 5:00pm - Course Open
10:00am - 8:00pm- Packet Pick-Up at the Crowne Plaza*
6:15pm - 6:45pm - Technical Meeting
6:00pm - 8:15pm- Onesto Pre-Race Pasta Dinner & Phase 5 Consulting Elite Athlete Panel Discussion at Saint Louis U. High featuring Ryan Hall and Desi Davila
Saturday February 2nd:
8:30am- High School Race 4km presented by Saint Louis Injury and Rehab
9:00am- Community Race 4km
9:45am- Michelob Ultra Masters Women's 8km
10:45am- Michelob Ultra Masters Men's 8km
11:45am- Junior Women's 6km
12:30pm- Junior Men's 8km
1:15pm- Open Women's 8km
2:00pm- Open Men's 12km
6:00pm- Post-Race Party at the Plaza Grill & Bar located on the ground level of the Crowne Plaza in downtown Clayton.
* High School and Community Race Packet Pick-Up will be available until 5:00pm at the Crowne Plaza and will then be available at the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner & Elite Athlete Panel Discussion at Saint Louis University High School from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
Spectators:
Check out our WEEKEND FAN'S GUIDE for info on how you can see all of your favorite athletes during the Championships.
Host Hotel:
* UPDATE* The host hotel, the Crowne Plaza, has sold out for Championship weekend. All athletes, coaches and spectators are encouraged to use the nearby Sheraton for the 2012 USA Cross Country Championships. Please click HERE to book a room today at the special USA Cross Country Championships rate of $90.00. You can also call the Sheraton at 1-888-337-1395 and mention "USA Cross Country Championships." The rate will no longer be available after February 3rd.
Course Viewing:
The course will be completely marked and open to the public at 8:00am on Friday February 10th. Athletes, coaches and fans may jog the course anytime on Friday.
Packet Pick-Up:
Packets for all competitors (High School, Community, Masters, Junior and Open) will be available from 10:00am - 5:00pm at the Crowne Plaza located at 7750 Carondelet Ave in downtown Clayton. Masters, Junior and Open packets will remain available at the Crowne Plaza through 8:00pm. All High School and Community Race packets will be taken to the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner and Elite Athlete Panel Discussion at Saint Louis University High School (4970 Oakland Ave) and may be picked up there from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Packets for all competitors will also be available race morning.
Pre-Race Pasta Dinner and Elite Athlete Panel Discussion:
Join us for a fun evening of professional athletes, featuring Ryan Hall and Desiree Davila, and pasta on Friday night! The festivities will take place at Saint Louis University High School located just across the street from Forest Park. The evening will begin with an all-u-can-eat pasta dinner sponsored by Onesto from 6pm to 7pm complete with guest speakers, autograph opportunities and more. The program will conclude with an hour-long panel discussion presented by Phase 5 Consulting at 7:15pm featuring US Olympian Ryan Hall and Desi Davila. Ryan and Desi will answer your questions, talk about their training, give you some great advice and more. You won't want to miss it! Cost for the entire evening is just $10 presale and $15 at the door.
High School Race 4km presented by Saint Louis Injury and Rehab:
New to this year's Championships will be the High School Race to kick off the meet. The race is open to any 7th - 12th grader.* All participants receive an official USA Cross Country Championships tech shirt and a VIP pass to the Nike High School Hospitality Tent complete with food and snacks so you can stick around all day and cheer during the Championship races! There will be both team and individual awards. Teams may include up to six individuals (4 score) and athletes on each team can be from any school. So gather up all your friends and get a team together!
* Wondering if you should run this race or the Junior Championship Race? We recommend high school boys who have run under 16:20 for 5k to race in the Junior Men's Championship race and high school girls who have run under 20:00 to race in the Junior Women's Championship race.
Community Race 4km:
The Community Race 4km is open to anyone and will be run on the same course that America's best distance runners will be competing on later in the day. This is your chance to run like a pro! All participants will receive an official USA Cross Country Championships tech shirt and there will be awards for the top three men and women in the following age groups: 12 & under, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+. This race will be unlike any race you can run in Saint Louis all year. We highly recommend it!
Masters Men's and Women's Championship Races:
The Championship races kick off with some of America's top 40-and-over runners battling it out in Forest Park for one of the most coveted National titles on the Calendar. The defending champions in this event are two of the most decorated American Masters athletes of all-time; Peter Magill from California who ran an amazing 14:34 for 5,000 meters at the age of 47 and Colleen DeReuck who is a four-time Olympian, a multiple-time National Champion and ran 2:28:40 in the marathon at the age of 41 and was 8th at the Boston Marathon in 2009 at the age of 45.
Junior Men's and Women's Championship Races:
The junior races are open to anyone between the ages of 14 and 19 who will not be turning 20 until 2013. The races are typically great battles between the best college freshman in the NCAA and some of America's top high school athletes. Many of America's top distance runners today competed in the junior division when they were 19 and under including Jenny Barringer Simpson, German Fernandez, Jordan Hasay, Dathan Ritzenhein and Matt Tegenkamp just to name a few. We expect this year's junior races to be as good as ever with the top six athletes in the men's and women's divisions qualifying to compete for the USA at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Cross Country Championships.
Open Men's and Women's Championship Races:
The meet will conclude with two of the most anticipated US Championship races of the year. The Men's National Cross Country Championships date back to 1890 and past winners include some of the biggest names in US distance running history including Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, Bob Kennedy, Todd Williams, Meb Keflezighi, Adam Goucher, Dathan Ritzenhein and more. The Women's Championships go all the way back to 1964 and past winners include Deena Kastor, Shalane Flanagan and three-time World Cross Country Champion Lynn Jennings. The men will run 12k and the women will run 8k giving spectators plenty of chances to see their favorite athletes run by!
The Armed Forces Championships:
Competing in the open men's and women's races will be members of the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force and US Marine Corps all battling for the Armed Forces Team Championship. The athletes on these squads are all active members of the Armed Forces and their presence provides a unique and very special storyline to the overall Championship races.
Friday February 1st:
8:00am - 5:00pm - Course Open
10:00am - 8:00pm- Packet Pick-Up at the Crowne Plaza*
6:15pm - 6:45pm - Technical Meeting
6:00pm - 8:15pm- Onesto Pre-Race Pasta Dinner & Phase 5 Consulting Elite Athlete Panel Discussion at Saint Louis U. High featuring Ryan Hall and Desi Davila
Saturday February 2nd:
8:30am- High School Race 4km presented by Saint Louis Injury and Rehab
9:00am- Community Race 4km
9:45am- Michelob Ultra Masters Women's 8km
10:45am- Michelob Ultra Masters Men's 8km
11:45am- Junior Women's 6km
12:30pm- Junior Men's 8km
1:15pm- Open Women's 8km
2:00pm- Open Men's 12km
6:00pm- Post-Race Party at the Plaza Grill & Bar located on the ground level of the Crowne Plaza in downtown Clayton.
* High School and Community Race Packet Pick-Up will be available until 5:00pm at the Crowne Plaza and will then be available at the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner & Elite Athlete Panel Discussion at Saint Louis University High School from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
Spectators:
Check out our WEEKEND FAN'S GUIDE for info on how you can see all of your favorite athletes during the Championships.
Host Hotel:
* UPDATE* The host hotel, the Crowne Plaza, has sold out for Championship weekend. All athletes, coaches and spectators are encouraged to use the nearby Sheraton for the 2012 USA Cross Country Championships. Please click HERE to book a room today at the special USA Cross Country Championships rate of $90.00. You can also call the Sheraton at 1-888-337-1395 and mention "USA Cross Country Championships." The rate will no longer be available after February 3rd.
Course Viewing:
The course will be completely marked and open to the public at 8:00am on Friday February 10th. Athletes, coaches and fans may jog the course anytime on Friday.
Packet Pick-Up:
Packets for all competitors (High School, Community, Masters, Junior and Open) will be available from 10:00am - 5:00pm at the Crowne Plaza located at 7750 Carondelet Ave in downtown Clayton. Masters, Junior and Open packets will remain available at the Crowne Plaza through 8:00pm. All High School and Community Race packets will be taken to the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner and Elite Athlete Panel Discussion at Saint Louis University High School (4970 Oakland Ave) and may be picked up there from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Packets for all competitors will also be available race morning.
Pre-Race Pasta Dinner and Elite Athlete Panel Discussion:
Join us for a fun evening of professional athletes, featuring Ryan Hall and Desiree Davila, and pasta on Friday night! The festivities will take place at Saint Louis University High School located just across the street from Forest Park. The evening will begin with an all-u-can-eat pasta dinner sponsored by Onesto from 6pm to 7pm complete with guest speakers, autograph opportunities and more. The program will conclude with an hour-long panel discussion presented by Phase 5 Consulting at 7:15pm featuring US Olympian Ryan Hall and Desi Davila. Ryan and Desi will answer your questions, talk about their training, give you some great advice and more. You won't want to miss it! Cost for the entire evening is just $10 presale and $15 at the door.
High School Race 4km presented by Saint Louis Injury and Rehab:
New to this year's Championships will be the High School Race to kick off the meet. The race is open to any 7th - 12th grader.* All participants receive an official USA Cross Country Championships tech shirt and a VIP pass to the Nike High School Hospitality Tent complete with food and snacks so you can stick around all day and cheer during the Championship races! There will be both team and individual awards. Teams may include up to six individuals (4 score) and athletes on each team can be from any school. So gather up all your friends and get a team together!
* Wondering if you should run this race or the Junior Championship Race? We recommend high school boys who have run under 16:20 for 5k to race in the Junior Men's Championship race and high school girls who have run under 20:00 to race in the Junior Women's Championship race.
Community Race 4km:
The Community Race 4km is open to anyone and will be run on the same course that America's best distance runners will be competing on later in the day. This is your chance to run like a pro! All participants will receive an official USA Cross Country Championships tech shirt and there will be awards for the top three men and women in the following age groups: 12 & under, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+. This race will be unlike any race you can run in Saint Louis all year. We highly recommend it!
Masters Men's and Women's Championship Races:
The Championship races kick off with some of America's top 40-and-over runners battling it out in Forest Park for one of the most coveted National titles on the Calendar. The defending champions in this event are two of the most decorated American Masters athletes of all-time; Peter Magill from California who ran an amazing 14:34 for 5,000 meters at the age of 47 and Colleen DeReuck who is a four-time Olympian, a multiple-time National Champion and ran 2:28:40 in the marathon at the age of 41 and was 8th at the Boston Marathon in 2009 at the age of 45.
Junior Men's and Women's Championship Races:
The junior races are open to anyone between the ages of 14 and 19 who will not be turning 20 until 2013. The races are typically great battles between the best college freshman in the NCAA and some of America's top high school athletes. Many of America's top distance runners today competed in the junior division when they were 19 and under including Jenny Barringer Simpson, German Fernandez, Jordan Hasay, Dathan Ritzenhein and Matt Tegenkamp just to name a few. We expect this year's junior races to be as good as ever with the top six athletes in the men's and women's divisions qualifying to compete for the USA at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Cross Country Championships.
Open Men's and Women's Championship Races:
The meet will conclude with two of the most anticipated US Championship races of the year. The Men's National Cross Country Championships date back to 1890 and past winners include some of the biggest names in US distance running history including Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, Bob Kennedy, Todd Williams, Meb Keflezighi, Adam Goucher, Dathan Ritzenhein and more. The Women's Championships go all the way back to 1964 and past winners include Deena Kastor, Shalane Flanagan and three-time World Cross Country Champion Lynn Jennings. The men will run 12k and the women will run 8k giving spectators plenty of chances to see their favorite athletes run by!
The Armed Forces Championships:
Competing in the open men's and women's races will be members of the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force and US Marine Corps all battling for the Armed Forces Team Championship. The athletes on these squads are all active members of the Armed Forces and their presence provides a unique and very special storyline to the overall Championship races.
