Running News Daily

What distance should women run at the university level in cross-country championships in Canada?

There has been an ongoing debate in Canada about what distance women should run at the university level in cross-country championships.

Until six years ago, the distance was 5K. Then it moved to 6K, and in the fall of 2017 it jumped to 8K.

One of the biggest reasons behind this push was to achieve distance equity between the men and women, the hope being that eventually the women’s distance would climb to meet the men at 10K. The reason for 10K as the chosen championship race distance was that at the international level, athletes race 10K.

But does 10K need to be the gold standard for university athletes? The NCAA is suggesting not.

In NCAA Division III programs, the national championship is contested over 8K, whereas the Division II and I championships are run over 10K. The motion being brought forward by the Division I Track and Field and Cross Country Sport Committee would only affect the Division I competition distance.