2009 NIRCA Championship Series print friendly version

July 4, 2009

The NIRCA 2009 Championship Series kicks off October 24, 2009 with three Regional Cross Country Championship meets, hosted jointly by NIRCA and a NIRCA member club. Over 400 runners are expected to compete in the first part of the Championship Series, at courses across the country.

New in 2008, the NIRCA Regional Championship meets will be larger-scale events, including a weekend of activities for attending clubs. Runners will have opportunities to socialize and explore the local areas throughout the Regional meet weekend. The Championship Series continues into November for the National Cross Country Championship Meet.

NIRCA is proud to announce this year’s Regional Championship hosts:

• The Southeast Region Championship will be hosted by James Madison University in Harrisburg, Virginia, with an expected attendance of 150 runners at the Burtner Farms cross-country course. JMU will hold an all-club social event following the meet.

• The Northeast Region Championship will be hosted by the University of Connecticut at Mansfield Hollow State Park’s cross country course. The weekend will include a Friday night pre-race banquet for all clubs.

• The Midwest Region Championship will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Pope Farm Park, 2 miles west of Madison, Wisconsin.

The NIRCA 2009 National Championship is set for November 14, 2009 at Eagle Crest Golf Course in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Over 600 runners and 20 teams are expected compete for the National Title on Eagle Crest’s scenic, resort-style golf course, located on the banks of Ford Lake. The area includes rolling hills and mature trees on a scenic two-loop cross country course. Situated just outside Ann Arbor, MI, Eagle Crest has recently played host to the 2008 Mid-American Conference XC Championships and the 2004 NCAA Div I Great Lakes Regional Championship. The running-crazed towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are ready and excited to bring a premier event such as the NIRCA National XC Championships to town.

By popular request, the 2009 championship race start times have been scheduled to take place late in the morning, with the women’s race beginning at 10:30 am, followed by the men’s race at 12 noon. As always, the Championship races will feature electronic chip timing.

The event weekend features an all-club awards gala, in which all runners and their guests are invited to gather and recognize the top runners and top teams in the National Championship meet. In total, thirty runners will be honored as NIRCA First and Second Team All-Americans. The gala will also feature a guest speaker, door prizes, and end-of-season team and individual awards. At the end of the night, the NIRCA Executive Council will make several important announcements that will have both short- and long-term impact on future seasons and the organization.

Additional details on the National Championship weekend will be available at clubrunning.org on July 6.