Cross country terms for new parents

Race day terms

Meet

A cross country event where several teams compete. A meet may include several races, grouped by age, level or gender.

Invitational

A larger meet hosted by one team that invites others. Often has many races over a long day.

Bib

A numbered piece of cloth or paper pinned to a runner's uniform to identify them.

Start box

The marked area where a team lines up at the start of a race.

Chute

The narrow lane after the finish line where runners stay in order so their place can be recorded.

Course

The marked route runners follow, often over grass, dirt or trails.

Split

A runner's time at a certain point in the race, such as a distance marker.

Scoring terms

Place

Where a runner finishes, such as first or twentieth. In team scoring, a place equals points.

Team score

The total of the points of a team's scoring runners. The lowest score wins.

Scoring runner

A runner whose place counts toward the team's total.

Displacer

A finisher beyond the scoring group who does not score for their team but can push opponents' scorers back a place.

Pack

A group of teammates running close together. Coaches often like a tight pack.

DNF

"Did not finish." Used when a runner does not complete the course.

DQ

"Disqualified." Used when a runner is removed from the results for breaking a rule, such as leaving the course.

Performance terms

PR

Personal record, a runner's best time. Also called a PB, for personal best. A PR is usually specific to a course or distance.

Pace

How fast a runner moves, often described as time per mile or kilometer.

Negative split

Running the second half of a race faster than the first half.

Kick

A burst of speed near the end of a race.

Training terms

Warm-up

Easy jogging and drills before a workout or race to get the body ready.

Cool-down

Easy jogging or walking after hard effort.

Easy run

A relaxed run at a comfortable pace, where talking is possible. Most beginner training is easy running.

Long run

The longest run of a runner's week, done at an easy pace.

Tempo run

A steady, comfortably hard run, faster than easy but still controlled.

Intervals

Repeated faster efforts with rest or easy running between them.

Fartlek

A Swedish word meaning "speed play." Running with unstructured changes of pace, often made into a game.

Hill repeats

Running up a hill several times, with easy jogging or walking back down to recover.

Taper

Lighter training in the days (or sometimes weeks) before an important race so the body feels fresh.

Spikes

Lightweight running shoes with points on the sole for traction, sometimes allowed in cross country. Ask your coach first.

Want the bigger picture? Start with cross country rules for beginners and scoring, courses and race roles. When your child is ready for the season, read how to prepare for cross country season. The cross country hub collects all of our guides.

Do not worry about memorizing every word. Coaches and teammates will explain terms as they come up, and asking questions is always welcome. Most of these words become second nature after a couple of meets, and kids often enjoy using the lingo before their parents do.

How to use this glossary

At your first meet, you will probably hear several of these words in one conversation. A coach might say that a runner went out too fast, hit a good split at the first marker and held pace through the hills. Listen for the clues: place and score tell you about the team result, PR tells you about personal progress, and terms like easy run, tempo run and intervals describe the different kinds of workouts the team does during the week. Ask your child to teach you one new term after each practice. Explaining it helps them learn, and it makes cheering from the side of the course more fun.