Senior Design Team sdmay19-37 • Are Cross Country Courses Getting Less Hilly?

The sport of cross-country (XC) has built its reputation on the rough terrain that has challenged its runners over its 100+ year history.
Historically speaking, this "rough terrain" was defined by a heavy inclusion of hills in addition to other course elements like varied
footings, hurdles, and water crossings. However, there are prominent figures in the cross-country community, notably former Iowa State
XC coach Bill Bergan, that have expressed concern about the degradation of the sport's spirit via the loss of hills. Iowa State itself
has recently fallen victim to this trend, as it hosted the 2018 Big XII XC Conference Championships on a significantly easier route of its
nationally-renowned cross-country course as seen below.

Past ISU XC Course Route - Note the forested, hilly section on the left

2018 Big XII Championship Course - Note how it completely avoids forested hills section featured in the original course in the
above image and loops on flat ground instead