Originally the preserve of men, women have now taken part in cross country races for many years. Its popularity increased when it was made an Olympic sport.
As you will be running cross country and across uneven ground, the surface is likely to be muddy in some areas and solid earth in others. To maintain your grip and ensue that you do not slip over it is sensible to invest in the correct running shoes for this type of terrain. Women’s spiked running shoes are available from sports outlets and online and have spikes on the underside which dig in to the ground and increase traction. These will reduce the risk of you falling over while out running, and increase your course completion time as an added benefit.
Find a shoe that fits you perfectly and you will be comfortable while running. If you are in a store walk around in the store with them on to get a feel for how they are going to be. By moving around in them for a short while you will get an idea if they are going to pinch or not. The shoe should fit snugly and you should be able to move your toes around inside the shoe relatively comfortably. You might consider having a second pair of womens spiked running shoes so you can break one pair in and get used to them, and then switch over to the other pair and break them in. This will ensure that when you eventually need to buy a new pair of spiked running shoes you will not have to start wearing them immediately and this will result in more comfort in the long run.
Cross country running as an amateur event has come in for some criticism as it can be prone to cheating. To counter this some event organisers have taken to using an expensive method which involves putting an electronic chip into the runners’ shoes, these chips are individually identifiable to each runner. At intervals around the course there are checkpoints and when the runner passes over a receiver on the ground a computer records the time that person arrived at that checkpoint. This also helps to give accurate finishing figures between individuals as completed course times are accurately recorded.