Running hills, cursing sprints and practically passing out after pushing your body to the limits during races? Most would say cross country is a sport for the insane. Honestly, cross country is indeed for those who don’t quite have it all together. However, while running on those hour long runs, you begin to piece together why you do this to yourself. I chose cross country because it is a sport that means much more than just earning a patch or two to place upon a lettermen jacket. Cross country, or running in general helps relieve the stress and agitation in my life, and the people who you meet during invitationals all throughout the season will make running less insufferable. The motivation provided by your teammates and coaches as well, who all want to see you improve is overwhelming and truly can push you to do better.…show more content… In this game, a runner or group of runners laid a trail by dropping pieces of paper or other markers while following a random course, and a second set of runners then set out in pursuit, trying to follow the paper trail. The first formal competition was held in 1837 at Rugby School, followed by surrounding public school and eventually even prestigious universities. The English national cross-country championship was established in 1876. Two years later, William C. Vosburgh of New York introduced the sport to the United States. In 1887, the National Cross-Country Association was founded, and the association held its first championship event. The Amateur Athletic Association began conducting the national championship in 1880. There is no standardized distance for cross country courses, however for high schools in Ohio the distance is 3.1