The best way to race cross country?

[Eddie]

How do you think athletes should race in cross country races?

As a coach, I recommend to athletes I coach that they break the race down into three phases:

First phase - approximately 20% of race distance. Go off hard and get your best position (according to your ability). This is at a pace you could not maintain for the whole race.

Second phase - approximately 60% of race distance. Settle into a good, hard, pace, which you feel you can maintain. You should be racing within a group of athletes, with the occasional athlete who went off too fast dropping back, and the occasional athlete who went off too slow running through.

Third phase - approximately last 20% of race distance. Dig deep and try to increase pace. Start this phase from a point you feel able to race harder from. Choose the point before the race begins. Try to "pick off" runners ahead of you.

That's my suggestion.....

[glasgowdan]

You can only respond to the race as it develops, whilst the method you are talking about may work for time trials I am not sure it would have helped me when I was racing. The first mile of the race is vital, you ascertain the whole race in this 5 mins of running.