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1830
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Cross Country runners were first called harriers when the sport began in the 1900s. A first group of people (called hares) would run and leave a trail of paper behind them. A second group of people (called hounds) would follow their trail and try to catch up to them
1837
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The Crick Run at Rugby School officially started hosting annual cross country races.
1867
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The Thames Rowing Club held cross country runs and races as a winter sport to condition rowers, many other clubs formed across England.
1877
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English championships over the senior distance of 10 miles were first held. The famous Midlands Club´s Birchfield Harriers won many of these events.
1898
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The first international race was held in 1898 between England and France
1914 - 1924
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Cross Country was an Olympic Sport for 10 years, but after being deemed not suitable for the summer competition, Cross Country was dropped as an Olympic sport.
1950
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The number of runners increased from 33 in the first race to 900 by the middle of the 20th century.
1962
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The International Amateur Athletic Federation adopted rules governing championship and international cross country running events for both men and women.
1967
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The first women’s international cross-country event was held at Barry, Wales, in 1967.
Present
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IAAF standard distances for international competition are not less than 7.5 miles for men, and 1.25–3 miles for women. Because of the varying difficulty of courses, world records are not maintained. Cross-country teams are made up of six to nine athletes. In scoring, the places in which team members finish (for example, one point for first place, two points for second) are added together, and the team with the lowest total wins.