Running — it’s something many of us do to get exercise. But for most, it stops right there. Not many people would say they have a love and passion for running.

For some athletes here at the U, that statement would accurately describe their feelings. The sport of choice for most of these athletes is either cross country or track and, in most occasions, both.

But when it comes to these two different sports, the average person may not really know the difference between them. They may even think they are the same sport, just with different names. Even in the running community, the athletes understand there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding in the differences between cross country and track in the mainstream.

And who better to learn something about the sports than someone who actively participates in them? Utah’s Nikki Rietz is in her fourth season with the track team, and she helped to explain the basic differences between the two sports.

“Cross country takes a lot longer to become better at,” Rietz said. “It’s more of a strength and endurance sport, and you need to become mentally tough.”

Her coach, Kyle Kepler, who is in his 11th season at the helm of both the cross country and track teams, readily agrees.

“Cross country tends to be more strength, whereas track is more associated with speed,” Kepler said.

Aside from the distinct differences of the sport, there are also physical ones, as well. Cross country races are run on uneven and difficult surfaces that range from grass to dirt to mud, whereas track competes on a flat surface, usually an all-weather track.

“In cross country, the ground is stealing energy that the track bounces back,” Kepler said.

Rietz echoed her coach’s sentiments, saying that cross country brings with it the element of surprise.

“In track and field, you always know what the track is going to look like,” Rietz said. “In cross country, the courses can change from year to year.”

The way the competitions are scored varies between the two sports as well. While track and field has many different events that range from sprints on the track to throws off to the side, a cross country race has just one — the race itself. There aren’t different distances an athlete can race in.

“You’re all the same race in cross country, and you need your team in order to advance,” Rietz said. “In track, each event is individually scored.”

So while the team aspect matters and plays a role in who wins the competition, by virtue of the sport, cross country can make the team aspect more pronounced.

As far as injuries are concerned, both sports have very similar, and unfortunate, occurring injuries. Most of the injuries are due to overuse and stress, which simply come as a result of using the same muscles in the body too often.

As far as the participants are concerned, almost every cross country athlete competes in track, and visa-versa. Kepler explained it by saying that each sport helps build onto the other during the off-seasons.

But while most still compete in each sport, some athletes have more success in one than the other.

“Some are better suited for the longer and more endurance-based aspects of cross country,” Kepler said.

So there you go, a full-fledged comparison between cross country and track and field to help shed some light on the differences between the two sports. Yes, they are both essentially just running, but both sports are much more than that.

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