CANTERBURY RUNNING | CROSS COUNTRY
BE INVOLVED
Cross-Country, Road and Trail running covers all running that occurs outside the “track” on an athletics field.
Commonly called Cross-Country & Road, this discipline in Canterbury, covers a much wider range of running than the name suggests. Runners, be they fast or steadier, have a range of options from a 5km fun run around Hagley Park through to the challenging 51km of the Crater Rim trail event on the Port Hills.
- Cross – country runs are racing as either individuals or teams over a few shortish loops (about 2km) and mixed terrain of grass, sand, and forest floor. Examples include:
- The 5km summer series in Hagley Park
- The Lionel Fox relay loops over beach & forest at Woodend Beach
- Road racing is usually on bitumen or hard surfaces and we have a mix of runs ranging from shortish loops to longer scenic road events. Key examples include:
- Lakeside Relay which loops around Lake Kohatu
- The stunning 10km run between Governors Bay to Lyttelton
- The iconic Takahe to Akaroa Road relay and, of course
- The Canterbury Half / Full marathons.
- Trail racing – as the name describes, are runs over trail and are generally longer (10km or over) events out on the hills and in the forests. Athletics Canterbury’s key trail events are:
- Crater Rim (races from 10 to 51km on the Port Hills) &
- Boulder Bay – a 10.5km run, out around Godley Head
- Mountain running describes those runs up and / or down mountains. Athletics Canterbury will be introducing a new Mountain running event in 2021.
- Race walking is also possible on some of the flatter terrains.
Full programme details can be found here:
Children wanting to run in events can enter via a club or via the community runner entry on the event websites. Clubs are spread right across the region and children & their parents can find out details of a club in our clubs’ section.
Adults have three options. They can
- Join the club scene and run with other like-minded people in a supportive & encouraging environment. Club details can be found in the clubs’ section.
- Check out our Can Run programme which has events and coaching ideal for those who are new to running, don’t want to join a club, or want to run in only a select number of races. Can Run details can be found here.
- Run in any of our events as Community runners by visiting each event website
Regardless of how you join us – welcome. Canterbury is an awesome place to run in and we would love to share our passion for running with you and your family.