Fall Cross Country Season

Season Begins August 3, 2026

Families interested in participating in the 2026 Fall Cross Country season should complete the Interest & Time Trial Form below.

Complete the Interest & Time Trial Form

Pre-Season

August 3 – August 28
Practices on Mondays & Wednesdays (optional) only.

Regular Season

September 1 – November 14
Practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Post-Season

November 16 – December 12
Available for qualifying athletes advancing beyond the State Meet.

  • Regionals: November 21

  • Nationals: December 12

Special Event

All athletes are invited to participate in the LINC’d Up Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day, hosted by the Comets. Registration for this event is included with the Fall season and is open to all team members, regardless of post-season qualification.

We welcome multi-sport athletes and those participating in other cross country programs (see qualification information below).

Practice Information

Practice Schedule

  • Mondays & Wednesdays | 6:00–7:15 PM

  • Saturdays (non-race days) | 8:30–9:30 AM

Locations

Practices are held primarily at Brown’s Mill Battlefield and the LINC Trail, with occasional alternate locations communicated in advance.

Practices for the full team conclude following the State Meet in November. Post-season practices continue for qualifying athletes advancing to Regionals and Nationals.

Program Cost

  • $175 per athlete

  • +$30 annual club membership fee

Program fees help cover:

  • Race entries

  • Team uniforms and shirts

  • Practice equipment

  • Volunteer and coach training

  • Insurance and administrative costs

  • Team events and program operations

Qualifications

All athletes must complete a Time Trial at Browns Mill Battlefield at one of the following dates:

  • July 22 at 6:00 PM

  • July 25 at 8:00 AM

Time Trial Standards:

  • 8U: 2K under 20:00

  • 10U/12U: 3K under 30:00

  • 14U: 4K under 35:00

*If unable to attend a Time Trial date, athletes may submit a recent 5K race time using this form.

**All athletes who meet the basic criteria above will receive an invitation to register for the Fall season on July 26.

Volunteers

We welcome parents and guardians who run—at any pace—to volunteer during practices. It’s a great way to support the team, stay active, and model leadership. A minimum number of running volunteers is required to conduct practices safely.

Racing

The tentative 2026 race schedule can be found on the race page. Athletes will participate in 7+ races, including at least five youth cross country meets on Saturdays. These are sanctioned events where athletes race in age-appropriate USATF divisions, both individually and as part of a team (minimum of 5 runners per age group to score as a team).

  • Race Distances by Age Group:

    • 8U: 2K

    • 10U and 12U: 3K

    • 14U: 4K

  • Additional Races Included:

    • Autumn Chase 5k

    • LINC’d Up Turkey Trot 5K – Comets-hosted Thanksgiving Day event!

Post-Season

Athletes receive a USATF youth membership, allowing them to compete at the State Championship on November 14.
From there:

  • Top 15 individuals and top 2 teams per age group at State qualify for Regionals.

  • Top 30 individuals and top 5 teams at Regionals advance to Nationals.

  • These qualifying numbers may expand at the discretion of Georgia USATF.

The season for all athletes ends after the State Meet on November 14. Athletes who qualify at State for Regionals, and at Regionals for Nationals, will be invited to continue practicing as they prepare for those races.

Cross Country Scoring

Cross country is both a team and individual sport.

Team Scoring

A team’s score is determined by adding the finishing places of its top five runners in an age group. The lowest score wins.

Example: 2nd + 5th + 8th + 11th + 20th = 46 points

Teams must have at least 5 runners in the same age group to receive a team score.

Runners 6 & 7 Matter

Although only the top 5 runners score, additional runners can improve the team’s outcome by finishing ahead of scoring runners from other teams and increasing opposing team scores.

Individual Competition

Athletes also compete individually, with awards given to top finishers in each age division regardless of team placement.

Program Expectations

To keep practices safe, positive, and well-organized, we ask all families to follow these expectations:

  • Registered athletes only: Only athletes who are officially registered may participate in programming with the team, including running with training groups.

  • Registered coaches only: Only coaches who are officially registered with the Comets — and have completed SafeSport training and background screening — may coach or run with training groups.

  • Age requirement: Fall Cross Country requires athletes to be at least 7 years old by December 31 (USATF standard). We may also take athletes up to 14 years of age.

  • Under age 6: For safety and liability reasons, children under the age of 6 are not eligible to participate in the program.

Race Expectations & Guidelines

For all USATF and ATC races, athletes must be able to complete 3K races within 25 minutes and 2K races within 20 minutes. Eligibility will be determined by the Board based on a combination of: time trial or certified times, performance at practice, previous participation, and age. ATC’s Wingfoot Meet also requires that athletes are 7 years or older by race day and that athletes 8 and under race in a 3K distance.

To learn more about Coweta Youth Running Club visit the About page.