RCC Run the Woods

RCC Run the Woods is a four-mile cross-country and trail run in Earlham, Iowa, on November 7, 2026, starting at 11:00 a.m. You can enter as an individual or as a team of four, with the team competition run over the same four-mile course and the same late-morning start.

Cross-country is its own discipline: softer ground, tighter turns and slower splits than the road, which is why comparing your time to a four-mile road best is a waste of energy. Race it on effort instead. A team entry adds the useful pressure of knowing your placing counts for someone else. Three or four weeks of easy running with one weekly session on grass or dirt is enough to have your legs ready for the surface.