The Complete History of Cross-Country Running

In The Complete History of Cross-Country Running, author Andrew Boyd Hutchinson captures the full history of cross-country running, from the early 1800s to the present day, on both a national and international scale. It includes chronicles of legendary teams, inspirational tales of achievement, controversies, and interviews with record-breaking runners past and present. From Walter George and Alfred Shrubb to Steve Prefontaine, Bill Rogers, and Galen Rupp—and everyone in between—Hutchinson uncovers all angles, via training logs, discussions with coaches, and the review of newspaper archives for race results and forgotten storylines. He offers commentary from Olympians such as David Torrence and Shannon Rowbury, amongst others. Along the way, the book addresses the following topics: • How cross country began in England • How the sport found its way to American colleges and universities • The birth of the International Cross-Country Championships • All the close events, including the 2012 race between Molly Huddle and Sara Hall at the US National Cross-Country Championship • And so much more!

Andrew Boyd Hutchinson is a cross-country coach, history enthusiast, credentialed educator, and contributor to Meter Magazine and Track and Field News. A Bay Area native, Andrew has lived abroad in Europe, studied at Stanford University, and holds a degree in Philosophy with a minor in English from Lake Forest College. An avid runner, Andrew competed all four years collegiately at the NCAA Division III level, and now runs in the Cross-Country Grand Prix for USATF in the Pacific Association. He has a personal best over 8-kilometers in cross-country of 27:06.

"[Hutchinson] has fashioned a real winner, for sure, producing a long overdue chronicle of a grand history now fully delivered." - Toni Reavis

“Hutchinson did a massive amount of research to unearth stories of long-forgotten athletes and races that illustrate the colorful history of a sport that still defies standardization, and [Hutchinson] covers every part of it that you can think of (plus plenty you won’t until you read it).”
--Jesse Squire, Citius Mag