Gallery: (8-23-2020) St. Olaf Cross Country Trails
Course Map
The St. Olaf Cross Country Course is the home course for the St. Olaf men's and women's cross country teams. Located east of the Tostrud Center on the northwest side of campus, the course is part of the greater Natural Lands trail system on the St. Olaf campus. There are established courses for the 5K, 6K, and 8K race distances.
The course consists of an oversized start line, with a wide 200-meter-wide straight-away before the first turn onto grass fields. It continues through grass and dirt trails that wind through the prairie and wooded areas of the Natural Lands. Most trails are flat or contain rolling hills, with a larger hill just after the 4K mark, as well as a shorter hill 150 meters before the finish straight-away. The layout of the course provides ample opportunities for spectators to view the races from multiple vantage points.
The St. Olaf Cross Country Course has hosted the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2002 and 2007, and has been the site of numerous NCAA Regional and MIAC Championships. The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) state championships meet has also been held on the course since 1992.