Frequently Asked Questions

All 4 meets will take place at Three Sisters Park outside of Chillicothe, IL. Three Sisters Park is a 400 acre, private park located on the Illinois River, 17 miles north of Peoria, Illinois. 

Middle School Girls and Boys will compete on November 1st.
High School Class 1 will compete on November 6th.
High School Class 2 will compete on November 7th.
High School Class 3 will compete on November 8th.

We will invite 30 individuals and 20 teams for each meet. To adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, we will be running in heats to keep the total number of athletes on the course at one time to 50 or less.

The goal of this event is to assemble the most competitive field possible.  A selection committee led by Milesplit Illinois and ShaZam Racing will be responsible for evaluating the club and individual applications submitted for consideration.  This committee will use (but not limited to) performances from fall 2020 as guiding factors in the selection and invitation process.  

Grade School – A formal invitation and registration link will be sent out to the primary point of contact established in the application for consideration for the club or individual by the evening of Sunday, October 18th.  Clubs and individuals will have until 12:00 PM on Tuesday, October 20th to accept their invitation and complete the formal event registration process.  The point of contact will be responsible to register the club or individual and pay the complete registration fee.  Those clubs/individuals who do not register by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, October 20th will forfeit their invitation.  Failing to pay the registration fee will result in forfeiting the invitation and spot.   At that point, the selection committee may choose to invite additional clubs/individuals to fill those vacated positions.

High School – A formal invitation and registration link will be sent out to the primary point of contact established in the application for consideration for the club or individual by the evening of Sunday, November 1st.  Clubs and individuals will have until 12:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3rd to accept their invitation and complete the formal event registration process.  The point of contact will be responsible to register the club or individual and pay the complete registration fee.  Those clubs/individuals who do not register by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3rd will forfeit their invitation.  Failing to pay the registration fee will result in forfeiting the invitation and spot.   At that point, the selection committee may choose to invite additional clubs/individuals to fill those vacated positions.

Because of COVID-19, we are unable to run all athletes at once. To make it fair across the board for all teams in each meet, we will be running the number one runners with the individuals (total of 50 runners max), the number two and three runners and any remaining individuals, the number four and five runners, and the number six and seven runners. After the final race, we will then compile team scores. We may run the flights in reverse order with the Number 1s in the last race.

By running in this fashion, it allows us to run 40-50 runners at a time and meet the criteria given to us from the IDPH.

The purpose of the 2020 XC Championships is to create a safe and fun competitive environment for the grade school and high school runners in the state of Illinois.  In doing so, we want to create an event that offers closure to what will be an unorthodox fall of cross-country racing.  ShaZam Racing and our partners will be taking numerous precautionary measures to ensure a safe environment for the participants, spectators, and volunteers.  We ask for your cooperation, understanding, and support with these efforts.  Due to the ever-changing landscape presented by COVID-19, the structure laid out is subject to change.

We are currently in Phase 3 of the IDPH’s guidelines for sports. It does limit regular competition to be within the COVID regions. However, it also says that low-risk sports can host a State Meet. We have been working with the County Health Department and have received approval for the event.

Because this is outside of the regular season, coaches do not have contact days for XC teams. Due to this, we recommend that a parent or community member fill out the application form. We also recommend that most apply as a team. This is because all individuals on that team are then also entered as an individual applicant. To apply, click here.

For full details about applying, see below:

1. ALL clubs/individuals MUST have an adult (over the age of 21) designated as the primary point of contact.  This primary point of contact MAY NOT be affiliated with the academic institution where the club/individual competes during the scholastic season.  The primary point of contact MAY BE a parent or member of the community where your club/individual resides.

2. After a primary point of contact is decided, this person must fill out the information in the link below.  Only those clubs/individuals who fill out this form will be considered by the selection committee.  The selection committee will ONLY communicate with this designated point of contact.

*Applications for consideration will remain open for grade school clubs and individuals until 5:00 PM on Saturday, October 17th.

*Applications for consideration will remain open for high school clubs and individuals until 5:00 PM on Saturday, October 31st.

Trophies will be awarded for the boys and girls top 4 teams from each division.  Individual medals will be awarded to the top 25 boys and girls from each division. A formal award ceremony will follow the conclusion of the final race for each division.

No adjustments are allowed. All registrants had the ability to enter up to 9 people for a team. Any alternates that are signed up can run on race day if you have a sick or injured athlete.

We are not enforcing uniform policies that you typically see at meets. The only policy that we are enforcing is that you cannot wear your school uniforms.

Grade schools can preview on Saturday the 31st from 9am to 5pm. High schools can preview the day before their meet any time from 2pm to 5pm.

You as the point of contact and the team will determine this. It is your responsibility to send the athletes to the line for the correct race. There are officials and clerks helping at the start line. We are NOT declaring entries into flights. If you have an injury or sickness and need to adjust your race order, it is easier for you to do on the fly then to report to us.

When you reach the temperature check and pay for parking, any athletes in the vehicle can get out. They will be directed to the Athlete Village which is to the West of the octagon red building you will see from your vehicle.

The teams will be pre-assigned a location to set up their tent. Each team area is a 15×30 area that is spaced apart from other teams. There is space on each side that a 20×10 tent could be put up.

Boys and Girls teams are separate.

Individuals will be divided among 3 to 5 locations. No more than 10 people to a tent.

Please keep visiting to a minimum. Fans and spectators should not be in the Athlete Village area.

YOUR ASSIGNED LOCATION WILL BE SENT LATER THIS WEEK. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL HAVE STAFF ON SITE TO HELP POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

The location signage will be set up no later than Saturday. You can set up a tent in your location inside the Athlete Village the day before.

1. Upon a vehicle arriving, waivers (this is the self check that will be sent to you) will be collected and the temperature of every person in the vehicle will be taken.  Any person with a temperature above “101” will not be allowed out of his/her vehicle and must immediately leave the premises.

2. Once out of the vehicles, all participants and spectators will be required to wear a mask at all times.  The only time a mask may be taken off is when an athlete is competing during the actual race he/she is racing.

3. Club Team and Individual staging areas will be pre-assigned.

4. All participants are expected to stay in their assigned staging areas unless warming up for their race.

5. Warming up areas will be designated and only be allowed to be used at assigned times.

6. Immediately following a race, all participants are required to return to their assigned staging area.

There are no refunds for this event. The registration and parking fees are used to cover the meet expenses.