What Should I Wear for Cross Country Running
Warm day, cold day, mud or race day: what to wear for cross country, part by part.
All 45 things to wear
On a warm day
On a cold day
In rain and mud
On your feet
For race day
Leave at home
On a warm day 7
Light-colored clothes on a hot day They reflect sunlight, one high school team’s summer heat tips say. Lightweight running shorts Proper running attire, one New York school district says: lightweight and moisture wicking. Plain T-shirt, shorts and socks Enough for practice, one youth running program says. Fancy clothes are not needed. Shirt on, and one that covers your middle A Virginia middle school allows no shirtless running and no crop tops at practice. Sunscreen for summer runs On a high school team’s list for running in summer heat, at SPF 30 or more. Top that wicks sweat A New York school district requires lightweight tops that wick moisture at practice. Wristwatch with a timer Useful for workouts, a New York district says. One North Carolina team requires a watch.
On a cold day 7
Gloves on a cold day On South Carolina’s cold list. Georgia permits them in races in severely cold weather. Hat or ear cover On South Carolina’s list too. In a Kansas race a stocking cap needs the meet’s permission. Layers around your core First on the cold weather clothing list of South Carolina’s high school league. Long pants or tights that insulate South Carolina’s league lists long pants made to insulate. Long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt that blocks wind South Carolina’s league says these may be layered, one over another. Most of your skin covered, in a hard wind chill South Carolina’s league asks for it at a wind chill of 30 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Wind pants or a nylon shell on top They serve well as a wind break, South Carolina’s league says.
In rain and mud 7
Dry clothes for after the race A North Carolina team and an English club both put a dry change in the bag. Extra socks On a North Carolina team’s list of what to pack the night before a meet. Half-inch spikes, for a really muddy course From one high school team’s spike guide, which keeps them off tracks and pavement. Second pair of shoes for after A North Carolina team packs one. An English coach says the same for wet, muddy days. Spikes in more than one length, and a wrench Walk the course first, an English junior coach says, then choose the length. Warm top for the cool-down Change out of your spikes and put warm clothes on after the race, an English coach says. Waterproof jacket for before and after An English club’s junior coach packs waterproofs in case the day is wet.
On your feet 8
Cross country spikes, for races Many runners prefer them in competition, a New York district says. They are not mandatory. Distance spikes with a cushioned heel The kind a North Carolina team tells runners to buy: a distance or cross country pair. Plain running shoes, in a middle school program Two Virginia middle schools ask for running shoes. One says spikes are not required at meets. Quarter-inch spikes for most courses The usual length in one high school team’s spike guide. Running shoes They should be comfortable and need not be expensive, a youth running program says. Socks that wick moisture In the cold, wool is a better choice than cotton, South Carolina’s high school league says. Spikes of one inch at the longest The limit in the national high school rule for cross country shoes. Trail-rated running shoes for practice A New York district calls them very important on natural, uneven ground.
For race day 7
Head covering worn for religious reasons Allowed by the national rule when it is not hard or abrasive and is secured. Medical alert, worn where it shows The national rule encourages wearing one with the alert visible. Race number, unaltered The national rule requires your assigned number. Georgia’s state meet wants it on the front. School-issued uniform, the same as your team’s The national high school rule wants a school-issued or school-approved top and bottom. Sweats or a hoodie over the uniform until the start On a North Carolina team’s packing list. An English coach sheds layers in the last minutes. Top tucked in or hanging below the waistband How the national rule wants the top to sit when you stand upright. Undershirt or tights of any color beneath the uniform The national rule puts no color limits on garments that show under the uniform.
Leave at home 9
No bare-midriff top in a race Not permitted under the national high school rule. No baseball cap, visor or bandana in a Kansas race Kansas policy bars all three during competition. No foam clogs One Virginia middle school’s team sheet rules them out for practices and for meets. No knotted top The national high school rule bars a knot, or anything like one, in the uniform top. No road-racing shoes on the trails They are not ideal for trail running, a New York district says. Fine for track days. No running barefoot or in socks Shoes on both feet is the national rule. A youth program says the same of practice. No spikes at a practice that bans them A youth program and a Virginia middle school both keep spikes out of practice. No taking your uniform top off near the course Under the national rule it brings a warning. Only shoes may come off in the competition area. No walking shoes A youth running program asks for running shoes, not walking shoes.
How this list was compiled
The 45 things to wear or to leave at home, and the line under each, were written for this page on 2026-10-13; no list was copied. Each row follows a rule or a team's own guidance, read on 2026-10-13. Rules: National Federation of State High School Associations, track and field and cross country uniform rules, rule 4-3 (https://assets.nfhs.org/umbraco/media/7213072/nfhs-track-field-and-cross-country-uniform-rule.pdf ); Kansas State High School Activities Association, legal uniforms for cross country competitors (https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/CrossCountry/PDF/UniformInfo.pdf ); Georgia High School Association, cross country coaches handbook for 2026 (https://www.ghsa.net/sites/default/files/documents/xc/2026_GHSA_Cross_Country_Coaches_Handbook.pdf ); South Carolina High School League, cold weather guidelines for all sports (https://schsl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SCHSL_Cold-Weather-Guidelines.pdf ). Schools and teams: East Greenbush Central School District, New York, cross country preseason information (https://egcsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cross-Country-Preseason-Information-Fall-2025.pdf ); the cross country handbook of a high school team in Wake County, North Carolina (https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/0111/8079/HSHSCROSSCOUNTRYHandbook.pdf ); two middle schools of Fairfax County, Virginia (https://irvingms.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline-files/Cross_Country_Parent_Guardian_Interest_Meeting.pdf and https://sandburgms.fcps.edu/cross-country ); a youth running program, What to bring to practice (https://www.crosscountryforyouth.org/what-to-bring-to-practice ); a high school team's summer heat tips (https://shscrosscountry.com/running-and-the-summer-heat-important-tips-to-follow/ ); a high school team's spike length guide (http://whscrosscountry.weebly.com/uploads/5/8/7/5/58751731/spike_length_guide.pdf); Valley Striders, England, Preparing for a cross country race, by the club's junior coach (https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/preparing-for-a-cross-country-race/ ). Every state, league and coach sets its own rules, so ask your coach before a meet. Left out on purpose: brands, prices and anything about body shape. Licence: own work
How it works What should I wear for cross country running? Running shoes, shorts and a top that wick sweat, and layers once it turns cold. These 45 things follow what school teams, state associations and the national high school rule say.
Read the full guide
What the high school rule asks on race day
Practice clothes are up to you and your coach. A race is different: a school runner dresses to a rule. The national federation’s uniform rule says that anything school-issued worn over the uniform, such as a T-shirt, sweatpants or tights, becomes the official uniform, and that every member of a team must look like one team. A first breach brings a warning and time to put it right; a second means disqualification from the event. States add their own details. Georgia’s handbook says socks, sleeves and headwear are not part of the uniform and are not prohibited.
Pack the bag the night before a meet, as one North Carolina team tells its runners, and put the uniform in first.
Questions and answers
Do you need spikes for cross country?
No. One New York district says some of its runners race in the same trail shoes they train in. A North Carolina team recommends spikes or racing flats only for experienced runners, and only in competition.
What do you wear to cross country practice?
Running clothes for the day’s weather and running shoes. One North Carolina team requires four things at each practice: running shoes, running clothes, a watch and a water bottle. A New York district tells runners to be ready for all kinds of weather.
Can you wear a watch in a cross country race?
In Kansas and Georgia, yes. Kansas permits a watch that is not set to send tactical information during the race. Georgia allows one too, and disqualifies a runner if an official sees communication through it.
Can you wear jewelry in cross country?
The national high school rules allow it, Kansas’s uniform guide says. A referee may tell a runner to remove an item that is not secure, and a coach may ban jewelry for the whole team.