0_Apprentice
My new obsession is cross country running. I love running out in nature and dirt trails.
1_Wizard
Cross country running is fun, but can be challenging. The courses are long and include varied surfaces and include hills. 
0_Apprentice
Yes, it is quite a challenge.  I'm training to compete, which most competitions take place in fall and winter, but worried about running when it rains or snows. That will be even more of a challenge.
1_Wizard
Oh sure, running in sleet or snow or hail would be awful! 
0_Apprentice
A course can be from 2 1/2 to 7 1/2 miles long. My farthest has been 3 miles so far. Formal competitions go back to a 19th century English game called "hare and hound" or "the paper chase"
1_Wizard
Is that why the runners are sometimes called "harriers"? 
0_Apprentice
That's an interesting fact, I didn't know that. It used to be an Olympic sport. During a 1924 race in a Paris heat wave, 8 runners were taken away on a stretcher. I hope that's not me.
1_Wizard
Wow, that would be really unfortunate. It must have been a grueling race. There's an English championship that was the first national competition, started in 1876! 