Gans Creek is the home of the Mizzou men's and women's cross country teams. The Gans Creek Cross Country Course opened on September 27, 2019 with the Gans Creek Classic. The 320-acre park is a state-of-the-art facility that has attracted state, regional and national meets to the mid-Missouri area. The course is the host site for the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships, the 2024 NAIA Cross Country. Upcoming featured events include the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championship, 2026 SEC Championship and 2027 NCAA Regional Cross Country Championship.
The cross country course has been designed to be spectator and athlete friendly. The unique features of the course include a starting and finish line that sit adjacent to each other, a loop course made up of a 2k and 3k loop with 10-meter minimum width throughout. The 3k loop has a common first 1200 meters with the 2k loop which features lightly rolling hills, sweeping turns and a slight uphill 300 meter finish. The entire course is irrigated and graded for drainage. The course also features estate fencing throughout most of the course.
Three permanent structures are placed at the kilometer markers on the course and at the finish line. Each structure is connected via fiber to the timing tower providing audio and visual capabilities throughout the entire course. There is an elevated viewing berm along the finish straightaway that stretches out to allow viewing to over 80 percent of the entire course from one location.
The dedicated area for team tents is setup on an irrigated field that is located in close proximity to the start/finish line area. It allows for team buses to drop off and unload equipment directly at entry point. The perimeter of the area allows for athlete warm-up and cool down. There is a 1.4 mile soft surface trail around Phillips Lake and 800 meters around soccer fields across from bus drop off that provides a safe environment for athletes.
COURSE FEATURES
- Loop Course- all distances made from the 2k and 3k loop
- Mens 8k (2k/3k/3k)
- Women's 6k (3k/3k)
- High School 5k (2k/3k)
- The 2k loop includes rolling hills and sweeping, graded turns
- The 3k loop has common first 1200m of the 2k loop and the last 1800m has wide turns to a slight uphill 300m finish
- Entire course irrigated and graded for drainage
- Spectator friendly facility includes a spectator berm, rising 12-15 feet above the final 500 meters
- Minimum course width is 10 meters throughout
- Starting line accommodates up to 42 teams and 550 meters to first turn
