Before thousands of spectators line the hills of Gans Creek Cross Country Course for the 2026 Southeastern Conference Championship, television crews set up cameras and the nation’s top runners toe the starting line, months of preparation will have already gone into making race day possible.

For Mizzou Athletics and Columbia Parks and Recreation, hosting a postseason cross country championship requires more than a well-maintained course. It takes coordination among staff members, detailed planning and a shared commitment to creating an experience worthy of the sport’s biggest events.

That work has helped turn Columbia’s own Gans Creek into a destination for collegiate cross country, including the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.

The vision began around 2010, when Mizzou head track and field coach Brett Halter approached Columbia Parks and Recreation about building a dedicated cross country course. The goal was to create a venue capable of hosting national championships, taking advantage of Columbia’s central location and existing infrastructure.

Completed in 2019, Gans Creek was designed specifically for cross country, with championship-level competition in mind.

“It’s always been the end game to host major championships here,” Halter said. “This is a world-class course. It’s literally the best course in the world right now.”

The venue’s permanent layout, spectator-friendly design and technology have helped distinguish it from courses assembled temporarily for individual meets.

Gans Creek uses fiber-optic technology to deliver race information to LED boards around the course, allowing spectators to follow splits and team scores in real time. The infrastructure also carries race announcements throughout the venue, helping fans stay connected to the competition from different viewing areas.

The course was crafted to challenge runners while allowing spectators to follow the race at multiple points. An accessible spectator berm also gives fans with different mobility needs an opportunity to watch the competition and provides all patrons a full view of the entire course, giving an unprecedented view to keep up with the competition.

“We wanted to start with a world-class standard,” Halter said. “We have built a world-class course. Now we need to continue executing at a world-class level.”

Executing that vision requires a partnership between Mizzou Athletics and Columbia Parks and Recreation, which owns and maintains the course.

Josh Ebbesmeyer, who joined Columbia Parks and Recreation in April 2024, said the venue’s success comes from its design, maintenance and the work that goes into hosting events.

“The facility’s infrastructure was designed in mind to host high-level competitions and be spectator-friendly as far as getting around the course and seeing different areas of the course,” Ebbesmeyer said.

The city’s turf management team maintains the course through mowing, irrigation and other work needed to keep the grass healthy and the grounds competition ready. Parks and Recreation staff also coordinate event logistics, including deliveries, barricades and portable restrooms.

As race day approaches, those responsibilities expand. Staff members spend more time at the course preparing the facility and coordinating with Mizzou Athletics and other event partners.

“The more large-scale events you have each year, the more frequently we’re out there,” Ebbesmeyer said. “So, I think really it’s a time commitment and focus that has to be made from our department to put our resources out there at Gans Creek.”

For major postseason meets, preparation begins months in advance. Ebbesmeyer’s planning for the SEC Championships involved over six months of meetings and communication between Mizzou Athletics, Columbia Parks and Recreation and the SEC office. Planning for the 2025 NCAA Division I championships began shortly after the final 2024 home event concluded.

Mizzou’s game operations staff handles another layer of preparation: coordinating race schedules, officials, equipment, parking, ticketing and television crews.

Andrew Chitwood, Mizzou Athletics’ Associate Director of Game Operations, first worked with cross country as a Mizzou Athletics intern the last time the Tigers hosted the SEC Championships in 2021. He has since moved into a full-time role, first as Assistant Director of Game Operations, and taken over cross country operations, with his responsibilities expanding from hands-on setup to coordinating with teams, conference officials and broadcast crews.

“Cross country is a little bit different from other varsity sports, so I oversee all the operations that happen out there,” Chitwood said.

Championship events also require a different level of presentation. Chitwood’s team adds signage and flags while organizing designated tent areas for athletes, coaches and medical personnel. Those details help create an organized environment for competitors and give teams the space they need throughout the meet.

“We really try to make that look professional and well thought out, so it gives athletes their own space,” Chitwood said.

The scale of that work became especially clear during the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, when Mizzou hosted the event for the first time. Chitwood helped welcome more than 6,000 fans who attended the championship, demonstrating the audience the sport can attract.

For Ebbesmeyer, watching teams celebrate national championships at a facility his department maintains made the event’s significance tangible.

“When you see athletes and teams hoist national championship trophies at the cross country course where you work every day, it’s like, ‘Whoa, this is national now,’” Ebbesmeyer said.

The growth of the venue has also changed the work behind it. Chitwood has taken a larger planning and communication role as the host from an operational standpoint, reflecting the trust built among Mizzou Athletics, Halter and Parks and Recreation.

For Halter, the development of the staff has been one of the most rewarding parts of hosting major events. As responsibilities have become more established, he has been able to step back from some of the day-to-day details and trust the team to execute its roles.

“I don’t care what your role is, you need to do your job at your very best,” Halter said. “If everybody does their role related to hosting the meet, whatever it might be, be the best in the world at what you do. We will then collectively run a world class event.”

Much of that work is invisible to spectators. From arranging team drop-offs and parking to coordinating media access, awards and television production, organizers aim to make the experience as seamless as possible.

As Gans Creek continues to attract high-profile competitions, the people responsible for the venue are looking for new ways to improve it further. Halter has identified potential additions, including permanent television platforms and an improved scoreboard, while Parks and Recreation continues working to maintain the course and enhance the spectator experience.

As the top collegiate runners once again gather in Columbia at one of the world’s premier cross country facilities, the confetti that falls on a long-awaited goal realized will not just be symbolic for the teams, coaches and student-athletes, but also for the support staff who have poured countless hours into making Gans Creek Cross Country Course a landmark in the sport for years to come.

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