Lakeland College has a brand new, on-campus 5-kilometer cross country running course, and we're hosting two local high school meets and the Homecoming run there this fall.

This Thursday, Sheboygan North and South will compete in a girls’ varsity dual meet and boys’ junior varsity meet on the new 5k course. On Oct. 16, we will host the big 12-school Fox River Classic Conference varsity meet.

Next year, our course will be expanded to include an 8k option so our cross country teams can enjoy home meets.

Also, this year’s Homecoming run, the chip-timed “Fish out of Water 5k Trail Run,” will take place on the new course at 10 a.m. on Oct. 4. Registration is open to all at lakeland.edu/homecoming.

“We are excited to open a home cross country course on campus, not only for our growing intercollegiate cross country programs, but also for local high school and middle school programs,” said Nate Dehne, vice president for athletics and wellness.

Part of the course goes through campus, but a large portion of it winds through Lakeland’s picturesque Grether Woods. Another part of the course hugs the perimeter of an open meadow. As runners close in on the finish, they will come around an on-campus pond, then sprint the length of the football field to the finish line.

“The course is a wonderful blend of open fields and wooded paths and is ideal for a cross country course,” Dehne said. “Our hope is that recreational runners will also find their way to campus and run the course.”