Parkside Athletics

UW-Parkside maintains a unique and nationally-renowned Cross Country Course located on the rolling and wooded 700-acre campus between Kenosha and Racine in southeastern Wisconsin.  An excellent course for runners, it was the site of the NAIA National Cross Country Championships from 1976 through 2002 (with exception of 1980) also hosting the 2007 & 2008 Championships. The course was the site of the NCAA Division II National Meet in 1980, ’83 & ’97 and the 1992 TAC Nationals. It annually is the home of one or more NCAA Division I, II and III affiliated conference championships including the Big East (’09, ’13, '19), United Athletic Association ('18), Great Lakes Valley (’02, ’10 and ’15), CCIW (’08 & ’15) and Horizon League (’04, ’12, ’14, '18). Parkside has also hosted the NCAA DII Regionals numerous times over the past two decades, most recently in 2013. It has been the home of the Foot Locker Cross Country Midwest Regional since 1984.
           
The course is set on a tract of land that has been set aside primarily for cross country running (and skiing). The course is well marked with directional signs and color coded distance markers every quarter-mile and every kilometer of all race routes (3K, 4K, 5K, 6K, 8K and 10K). The course terrain is flat with some rolling hills. The course surface is grass or natural paths which never cross any pavement. The UWP athletic staff and a large crew of local volunteers have the equipment and expertise to make the course safe and race ready under any circumstances. We have never cancelled a meet due to any weather conditions.
 
The starting line can handle over 700 runners safely and fairly (The site record is 624 finishers in a 5K race.) The course does not narrow appreciably until just after the 1 kilometer mark. There are minimal turns on the course, all of which are wide and sweeping. The layout offers numerous opportunities for coaches and spectators to see the runners since they pass near the starting line numerous times during the course of all races. The finish, which is only 100 yards from the starting line, can accommodate over 500 runners. The course is open for inspection any time from dawn until dusk.
 
Our site is extremely team friendly. Check in for all events is in the Sports and Activity Center, located 600 meters from the starting line. The 200 meter indoor track is available for athlete warm-up if weather dictates. There is ample locker room access for large meets, coupled with plenty of meeting room access, as well as awards ceremony options. There are more than ample hotel options for any size meet within one half hour of the campus. This coupled with the availability of flying into Milwaukee or Chicago, makes UWP an extremely convenient and economical meet site for all.

WIN Initiative
UW-Parkside is in a unique position to rehabilitate and enhance the approximately 210 acres of forest and open space between county highways JR and E, and state Highway 31. These areas provide appealing native vegetation and prime habitat for wildlife, including the endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and other pollinators. 
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside and the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) announced a new initiative to develop a land enhancement plan called the Pollinator Patch Program. The goal of the plan is to create more habitat for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee. https://awealthofnature.org/uw-parkside-and-root-pike-win-partner-for-pollinator-patch-program/

 Course Maps