After running the state cross country meet in a field outside of Pars for the past three years, the KHSAA state cross country meet will return to its familiar roots at the Kentucky Horse Park starting this year.
The horse park has long been the home for the state meet, using the steeplechase course until the early 1990s when it moved to the campground. In recent years, the paddock areas have been used for the state meet course.
In 2020, most state-run facilities were shut down due to COVID-19, and the horse park was used as a regional vaccination hub.
The state meet was moved to Bourbon County, 20 miles east of Lexington. The course was an empty field that was spacious but had issues with parking on grass, which turned to mud in 2021 and saw tractors used to pull school buses out of the muck. Leaving the facility through a single entrance also caused bottleneck issues.
The return to the horse park means a more organized, spectator-friendly venue.
“We would like to thank those who made the last three years a special experience at the Bourbon County Cross Country Course,” KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said in a media release Thursday. “In 2020, we were fortunate to help our cross country manager and several other individuals design a viable course for our state championships in a time of uncertainty around the global pandemic when our former course was not hosting events. What started as a brand-new course at the time has since evolved into a site that has consistently offered a great experience for our student-athletes. We look forward to the continued improvements the Bourbon County course has discussed for long-term growth, and we will undoubtedly revisit our site selection again in the future.”
The KHSAA had already set its calendar for 2023-24 and listed Bourbon County as the site of this year’s state meet.
“The logistical needs of the upcoming year and continued growth in cross country participation need to take priority,” Tackett said. “We never like to adjust sites after our calendar is set in May, but we had little option and are thankful that the Kentucky Horse Park is now back embracing full-scale events following its own set of uncertain times. We’re excited to rekindle our longstanding relationship and return to the course in the back of this historic park that the staff was gracious enough to let us help design a few years ago. This will address many logistical needs that surround this great event as it continues to grow and evolve.”
The KHSAA announced earlier this year that Alltech Arena at the horse park will return as the site of the state wrestling tournament after three years at George Rogers Clark High School.
