Website Manager

Copley-Fairlawn Athletic Association

The Youth Cross Country Program is now at capacity for Fall 2024. 

Capacity is normally reached by end of June.  Registration for Fall 2025 will open next April.  Watch for updates.  

There are a few local races that we advertise to our runners that are optional and open to anyone.  Check them out!  

Saturday, August 3, 8:00amCopley Heritage Days 5K and one mile race (mile is free)- Copley
Saturday, August 9, 7:45pm- Glow with the Flow 5K and one mile race- Medina
Thursday, August 15, 6:00pmBill Heideman run- 1 mile, 2 mile, and 5K race distances- Barberton
Sunday, August 25, 4:00pmKylie Rose Run- 1 mile and 5K race distances- Copley
Friday, September 27, 6:00pmAkron Kids Fun Run (mile is free)- downtown Akron


Thank you for your interest in this sport!

Copley Cross Country Invitational

Wednesday, September 18

Copley High School
3807 Ridgewood Rd, Akron, OH, 44321


5:15 Kids fun run 400 m (age 5 and under- no registration required)
5:30 1mi BOYS AND GIRLS START (ages 6-8) 
6:00 Boys 2mi START (ages 9-13)
6:30 Girls 2mi START (ages 9-13)
Awards to follow.

Deadline for racer submission is Wednesday, September 11, 2023.

Email Ashlee Eskelsen for individual and team entries, or any other questions.

Copley Youth Cross Country



Copley Youth Cross Country was founded in 2015 and has been running strong ever since!  We are a program for kids in grades 1st -6th and we run against local cross country teams.  Our registration will open in April for existing runners first, then open to general public.  Registration does not last long!  Our first day of practice will be Monday, August 5. 

Copley Youth Cross Country FAQ’s

The goal of our program is to promote the sport of running for our youth and to provide a fun experience for all our runners.

What is Cross Country?

Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. In Cross Country (XC or CC) EVERYONE competes. At the Middle and High School level there are no cuts, and nobody rides the bench.

How Far Will We Run?

All depends on the age group. In practice we will start out at a mile and work up for 6-8 year old runners. Some children will not run very far without needing to stop and catch their breath. We will work with the kids on pacing and building their endurance. Most race distance is based on age. Some races for the younger group (6-8 year old) will be 1 mile and others will be 2K (1.24 mi). Older kids (9-12 year old) will run a 2 mi or 3K (1.86) in most races.

Running Shoes

Your child should have a good pair of running shoes. Below is a link to a document we posted a while back that discusses the topic.
shoe guide.pdf


Regular Season

We have a regular season that run through October and our fees will cover the 5-7 meets we put on our Regular Season calendar.  The group of teams we race against are all in this to promote the sport. We have some awesome partner teams in our regional.  Some of the teams we run against are Woodridge, Cuyahoga Falls, Field, Tallmadge and Revere.

Post Season

Nationals are not included as part of our initial registration.  We have taken teams to Nationals for 8 years now. 
If an athlete is interested and qualifies, registration will open in October.

Cross Country Youth Nationals Site:
http://www.youthcrosscountry.org/


Scoring for Cross Country

Lowest score wins! See Reference below for Details.
scoring reference.pdf


Email us with questions!

Ashlee & Jeremy Eskelsen
Co-directors CAA Youth XC
[email protected]

Youth XC


Pictured above (from left): Coach Jeremy, Ethan (9), James (7), and  Coach Ashlee.  Photo credit: Mike Gerst

Meet the Coaches:

Ashlee Eskelsen has been running since 2006 and has accumulated over 14,000 miles.  She competed for Washington State University as a long distance track and cross country athlete.  She has run in every distance from the 400m relay to an ultramarathon.  She has qualified for and competed in the Boston Marathon.  Ashlee broke the world record for fastest half marathon pushing a triple pram in 2018 (three oldest boys riding).  While it has since been broken, the claim to fame remains.  Ashlee wants running to be fun and she has a competitive edge for athletes that want to take it a "stride further."

Jeremy Eskelsen has been officially running since 2015, though he participated in athletics as a child in which running was involved.  He has competed in multiple 5ks, a half-marathon, triathlon, duathlon, and marathon.  Jeremy has been taking martial arts classes to increase his fitness and core strength.  He loves to see kids reach their potential!  He knows the importance of encouragement and works with our runners where they are at.

In the Fall of 2024, Ashlee will take over as the leader of the younger (2K) group with children ages 5-8.  Jeremy will lead the older (3K) group with children ages 9-12.** 

We also rely on volunteer coaches to help this program function.  If you are interested in running with our youth in a pace group and helping at practice, please contact us!  Volunteer coaches are generally parents, guardians, or older siblings, but we welcome others that are interested in running.  Contact: [email protected]

**Note: Ages are based on the end of this calendar year.  In other words, what age will your child be on December 31, 2024.

Contact

Copley-Fairlawn Athletic Association

Copley-Fairlawn Athletic Association, P.O. Box 4214
Copley, Ohio 44321

Contact Us

Copley-Fairlawn Athletic Association

Copley-Fairlawn Athletic Association, P.O. Box 4214
Copley, Ohio 44321

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