UCR Agricultural Operations (Ag Ops) Cross Country Course

UC Riverside's home course is the Agricultural Operations Course (Ag/Ops), located adjacent to campus on the 420-acre Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station (CRC-AES) on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Canyon Crest Drive.

The course is deceptive, appearing flat, fast and easy at first, but with a large difference in elevation from one end of the course to the other. The west end, at about the 1.5 mile mark, is 100 feet lower than the start/finish area, and runners tend to go out fast only to find the return home challenging. Click here to view the 5k, 6k and 8k course maps.

The Highlanders practice and race on the course, which features a long loop that winds through groves of citrus trees and crosses over irrigation canals. It has a wide running surface, allowing for a large field and outstanding racing.

The course also has a rich history. Developed for the 1979 NCAA Division II National Championships, the course has since hosted the annual premier UC Riverside Invitational as well as numerous conference and regional championships. The site hosted the Big West Championships in 2002, 2004-05, and 2008-11. The UC Riverside Women's Cross Country Team won the 2008 Big West Championships on its home turf.

Agricultural Operations is the field support department of the UCR College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) and has been active in research since 1907. The department administers activities on three experiment stations: the aforementioned CRC-AES, the Moreno Field Station, and the Coachella Valley Agricultural Research Station.

The station has traditionally focused on production agriculture but has more recently expanded research efforts to include diverse aspects of agricultural production systems with consideration of ecological and environmental problems. It is a reminder of the university's heritage as an agricultural research station for the UC system.

"The staff at Agricultural Operations have always been remarkable hosts, and we have a great relationship with them," said Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Irv Ray. "We are fortunate to have this beautiful race course that we can use to showcase our beautiful campus."