ABOUT

North Idaho Distance Project

A Legacy of Success

North Idaho Distance Project, formerly known as North Idaho Cross Country (NIXC), is a club designed for the encouragement and development of our local youth running community.  Throughout the 18 years this club has been in operation, we have focused on creating an environment that not only enhances running ability but instills ownership, responsibility, and commitment in our athletes. It also creates bonds between our youth runners that can only be found amongst endurance athletes. With that in mind, those same principles have also helped us find enormous success during our competitive season on the national stage, with our athletes achieving 82 All-American Honors, 4 individual National Champion, 4 Team National Championships, and 6 National Top-Three team finishes. Most recently finishing with 7-All-Americans and two runner-up team finishes at the National Championships in 2023 held in Louisville, KY.

Timeline

• North Idaho XC (NIXC) was founded in Coeur d’Alene, ID in 2005 by Mark Curtis.

• Coach Erin Lydon Hart assumed the role of Head Coach of NIXC in 2015.

• Coach Emry Carr became Head Coach in 2021.

• North Idaho Cross Country becomes North Idaho Distance Project in 2022.

• Coach Allison Howard became Head Coach in 2023.

Headlines

• CDA Press: PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Brothers' bond ...

• USATF 2023 Junior Olympic Cross Country Nationals Results

• USATF 2022 Junior Olympic Cross Country Nationals Results

• Youth Runner 2021 Youth Runner : TRIUMPH IN A SEASON OF UNCERTAINTY (2021)

• Youth Runner : INSIDE THE NORTH IDAHO XC TEAM (2019)

Our Approach

As our club has evolved, we’ve expanded our program to include a summer session open to competitive runners as well as kids 7-14 who want to explore running.  In 2023, we had over 110 local youth register for our summer program and we will continue to focus on building that program's success. 

Since our inception, the goals of the program have not fundamentally changed:

• Provide opportunities for youth in North Idaho to improve their running and fitness levels beyond the limited school seasons.

• Prepare committed youth for the competitive racing season, specifically USATF Junior Olympics, ensuring local talented runners have an opportunity to compete at regional and national levels.

• Nurture the mental, emotional, and social components of running through a both individual development and team-first approach.

• Hone life skills that extend beyond running.

Programs

Summer Program (Ages 8-14)

North Idaho Distance Project has two phases to its annual program.  The first is a summer program that is inclusive and accessible to youth runners in the area who seek to improve their fitness, refine their running technique, and are willing to be challenged and supported by a USATF-level 1 coach. This program includes a variety of workouts (3x/week) focused on endurance, speed, agility, strength, and team-building. 

North Idaho Distance Project Team (Ages 8-14)

The second phase of the program, the competitive racing season, follows the schools’ cross country season and is specifically designed to prepare the youth runners for local, regional, and national USATF races. For youth runners, USATF Association, Regional, and National Championship Cross Country races are the primary pathway to run competitively in their age groups and can ultimately lead them to a national stage at the high school and college levels. Runners in the summer program who demonstrate interest, commitment, coachability, and running fitness are invited to join the racing season, led by a volunteer USATF Level 1 Coach.