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The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships was launched as the Kinney Cross Country Championships in 1979 -- the first national championship for prep XC athletes -- and quickly became the premier post-season event in the country for high school harriers (Foot Locker replaced Kinney as the title sponsor in 1992). It was the first national high school championships of any sort, opening the door to others. The meet has continued to hold high prestige for individual prep harriers around the country, and many of its champions and top finishers have gone on to NCAA and Olympic glory. The Championships have also either been televised or web-casted for years, taking the sport to both its participants and the public like no one before them. 

Foot Locker qualifies athletes from four regions -- which each host 1000s of competitors each year in multiple races -- to its national championships, which generates great excitement and anticipation all fall long. The nationals have been held at Balboa Park in San Diego for 32 of its 39 years, and expanded from 32 competitors per gender to 40 in 2004.