The best gifts for cross country runners are about the parts of the sport nobody sees: cold start lines, muddy courses and miles before school. A poster with a line they live by, warm layers for meet days and gear for the daily run all fit, and most of it is under $50. Senior night is first below, because for a lot of families it's the gift that has a date on it.
We make running posters and running gear, so some ideas here are ours, with prices. Others are things we don't sell but cross country runners use.
Cross country senior night gifts
XC senior night is usually the last home meet of the fall. The gift should say something about four years of hills, early mornings and team runs. These are the ones that work:
- A poster for their wall. Bet on Yourself is a cross country finish photo: one runner alone on a wide grass straight, crowds packed along the fences, and "The only bet you can control." It's the one we'd pick first for a senior. Consistency is four years of training in one line. Prints are $30 to $45 by size.
- A framed course memory. A photo from their home course or their best race, with the bib and the results sheet, in one frame.
- A hoodie for the start line and the bus home. The Run Culture Hoodie is $60.
- Words from the team. A card from every teammate, or a short video from the coach. Free, and the one they'll reread.
For a parent group buying for the whole senior class, buy 2 posters, get 1 free does the math for you. It repeats with no limit, so six prints for six seniors cost the price of four, and nine cost the price of six. Have every teammate sign each one. On the mat, if you frame it.
Senior night ideas beyond the gift
The gift is one part of the night. A few things teams do that seniors remember:
- Walk each senior out with their family before the race, with a short line read over the speaker: years on the team, favorite workout, what they're doing next fall.
- A poster board for each senior with photos from all four seasons, set up near the finish.
- A team photo with only the seniors in front, taken before the race while everyone is still dry.
- Let the seniors lead the team warm-up, or pick the cool-down route.
Talk to the coach first. Some teams run senior night at a home meet with other schools on the line, and the schedule is tight.
Posters for cross country runners
Not every pick has to be about cross country, but these fit the sport best, in order:
Each comes in 12x18, 16x24 or 24x36 inches, ships unframed and fits standard frames. If you don't know their walls, go 16x24. Buy 2 posters, get 1 free, applied automatically at checkout. See all our running posters, or our gifts for runners picks.
Quick picks by budget
Free US shipping on orders over $125. Everything under $50 is in one place: gifts for runners under $50.
Gifts for cold, muddy meets
Late season cross country is cold, wet and usually muddy. Useful gifts, none of which we sell:
- A warm hat and thin gloves for the start line, and a long coat for standing around between races.
- Spike pins and a spike wrench. Courses often call for different pin lengths than the track, and pins get lost in the grass. Check the meet rules for allowed lengths.
- A dry bag or a plastic bin for muddy spikes, so the car survives the ride home.
- A towel and a full change of socks for the meet bag.
Gear for the daily miles
Cross country is built on runs nobody watches. The LD 4 inch Split Shorts are $45, with a 4 inch inseam, in black, USA or camo, sizes extra small to large. Buy any 2 shorts and the 3rd is free. Check something they already wear against our size chart before you order. Add a paper training log: after a season, it's the best record of what worked.
Small gifts and team gifts
The Why Vape Sticker is $2.99, for water bottles and laptops, and it's final sale. For the team room, three posters cost the price of two: Work Harder and Somebody May Beat Me look right on a locker room wall. Spike pins and a wrench for every runner on the roster is the cheapest team gift that gets used every meet.
Holiday gifts after the season
Cross country ends in November. Then it's winter base miles or indoor track, usually in the dark, so gloves, a reflective vest and a headlamp for runs before sunrise get used every week until spring. A fresh training log starts next fall's record on January 1. And Bet on Yourself is the right print for the runner who just set a bigger goal for next season.
Running track in the spring? Our gifts for track and field athletes guide covers that season. For the coach, see gifts for running coaches, and for everyone else on your list, the ultimate gift guide for runners.
What not to buy
Spikes or racing flats as a surprise. Fit is personal, and the wrong shoe sits in a closet. Shop together, or give a gift card to their running store. And skip guessing a size on anything printed: posters, graphic tees and hoodies are printed to order and can't be returned for change of mind. If one arrives damaged or misprinted, we replace it free. Running gear has 30 days.
Ordering for senior night and the holidays
Posters are printed to order, so allow 5 to 8 business days, and order early for the holidays. If senior night is less than two weeks out, order today. Shipping is free in the US over $125, and $7 flat under that.
