Cross Country Youth Team


About Atlanta Track Club Cross Country Youth Team
Atlanta Track Club Cross Country Youth Team is open to kids in grades 4-8 of all ability and experience levels. Our Cross Country Youth Team members develop the endurance, strength, and speed needed to succeed in cross country and most other sports. Learning how to run with proper form, stretch correctly, set goals, and overcome the physical and mental hills and valleys of running are a few of the healthy habits that will support team members physically and mentally throughout life.

Parent/Guardian Zoom Meeting

Click the link here to launch our Parent/Guardian Zoom Meeting for information regarding the Postseason on October 9, at 5:00 pm.

Practice Information
Atlanta Track Club Cross Country Youth Team members can practice at one or both of the locations below during the 2023 season.

Practice Location Days Time Address
Brook Run Park Mondays & Wednesdays 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 4770 N Peachtree Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338
Piedmont Park Tuesdays & Thursdays 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 1320 Monroe Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Regular Season & Postseason
Kids can join the team for the regular season and/or postseason. The team's regular season competitions include exhibition meets throughout the Atlanta area. Postseason competitions include USATF club meets and championship meets near and outside the Atlanta area, including USATF Youth Championships. The Georgia Middle School State Championships are a part of the regular and postseason schedules. Postseason participants must be current USATF Youth members. The USATF Youth Membership fee is $30, separate from the team's registration fee. To purchase a USATF Youth membership click here.

  • Regular Season: August 14 - October 14

  • Postseason: October 10 - December 9

Registration prices:
We never want money to prevent kids from participating, so we offer need-based scholarships. For more information about need-based scholarships contact youthteam@atlantatrackclub.org.

Season Member Price Non-Member Price
Regular $152.25 $175
Post-season $135.85 $155
Combined $269.70 $310

Registration Includes:

  • Team Uniform

  • T-shirt

  • Meet entries

  • End-of-season party

Register Now

Tentative Cross Country Regular Season Schedule


Atlanta's Finest Mile

August 19

HCA Fall XC invite- Cumming, Georgia

September 9

Alpha Crush XC Meet- Milton, Georgia

September 16

Wingfoot XC Invitational- Cartersville, Georgia

September 22/23

USATF Georgia Developmental XC Meet- Boling Park, Canton, Georgia

October 7

Middle School State Championships

October 14

Stephen Jayaraj

Coach Jayaraj comes to the Atlanta Track Club from Holy Innocents' Episcopal, where he was the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country for the past 13 years. His teams have won two State Championships (Girls XC) and (Boys TF) as well as eight Region Championships in TF and XC. His student-athletes have broken countless distance records previously held at HIE. He has instilled in all his student-athletes a love and passion for running. In his prime, Coach Jayaraj ran 31:19 for 10,000 meters, a 4:18 road Mile along with personal bests of 1:10:28 and 2:26:52 for the half and full marathon, respectively.

Mike Brown 

Coach Brown is a graduate of Villanova University, where he was an All-American and National Champion in the DMR (400) and captain of the track team while specializing in the 400-meter hurdles. He moved to Atlanta in 2005 to train at Georgia Tech and continue his post-collegiate career. Coach Brown has made several appearances at the USATF National Championships with a few U.S. top 15 rankings in the 400 hurdles. On top of Coach Brown's many personal accomplishments, he has 20+ years of track & field coaching at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. When he is not coaching he is working as the President of Dream Scouting Network which assists high school student-athletes through the recruiting process. Outside of the running world, he is married and has four kids. He can be found on a track coaching or on a soccer field cheering for his kids.

Mary Kathryn Knott

Mary Kathryn (aka. Coach MK) was born and raised in the Atlanta Metro area. She started her love for running in middle school, which progressed all the way through high school into college, where she competed for Georgia Tech's cross country and track team. Coach MK was honored to be a part of such a strong program, where she qualified with her team twice for the cross country NCAA National Championships and earned All-ACC honors in 2020. Now a recent graduate from Georgia Tech, with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Physiology, she looks to spread her experience and love for running to the younger generations.

Tentative Cross Country Post Season Schedule

Middle School Championships

October 14

USATF Development Meet

October 28

USATF Association Championship- Carrollton, Georgia

November 11

USATF Region Championships- Florida

November 18

USATF Junior National Olympics Cross Country Championships-Louisville, Kentucky

December 9