Before the state cross country course at Norris-Penrose Event Center was altered over the summer, its punishing hills, close-knit crossings and pinpoint switchbacks had led to an unsettling rumble across the running community.

Perhaps the hellish 5K will be best remembered for tripping up former Coronado runner Bailey Roth in the course’s state-meet debut in 2012, thus ending his cross country title hopes in the process. That, at least could have been the case if it had not been the victorious setting to Air Academy runner Katie Rainsberger, who overcame consecutive second-place finishes to win the 4A cross country title last year.

Maybe it won’t have a face, though. Maybe running fans mostly will remember the number of health and injury concerns it allegedly caused.

“About seven of my 14 runners had to see some sort of medical professional after state last year,” The Classical Academy coach Alan Versaw said. “That course really beat a lot of runners up.”

Alas, we bid adieu.

At the design and approval of Cheyenne Mountain and state officials, along with a sub-committee of seven cross country coaches around the state, including Versaw, a far less daunting variation of the course was finalized in July.

It will go into effect for the 2015 state meet in October, and get its first run-through at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede Cross Country Invitational next week.

“We heard the problems people had with it,” Cheyenne Mountain athletic director Kris Roberts said. “We’d had about five variations of the course after gathering feedback over the last two or three years. We’re happy with the changes overall.”

Those changes have severely flattened a course that was once characterized by its hills and obstacles.

Gone is “Big Willis,” the behemoth hill that led to extreme exhaustion for some runners on the way up, and pulled muscles and led to sore joints for others on the way down. So too is the congested creek crossing that jammed and tripped runners only 400 meters into the race.

“From 1-10, this course in prior years was about an eight in challenging,” Versaw said. “Now it’s more like a four or five.”

The course also will be more spectator-friendly in 2015, Roberts said.

The opening mile will stay alongside the stadium and will connect into Bear Creek Park for the majority of the second mile. The final 400 meters of the race will include a quick creek crossing before runners will sprint toward the finish line inside the stadium.

“It’s a much more fair and honest course than it was,” said Pine Creek cross country coach Max Oliver, who’d previously been one of the front-runners to get the state site moved. “It’s something I think coaches can live with.”

Norris-Penrose Event Center is scheduled to host the state cross country meet through 2018.