The Ball State Runners Association dated to October 2003 and hosted the MC5 meet[1] as early as 2004 which set the trend.
The official organization was formed during the National Club Cross Country Conference at Ohio State University in May, 2006.
That resulted in the first national championship meet held at Penn State University on November 4, 2006.
[2] There are several major meets held by NIRCA, including regional and national cross country championships, and an outdoor track and field and half marathon championship meet.
The 2020 outdoor track championship meet, set to be hosted in Oxford, Ohio, was cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.