That's right. I'm heading to a cross country race this evening at Shippensburg University's Outdoor Recreation Complex. The Galen Piper Challenge is the early season appetizer run at night on a 1K lighted loop. It's 6 loops for the men and 4 loops for the women.
It will be the unveiling of Penn State/Mont Alto's brand new team and my Daughter the Elder's very first college race. I'm excited as she has been doing repeat 1,000s all summer, so she should be comfortable with the format. And I always loved running at night.
But has anyone else here ever run a XC race at night?
Hope Martha kicked butt.
ReplyDeleteIn 2011, my girlfriend (at the time) and I ran the Dark and Dirty trail race, 6.66 miles of devilish dirt, ditches, divots, debris, downed deciduous, deciduousness, and dang near everything else: roots, braches, water, and a helluva lotta fun.
The race is in Reading and does not start until it is thouroughly dark. At mile 5 at the Pagoda is an alternate beverage stop aka beer. That year a group ahead us must have overdone it because about a half mile later a long line of bobbing head lamps was coming up the hill toward us. Unfortunately, we also noticed that that line of lemmings extended back to us and behind. A qiick chat found they missed a turn. Beer is good, God is great, and people are crazy.
KKOB80
Martha did great. She went out hard (too hard) and was in the top half after the first 1K. She held on quite well despite that. Uncle Gary is training like mad to try to get faster than her again!
ReplyDeleteKudos for the effort to go with the top half...next time with a little tweak, Martha will close the gap.. Besides when you have a bag piper continuously in your ear, an attempt to get away fast is fruitless when you're running laps.
ReplyDeleteKKOB80
First, congratulations on getting to watch your daughter the elder run her first and I'm sure for both of you many college races in the future. What could be more fulfilling for a parent?
ReplyDeleteNext: night XC
Back in the dark ages (1958-59) the Dayton, Ohio high school athletics program decided to give cross country a boost by scheduling several dual meets to be run at half time of the Friday and Saturday night football games. There were ten high schools in the city then and they all shared the same municipally owned stadium, so there were usually two double headers both evenings. The cross country meets were dual meets between the same two schools competing on the gridiron. Races started on the track for a lap, exited the stadium and went up along the road and doubled back finishing in the stadium. The road portion was truly in the dark punctuated only by a few street lights along the way. Distance was two miles back then just giving enough time for the runners to finish before the football teams came back on the field. It was great motivation for the cross country runners to perform before several thousand spectators, and some exciting races occurred, but like any phenomenon, the practice was eventually discontinued. For what reason I can only speculate. There were some claims of cheating by a school I will not mention. They were alleged top have hidden several runners out along the course and my have pulled an early version of Rosy Ruiz.
More recently in the same area of Ohio, but suburban, Centerville High School has put on some night cross country meets that were facilitated by a series of portable lights set out along the course. I'm not sure if that format still exists.
George Brose
Thanks George! And I have been meaning to enlist you in calming down our Canadian cousins about the Tim Horton's/Burger King merger. Let them know it's Brazilians that now own Burger King and that Tim Horton's was owned by Wendy's previously for more than a decade. The coffee and donuts will be fine. I just hope they bring them down my way to compete with Dunkin Donuts!
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteYes, Yes, astute Amurrricans should never have allowed Burger King to take a foothold thirty years ago. The US is a republic consarnett. This is no place for Kings. King Kong didn't have chance in the good old days. Heck (expletive deleted) Burger King was in British hands before that Brazilian entrepreneur got hold of it. So get a bloody grip, Yanks. Canada's only regret, is after burning down Washington in 1812, they didn't occupy it, repeal the whiskey tax and keep the population under an alcoholic stupor. My prediction is that within 30 years , the US will return the favor and invade Canada or seduce Alberta to secede and join the US to secure a steady supply of Canadian water, so they can make the whiskey and chase it down and flush Los Angeles' toilets. God Save the Queen.
I am familiar with a few HS XC meets in Florida that are run at night "under the lights". That was the only place I had heard of this begin done previously....
ReplyDeleteAccording to Head Herder Steve Spence, there is only 1 other Under-The-lights college XC race in the country. Did not think to ask him where.
ReplyDelete