The start of the women’s race at last year’s Rebels XC Challenge. (SRN photo)
While I didn’t need arm warmers, this morning’s run was considerably cooler than the heat we’ve been laboring in over the past few months.
Could fall be around the corner? Why it certainly can be!!
How can I be so sure? (I mean, besides looking at a calendar?)
I know autumn is here because it’s cross country season!
The leaders of the open men's race at around 1.6 miles. (Photo by Craig Newport)
In Folsom last Saturday, the hills were alive with the sound of running. The weather was ideal for a day outside, so why not a little cross country?
The 3rd Annual Buffalo Chips’ Willow Hills XC Open saw runners from all over northern California join local racers for this Pacific Association of the USA Track and Field Grand Prix event.
There were three 5K races making up the event: Women (for open and masters women), Masters Men, and Open Men.
One of many exciting starts
Folsom High School’s Willow Hills cross country course saw some heavy action at this weekend’s sectional championships.
There was laughter, there were tears. There were thrills and spills. There were zillions of volunteers.
Under perfect running conditions, Granite Bay Girls and Davis Senior Boys took the Division I titles.
It should be noted that Granite Bay has the seed of a dynasty in that their freshman Clare Carroll posted the fastest girl’s time of the day in 17:55.
Results and more on ESPNRISE.
The start of the men's race at last year's Willow Hills XC race
If you have fond memories of the cross country races you ran back in high school, and are maybe getting a little tired of pounding out 5Km races on city streets, you might be happy to learn that the Sacramento area will be hosting two (Two!) adult cross country races this fall.
The first is the Buffalo Chips hosted Willow Hills Cross Country Open, which will be held next weekend (October 9th) at Folsom High School.
The second, hosted by Golden West is the Ancil Hoffman Challenge, which will be held at Ancil Hoffman Park (naturally) on November 6th.
XC runners take off at Willow Hills
When I look at the calendar, I see that it is now autumn. When I go outside for a run, I still feel the iron grip of summer’s heat holding fast to Sacramento. But there are signs of change. The teams are back.
Nothing says “autumn is coming” like the herds of high school cross country teams hitting the bike trail. It harkens me back to a fictitious time in my youth, testing myself against my own preconceived limits. Learning that the pain was temporary but the accomplishment of a goal had permanence.
I’m embarrassed to say that the naked and less flattering truth is while I did go out for cross country in my sophomore year, I only made it through about a week’s worth of practices. I showed up the first week of school and got thrown into the pack that was running at what seemed like break-neck speed around the campus.
