Ignorance was bliss for Piper Dean in her first cross country race.
She took the line at the DCXC Invitational wearing trainers. On an extremely muddy course, that played a part in helping her finish second in the sophomore race, when other competitors’ spikes were working too well to dig into the much.
St. John’s College High School track coach Desmond Dunham chats about the DCXC Cross Country Invitational Sept. 28 and Joanna returns to talk about the one friend she made in Syracuse over the last year.
Race like the pros. That’s what high school runners have been able to do whenever they spike up at the Agricultural Farm Park in Derwood, Md. The Montgomery County-managed facility played host to the 2009 USATF Cross Country Championships, and it also led the composite scores of MoCo Running’s inaugural course ranking.
A collaboration between MoCo Running and RunWashington, this was vastly Kevin Milsted’s brainchild. We surveyed coaches from around the D.C. area and members of the All-RunWashington preseason teams. This gave us a solid and well-informed sample, many of whom were able to evaluate at least one of the nine courses that made the final.
Name: Erika Fields
Self-described age group: 40-45
When Aileen Barry was a lacrosse player for Watkins Mills High School in Gaithersburg, she knew she was quick on her feet.
If she got the ball, “no one could catch me,” Barry remembered.
Twenty-nine-time US champion Molly Huddle talks about her most recent title, her transition to the marathon, her future in competitive running and more.
Putting on a race is no small task.
Race directing usually involves hours (and hours) of prep work to scout course routes, secure permits, find and order materials on time, and coordinate an army of volunteers. Not to mention scrambling to make last-minute adjustments for terrible weather or missing volunteers.
Name: Gregory Boutin
Self-described age group: 65-69
Covering 18 miles at once may not sound difficult to many runners, but it becomes far more difficult when those 18 miles are split up over the course of the three separate runs without proper recovery time in between, lack of sleep or square meals. Plus at least one of those legs takes place in the middle of the night.
Road relays like Ragnar or American Odyssey have become popular staples in the running world. These 24-hour, 12-person races involve runners taking turns running three legs of various lengths across 100+ mile distances across either road or trails. Some teams run short-handed for an extra challenge.
RunWashington, along with Pacers Running and New Balance, will be celebrating the start of the 2019 cross country season Aug. 25 by recognizing 62 of the most promising young cross country runners in the D.C. area.
A preseason pep rally, held at the Pacers Running pop-up at 600 H Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002, will open at 5:30 p.m. and start up at 6 p.m.