11:30am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 12:00pm)
1:30pm – HS girls race
2:15pm – HS boys race
3:45pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – Here we are, the last meet of the season and it’s on our favorite course. In past years, Phoenix, Brendan, Grace, Lilly and Leah have all run lifetime PR’s on this course at this point in the season. Coming out of last week’s awesome effort, and running with them this week, you get the sense that they’re primed and ready to perform well again in this final race. Weather is a question mark right now…at various times we’ve heard everything from 53 and raining to 67 and dry. We run later in the day for this meet, so we should be able to avoid extremes regardless. With our first race not until after lunch, I would recommend a full breakfast earlier in the morning along with a light snack about the time we get on the bus.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
Grace on her way to NWOAL All League Honorable MentionClaudia with a strong finish at the NWOAL League Meet
Recap:
This is the kind of meet we live for. The weather, the times, the fun…this is cross country. Our runners gave amazing efforts in this race.
Coach Hesson and Coach Schwan huddle with the high school girls team before the start of the raceLilly gives it her all down the home stretchLeah pushes to the finish with Coach Schwan looking on (and maybe yelling a little bit)Phoenix nears the two mile mark of his raceJohn keeps pace with runners from Archbold
For the high school, we were thrown a bit of a curve ball. When we ran at the NWOAL Preview meet last month, we were amazed at how fast the course seemed. When we saw the times come in for the first mile and then for the end of the race, it seemed to confirm just how fast the course was, and this seemed to make sense because the weather was perfect and it was a very flat, open course. Well, as it turned out, the course was short by almost a tenth of a mile (160 meters), meaning the times for the NWOAL League Championship were about 45-60 seconds faster than they would have been for a full 5000 meter race. It’s not clear how this error was made, but it brought the runners down off an incredible high when they learned about it the following day.
However, even accounting for the short course we still would have had at least six of the ten high school runners PR. When you smash your personal record by over FOUR MINUTES like Pete did, even a course error can’t take that away from you. Ditto for Lilly and Claudia, who took 1:22 and 2:07 off their times, respectively. Looking at the splits, a lot of the error must have been in the first mile because all of our runners were extremely fast. We’ve preached all year going out with a controlled first mile, and having a faster-than-expected split posts a major mental challenge that can really affect a race. We knew though that the course was fast going in and talked about it, so it was great to see all of our runners roll with it when the they heard their mile times. While the times were too good to be true, part of what made them so believable was how well each of our runners handled the race tactically and strategically. As coaches, we could not ask for more.
Here are the complete results for the High School:
Last Name
First Name
Finish
Place
VanOstrand
Phoenix
18:49
45
Miller
Brendan
20:33
64
Ruth
John
24:30
78
Mitchey
Jared
24:45
79
Simon
Pete
25:51
80
Bryson
Grace
21:53
20*
Kuszmaul
Lilly
22:35
28
Schwan
Leah
23:44
37
McCormick
Alexis
27:28
49
Cromly
Claudia
32:30
51
*NWOAL All League Honorable Mention
Ben and Shane receive league recognition for their 4th and 8th place finishes
The middle school race was much the same, with the added bonus that the course was actually accurate. There are two runners in particular I want to call out: Kennedy and Evan. Kennedy didn’t have the race she wanted. She came in expecting a fast course where she could potentially PR again, and instead she had to fight through a difficult run. Experienced runners know this just happens sometimes, and you just make the best of it and look to redeem yourself another day. What really stood out though was the comment we got from someone else at the meet telling us Kennedy got the unofficial sportsmanship award. Despite struggling through the race, she made it a point to encourage other runners in the race who were also having a tough time. The finish time wasn’t what she expected, but she handled the race like a pro.
Evan had a similarly inspiring effort. He had missed practice earlier in the week to see the doctor, and unbeknownst to us was given some medication that had the potential to cause stomach cramps. Well, that potential was realized during this race, and he fought through the entire second half with severe cramps that would make most runners quit. The strategy going in was for Chandler and Evan to run together, and Evan did everything he could to stay with him as long as possible. The result, despite the challenge and the pain, was a new lifetime PR.
Ben, Shane, Chandler and Chris also set new personal bests in this race. Ben made good on the unofficial time from Clay and set a new school record. Shane smashed his personal best by over 30 seconds and also beat the previous school record. Both finished in the top ten for the NWOAL. Chandler took almost a full minute off his best time, and Chris shaved over 20 seconds off his.
Here are the complete results for the Middle School:
Despite the frustration with the high school course errors, this was a very successful meet for our team with lots of positives to take away. The middle school is done for the year, and the high school finishes up next weekend at the District Championship at Widewater Retreat.
(Thanks to Angie VanOstrand, Theresa Bryson and Robin Mitchey for the pics. Apologies for not having more pics from the middle school!)
7:30am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 8:30am)
10:00am – HS girls race
10:40am – HS boys race
11:20am – MS girls race
12:00pm – MS boys race
1:45pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – It’s League Meet time. For the middle school, this is their last race of the season, and the high school has only Districts remaining. Both middle school and high school ran this course back in mid-September, so they’re familiar with the course (and the competition). Several runners had unofficial PRs running the preview meet as a workout, so we know this course is plenty fast. We’re competing against our league rivals, so our goal is simple: pass every single runner we can on the way to running our lifetime best times.
The weather is lining up to be typical October cross country weather: overcast and chilly…perfect for running lifetime bests. Long sleeve black under armor or similar is recommended. Knit gloves (also black) may be considered as well). Athletes should plan on wearing sweats, warm-ups, etc. through the warm-up process and shedding them at the starting line just before the start of the race. This will help keep muscles warmed up and ready for peak performance.
ALL Evergreen athletes are expected to stay for the duration of the meet and cheer on all Evergreen runners. This is your league, your school, your team…the culmination of all this year’s hard work. Get out there and help each other have the best race you can!
This is where we bring all of this season’s training together and apply what we’ve done and what we’ve learned. Trust the training. Trust the ability. Run your race.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
Lilly chases down one last runner on her way to a lifetime PRBrendan works on a couple runners from Carey on his way to a season best timeViking girls at the starting line, getting pumped for their race
Recap:
We’ll be honest: we as a team had a virtual X through this line on our schedule because it hasn’t been a successful meet for us the past several years. The weather was always terrible, it was a long drive, and nobody really liked the course because times always seemed slow. So it was no surprise that there were mixed emotions going into this race by many of our high school athletes as we made the trek down to Fostoria. As is true of our sport though, great races can happen at unexpected times in unexpected places. Our runners, spurred by a later morning run and perfect weather, ran with perseverance and mental toughness. It truly was a beautiful day to run!
Smashing his time by 21 seconds and leading the way for the Viking boys was Phoenix VanOstrand with a time of 19:29. Following close behind and running a season best time was Brendan Miller with a time of 20:48. John Ruth took 46 seconds off his lifetime best with a time of 23:09. Jared Mitchey also ran a lifetime best with a time of 25:00. Pete Simon ran one of his best times of the season with a 30:22.
Grace Bryson led the way for the girls with a time of 23:24. Lilly Kuszmaul took 14 seconds off, setting a new personal best time of 23:57 and breaking through the 24:00 barrier. Running with solid effort were Alexis McCormick with a time of 28:39 (just 8 seconds off her PR) and Hannah Klebold (34:33 and battling through a tough leg injury).
Jared pushes hard to the finish lineGrace holds off one last surge from a competing runner, beating her at the lineJared and John working through the fieldCoach Hesson and Grace give the boys some last minute info before their raceThe high school boys get ready for their start in Fostoria
8:30am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 9:45am)
11:20am – HS girls race
12:00pm – HS boys race
2:00pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – This is the furthest we go this year for a race. Historically, the weather has been pretty lousy for this one, but we may luck out this time around. This isn’t, strictly speaking, a “fast course” like we have with some other meets, but it offers a good opportunity for competing against a large field with schools we don’t normally see. The start and finish are in the same area along with the 2 mile mark, offering some good spectator opportunities. The course includes a significant hill just after the 1 mile mark, but is otherwise flat with a mix of grass and pavement.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
Kennedy keeps pace on the way to a new girls middle school record.Ben surges in the final 800m to set a new boys middle school record.
Recap:
This was true Cross Country weather: a chilly, overcast morning in the low 50’s that turned into a near-constant drizzle that soaked everyone to the bone. Lousy weather for a spectator, great weather for a runner! This meet was all about overcoming the mental challenge of the conditions and seizing on opportunities, and some of our runners were able to take a huge leap forward.
The high school team got the worst of it as the mist changed over to a heavy drizzle driven by the wind. Grace took full advantage, running nearly even splits (7:18, 7:21, 7:20) and smashing through her lifetime PR by 12 seconds. Leah and Lilly set out with a strategy of working to pace and push each other through the race, and it brought a strong finish for both of them. By the time the boys ran, the weather was at its worst and it was enough to throw off the pace a bit for everyone. Brendan and Phoenix both ran very even splits and were within about fifteen seconds of season PRs. Unfortunately, the official results excluded Pete so we are working to get corrected results and will update when they’re in.
Leah and Lilly, soaked to the bone and nearing the finishGrace tries to dodge the raindrops while turning in a lifetime best.Pete battles the elements on a fast Clay course
Here are the results for the High School:
Last Name
First Name
Finish
Place
VanOstrand
Phoenix
20:05
62
Miller
Brendan
21:12
93
Ruth
John
24:40
133
Mitchey
Jared
25:52
137
Simon
Pete
*
*
Bryson
Grace
22:44
23
Kuszmaul
Lilly
24:37
61
Schwan
Leah
24:42
65
McCormick
Alexis
31:30
94
Klebold
Hannah
32:47
95
*Due to a timing issue, we’re still waiting on official info from the meet organizers
Savannah turns for the finish and turns in a new 8th grade girls record.Evan battles at the turn to the home stretch
For the middle school, it was another avalanche of new PR’s and school records. Kennedy and Savannah both went out at a controlled pace and then attacked the second mile on their way to taking down the 7th and 8th grade class records and school record. Savannah continued her consecutive streak of PR’s, taking another 18 seconds off, and Kennedy continued her streak as well, this time taking off an incredible 56 seconds in setting the new girls school record!
Ben followed the same pattern in working the pace of the field in the first half before turning it on in the second mile to finish 6th overall and set a new boys school record. Evan crushed his lifetime PR in this race by 41 seconds, and Chris bested his PR by 17 seconds. Unfortunately, we’re still working with the meet organizers to get the boys middle school results corrected. Ben’s unofficial time of 11:50 gives him a 19-second PR; the official time of 11:16 would be a 53-second PR, but was definitely not accurate. All of the boys’ times were significantly off, and Evan was not even listed in the final results, so we’re hopeful that corrected results will be made available soon.
Here are the results for the Middle School (with unofficial times; official times included in parentheses):
7:00am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 7:50am)
9:00am – MS girls race
9:30am – MS boys race
10:00am – HS girls race
10:40am – HS boys race
12:45pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – This is a big meet with a fast course. Several of our runners had their PR on this course last year. Good combination of running on open grass and wooded trails; similar to Widewater but with no hills. The high temp Saturday is in the upper 50’s and it’s going to be cloudy with a chance of rain. Remember that if the athletes want to wear something under their uniform (which I recommend for the upper body in this weather), it has to be the same color as the rest of the team; we typically wear black.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
Ben represents Evergreen on the podium with an 8th place finishThe Middle School girls team kicks off the day with the first race. They finished 7th overall on the day.
Recap:
Widewater is always a favorite for the team, and it was fun to initiate several new runners (and a couple coaches) into the fan club. As with last year, there was a “water hazard” right at the bottom of the hill preceding the final stretch to the finish. Fortunately, it was not waist-deep this year, making it more manageable (if anything, the hazard was the muddy spot on the other side at the base of the hill).
Brendan looks to attach the hill after emerging from the water hazardLeah finishes off a strong first mile, with Lilly close behind
Our high school teams were still thin this week as we continue to try and get everyone healthy; we had three runners out with illness/injury and a few “walking wounded” who fought through the race at less than 100%. Brendan was able to turn in a season best time despite a nagging hip problem, and John and Phoenix both set lifetime PR’s in the race. Phoenix became our first sub-20 runner since Kurtis Pierce at the District Championship in 2011, and cut an amazing 2:39 off his time from last year’s Widewater meet. Brendan is closing in as well and will hopefully break that 20:00 barrier soon. Lilly and Leah also ran very strong races; the best of the year for both, taking 1:01 and 1:39 off last year’s times, respectively.
Here are the results for the High School:
Last Name
First Name
Finish
Place
VanOstrand
Phoenix
19:50
90
Miller
Brendan
20:56
122
Ruth
John
23:55
157
Simon
Pete
30:42
168
Kuszmaul
Lilly
24:32
75
Schwan
Leah
25:00
83
McCormick
Alexis
31:38
113
Klebold
Hannah
30:48
116
Savanna with a 21st place finish and another Middle School recordChris fights through the water hazard on his way to the finish
On the Middle School side, it was another strong showing with five new lifetime PR’s and another new Middle School girls record. Savanna shaved another eight seconds off her previous record and has her eyes set on sub-14 with two fast races to go in the season. Kennedy broke the 15:00 barrier for the first time, and Kam took almost a full minute off her personal best. On the boys side, Ben turned in another Top 10 performance as he draws close to that 12:00 barrier. Both Ben and Shane took over 1:30 off their times from last year, and both Shane and Evan set a lifetime PR for the second week in a row (Chris tie’d his lifetime PR set at last week’s meet).
7:15am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 7:45am)
9:00am – MS girls race
9:45am – MS boys race
11:45pm – HS girls race
12:15pm – HS boys race
1:30pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – This is a favorite of many Evergreen runners, and for good reason. It’s a good mixture of open and wooded areas with both flat and hilly terrain, and several of our high school runners have their personal records on this course as it has hosted the District Championship the last few years and was the NWOAL League Meet course last year. It is also a spectator friendly course, offering several locations to cheer on the runners (particularly at the start and finish). Overall, it is a very well organized event and should be a great meet.
For this particular invitational, this course has been known to be a little more muddy and has included a water hazard (“shallow water crossing”) at the bottom of the hill near the end of the race. Last year, there wasn’t much of an option other than going through the water, so plan accordingly as far as extra shoes/clothes for after the race. Also, because of the number of schools running, they have separated the high school races into two divisions. Evergreen runs in the second of the two divisional races, so there will be a bit of a gap between the middle school and high school races.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
UPDATE – We still need a volunteer to provide the team meal this Friday. Please let us know ASAP if you can help out this week.
With the craziness of the fall school season hitting full stride, we thought it might help a little to start putting the week’s events and plans out there ahead of time. Here’s what this week looks like for Evergreen Cross Country:
Monday (9/21) – Long day. Mileage will range from 4 to 7. Weather should be sunny but cooler.
Tuesday (9/22) – Recovery day. Mileage will range from 2.5 to 4. Weather will be a little warmer, still in mid-70’s.
Wednesday (9/23) – Hill day at Heritage Park in Adrian. We will do 800m repeats that include substantial hill work. Sunny and in upper 70’s, so plan and hydrate accordinly.
Thursday (9/24) – Interval work. Distance/times TBD, but plan on track work.
Friday (9/25) – Wear your CC shirts for Spirit Day! Light day; mileage will be approx 2-3 miles. Team meal after the run. Homecoming football game…have fun and support our 4-0 football team!
Saturday (9/26) – Liberty Center Widewater Invitational. Details here. Snack to be provided by Amy Klebold.
Evergreen Cross Country 