Liberty Bell XC: September 2023

Tonasket Invite – 9/27/2023

Course Length – 1.55 miles

General Notes – The course runs along Tonasket's sports fields then takes a very steep climb up a hill. At that point, it's mostly dirt and gravel until the final push along the track. We timed the weather perfectly, with some sun but not too much heat or wind, and got out of there before it got cold. The hills make this course a bit slower, but everyone ran really hard and strong!

The Liberty Bell Girls won with a score of 19. Okanogan was 2nd with a score of 56. There were 50 athletes and 4 scoring teams in the race.

The Liberty Bell Boys won with a score of 22. Tonasket was 2nd with a score of 49. There were 51 athletes and 5 scoring teams in the race.

Aria – One mile: 8:38. Finish: 13:02, 21st place. Average: 8:24.

Despite feeling a little unsure about your knee and some nerves beforehand, you totally conquered this race. And it was awesome to see you smiling while powering up those hills. The times don’t lie… you really picked up at the end! Your average pace is quite a bit quicker than your mile time, which means you ran strong all the way through the finish. Amazing!

Gillian – One mile: 8:59. Finish: 13:43, 30th place. Average: 8:50.

Fantastic first XC race! You ran so strong and calm. This was a challenging course to run and you ran so tough. You did a fabulous job of starting out steady and then ending fast, crushing your goal! I also think you did a terrific job of funneling your nerves into excitement and energy. Nice work!

Preston – One mile: 6:59. Finish: 10:46, 14th place. Average: 6:56.

Great work Preston! You ran a super evenly paced race, which means you didn’t let the hills deter you. Looking back towards the beginning of the season, your mile time today was faster than your mile time at our home time trial, which shows tremendous growth. I think you are definitely getting the hang of cross country! Keep it up!

Emmet – One mile: 8:17. Finish: 12:33, 32nd place. Average: 8:05.

Yay! Congrats on your first XC race. Like we talked about, it can be tricky to find your pace but you did a fantastic job of staying steady and just competing. All the hills on this course could intimidate someone, but not you! You leaned into them and ran strong. It’s great to hear how you were able to compete and pass people and not let others pass you! Great job.

River – One mile: 6:21. Finish: 9:52, 4th place. Average: 6:21.

Excellent job running a very hilly course. Your mile time tells me that you were cookin’ through those hills! It sounds like you had someone to push you which can be super helpful. I’m excited to hear how you stayed in it, not giving up and competing with others. Despite not having the lucky sunglasses, you ran really, really well.

Sutherland – One mile: 8:42. Finish: 13:04, 22nd place. Average: 8:25.

Great run and fantastic finish! You were steady on the hills, smooth on the downhills and passed 3 or 4 runners in the last 300 meters. You have progressed from “running” to “racing” and it is exciting to watch.

Elsa – One mile: 8:20. Finish: 12:44, 19th place. Average: 8:12.

Excellent steady effort throughout the race. Your last half mile was faster than your first two. That was expected because of the downhill, but it wasn’t too much faster; meaning you paced yourself well. I love the way you work with your teammates during races. It improves yours and their performances.

Thorsen – One mile: 6:39. Finish: 10:12, 5th place. Average: 6:34.

You attacked the hills perfectly and looked focused the entire race. At the mile you were in 6th place but you blew by the Tonasket runner and beat him by 9 seconds in the last half mile! Your pace was perfect over this tough course. You already look like a veteran runner.

Firn – One mile: 8:33. Finish: 12:57, 20th place. Average: 8:21.

You looked strong the entire course with a good kick at the end. I loved the way you stayed close to teammates during the middle part of the race. Your last half mile was pretty fast even given the downhill. In the bigger races you will have even more folks to catch in the end.