Liberty Bell XC: September 2026

Sehome Invite – 9/12/2026

Course Length – 2 miles

General Notes – This is a course where part of the race is flat (grass and track) and the other is rolling hills on a gravel path. Despite the large field and lots of spectators, the back section is fairly quiet and secluded. The weather during the races was in the high 60s to low 70s, with the sun coming out from time to time and heating things up. There were lots of schools at the meet, especially from the West side. Everyone ran really well in our first meet of the season!

In the JV Boys 2 Race, there were 102 competitors.

In the 9th Grade Girls Race, there were 147 competitors.

In the 9th Grade Boys Race, there were 119 competitors.

In the 10th Grade Girls Race, there were 152 competitors.

In the 11th Grade Girls Race, there were 175 competitors. LBHS was 7th out of 12 scoring teams.

In the 11th Grade Boys Race, there were 130 competitors. LBHS was 5th out of 12 scoring teams.

In the 12th Grade Girls Race, there were 116 competitors.

In the 12th Grade Boys Race, there were 130 competitors.

Sehome uses the McDowell scoring system, wherein a team's score is calculated by adding the top finisher in each class race plus the next two best finishers in any class race. Our girls team had someone in each class race. Our boys team did not have a runner in every class race, so they do not have a score for this format.

Girls Team: 181 points, 13th out of 28

Sehome also included the merged scores, which assumes everyone from a team ran in the same race, then uses conventional scoring methods. Those scores are as follows:

Girls Team: 419 points, 12th out of 38

Boys Team: 519 points, 18th out of 37

Ingrid – One mile: 6:54. Finish: 14:11, 41st place. Average: 7:06.

Woo Ingrid! First race of your senior year! You ARE fit, and you are a strong runner! One race does not dictate the rest of your season, so brush this one off and keep moving forward. We asked a lot of you during the day — warming up with the younger runners, making sure everyone was where they needed to be, and helping lead the team — and you did a great job with all of it! You are a great leader on this team, and that is such an important part of being a senior. Keep your head up, trust your fitness, and remember that there are so many more races ahead of you. I'm excited to see what you will accomplish this season!

Silas – One mile: 6:44. Finish: 13:18, 23rd place. Average: 6:39.

Congratulations on finishing your first high school XC race Silas! And what a way to come out of the gate! In a very big race, you went out in 6:44 for your first mile, then got even faster in the second mile! In fact, your average pace was faster than the time trial last week! You did a great job working up those little hills and going over the top. A big part of running is learning what your race pace is, and it takes time to learn that lesson. However, you're well on your way, absolutely nailing your race goal! Great start!

Thorsen – One mile: 6:01. Finish: 12:04, 45th place. Average: 6:02.

Great first high school XC race Thorsen! This was a big race, and even though you got pinched in the beginning, you didn't let that throw you off. You went out at your goal pace for the first mile and then held on, basically even-splitting the race! That is hard to do in your first race and shows a lot of maturity. You did an awesome job pushing up those little hills and working your way up through the field. Learning how to stay patient and keep moving forward in a race takes time, and you did a great job of that today. You are clearly very fit from all your ski training, and it will be great to see how that fitness transitions into the rest of the XC season. Great start!

Liam – One mile: 6:05. Finish: 12:28, 64th place. Average: 6:14.

Congratulations on your first high school XC race Liam! The time trial last week was a distance you're familiar with, but the 2-mile distance is totally new. Nevertheless, you did great! You got out a bit fast, which is totally normal at a big meet like this, especially since you were right behind Thorsen in the early part of the race. Still, you battled hard in the second mile, and you actually had a faster average pace at Sehome than in our time trial! All that meant you hit your race goal! As you get through your first few 5ks, you'll start to learn what your pace is, and when you can turn it on. Keep it up!

Orlo – One mile: 6:01. Finish: 11:56, 83rd place. Average: 5:58.

Way to go Orlo! You came into the race with a very clear race plan - go out at 6:00, then see what you can finish in. Guess what? You nailed it! Plus, you were 14 seconds faster than last year, which means you're in a really good place this early in the season. I think a lot of that has to do with how much you understand about racing, and how much you trust yourself to push through. Also, you really let it go on those down hills, using your stride to pick up speed and places. I could've sworn I saw the Terminator out there…I think it's going to be a great year!

Karen – One mile: 5:53. Finish: 11:59, 3rd place. Average: 6:00.

Wow Karen! What a first high school XC race! This was a big race — way bigger than our league middle school races — and you handled it with so much poise and maturity. Great job! You went out fast, just behind the lead group, and then reeled them in on the first downhill. You raced at the front of the field until it broke up over the last 1/2 mile. I loved hearing how excited you were to race and how much you learned from the experience. That excitement and willingness to learn will take you a long way! Next week you’ll get to race with some teammates, so the start line won’t feel quite so lonely. Let’s keep having fun!