Liberty Bell XC
Location: Mill Bay Casino - Manson, WA Date: 9.27.14
Distance: 1.4mi/2.75mi Conditions: NICE! 60-65 degrees. Sunny. A fast first mile — we think!
Comments: Every course is different… and the “5k” course at Manson’s Mill Bay Casio was different enough that we’ll actually call it 2.75 miles. By that same measure, the middle school ran closer to their intended distance in logging a single 1.4mi loop. In either case, it was a fun and challenging course with several nice hills and a variety of twists and turns.
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS/BOYS - 1.4mi. Middle school runners raced together. Official results and therefore official places were not available, but all of our girls and five of our boys placed in the top ten by gender.
Craig captured the finish times above that should be very close. While the original 1mi mark seemed wrong enough that we didn’t bother recording times, Liberty Bell once again showed great poise and promise throughout the distance. Logan Hall, as our 5th runner over all and 4th boy gets special notice for upping his game in a major way. Last week he went out faster than ever before, and this week his did it again! In rising to this personal challenge, he not only kept Peter in sight, but ended up just 3 seconds behind (28 seconds closer than last week!) and NOT because Peter was having a bad race or has been slowing down. Emerson, Novie, Walker and Peter, with Logan close behind took the top five spots in this inaugural Manson Invitational and each raced with patience and grit worthy of their enthusiasm for the sport. Walker, good job in overcoming the pre-race nerves, and a great first race back from being sick. Lazo, in a more solo effort running between packs of teammates, was also impressive. His 6:43 pace is his quickest XC pace in any effort of the last two years, and he raced well against the field as our 5th runner in the top 10 of the boys competition and the 11th runner over all. Icel, Zach, Sam and Ian, worked impressively as a group through the entire race and, led by Icel’s kick, were a wall of green at the finish line with only 2 seconds difference shared amongst the four. In this scenario as well, Zach and Ian both overcame the intimidation of a faster start, and used that early momentum (AND the company of the group) to notch season-best paces of their own. At 8:04 for her own pacing efforts, Sage Borgias was rolling as well. She dropped nearly 25 seconds per mile from the race in Wenatchee, and will no doubt be dropping below the 8 min threshold very soon. In their second and third races respectively, Larkin and Shay duked it out over the last 400m of the race. Shay’s extra race experience and final kick gave him the nod at the line, but Larkin did the lion’s share of pace work and her kick will develop with another race or two of practice. Watch out!
 |
| Larkin, Sage, Icel, and Novie take the podium at the inaugural Manson Invite! |
VARSITY / JV GIRLS - 2.75mi.
After missing Wenatchee last weekend, both Koharu and McKenzie improved upon earlier efforts with their Manson performances as well. Koharu - nice work in breaking up the Tonasket pack and in getting yourself a little closer to Letty from Bridgeport. Stronger on the hills today for sure and keep thinking about a good tempo on the flatter sections of the course. Your form held together better today with less heat, and you had a good and decisive kick off of that final turn to the finish. McKenzie, another race and another lesson in the “sometimes” painful longer distances. Good form as well at the finish - especially with your lower legs hurting. It was not apparent in your stride and you drove well with your arms to the line. The lungs will get their soon and you will see your times drop even further in the next several races.
 |
| With four runners in the top 10 and some great tactical running throughout, it was a trophy-style Manson debut by the Liberty Bell high school harriers. |
VARSITY / JV BOYS - 2.75mi. 1st place team 38pts.
 |
| Lots of blue at the front to start, but those tables would turn in the second mile. A great early pack of lions. |
Approaching Saturday’s race like a long workout with a hard second mile, the high school boys executed well. Pacing and then racing - they still came away with 4 runners in the top 10, 6 in the top 14, and 38pts for the team victory and some additional hardware for the trophy case. Everyone moved well from the 1st mile to the 2nd, and with rare exception we either held position or continued to move up over the final mile of the race. Eli Nielsen gets a nod here for his gutsy mid-race push to bridge the gap from Garrett-Emmet up to nearly catching Willy at the finish. Admittedly a little uncertain about his move — but not wanting to be caught again after making it - he locked his sights on Willy and pulled well within striking distance in the final kick. This is commendable for both the challenge and the success of his experiment. These mid-season races are a good time to test your limits and to learn valuable lessons (good and bad) for the championship part of the season. In concert with Eli’s effort, the group running by Garret-Emmet-Eli, Willy-Joe — and on this weekend - Carter-Tim, continues to impress. Whether we help to hold each other in check or assist with pushing the pace at crucial times in the race, our connectivity as teammates this year is a definite asset. Tim, for example, helped Carter to a much stronger second mile, Joe and Willy pushed each other to a much stronger 2nd mile than might have been possible on their own, and Garrett-Emmet not only helped each other, but also set a good stage for Eli’s successful experiment by keeping things under control at the start. Geza and Ben each ran excellent, if slightly more individual races of their own. For Ben, things looked fresher and lighter. Good for a strong acceleration in that tougher 2nd mile with hills and also noticeable in pulling away from Oren over the final climb and finish. And Geza nailed it with his pacing and toughness over the last 2 miles to record his first ever sub-seven minute average.
 |
| Somewhere in the first 400m, Ben sits patiently per the plan. |