Liberty Bell XC: Leavenworth Invite 10/02/2021

Leavenworth Invite 10/2/2021

Well, due to an unexpected schedule change, there was a mix up and the 6th grade boys ended up running with the other middle school boys. Unfortunately, we don't have official finishing times/places for these athletes. However, we did our own timing and therefore have finishing times. I went ahead and figured out what place the 6th grade boys would have gotten if they had run these times in the 6th grade race (which was shorter than they actually ran). Also, there were lots of groups out there running together, so quite a few athletes will have to share pictures this week.

Course Length: 6th Grade Girls – 1.1 miles. Everyone else – 1.25. Miles

General Notes – This is a very hilly course. Lots of ups and downs with a big hill at the start and finish, as well as a long incline in the middle of the race. Most of the course is dirt or dry grass. The weather during the races was cool (but not too cold) and sunny, so really good for running! There were quite a few schools at the meet (including some Seattle-area schools) so the competition was strong. Everyone ran really well despite the fact that we had to scramble a little bit.

The 6th grade girls team won with 21 points. Icicle River was 2nd with 40 points. There were 2 teams and 29 athletes in the race.

The 7th grade girls team was the only complete team and won. There were 24 athletes in the race.

The 6th grade boys team results were not included in the 6th grade category. The boys team would have been the only complete team and therefore won. There were 13 athletes in the race.

The 7th grade boys team were the only complete team and won. There were 17 athletes in the race.

The 8th grade boys did not have a complete team. There were 19 athletes in the race.

Posey – Finish: 8:48, 5th place. Average: 8:00.
Congrats on your first XC race, and one on a harder course than most of our races! It was really great to see you run with your teammates through this whole race. It can help you relax and find more focus – both of which I think you did well. You surprised yourself with your results and I think that going forward you’ll have an even better sense of your pace. Best of all, you had fun!

Ava – Finish: 8:57, 6th place. Average: 8:07.
Woohoo! You looked like you were flying there in the middle of the race! Good work on thinking through your race plan, then carrying it out and accomplishing your goals. It was inspiring to see your determination to give it your all and race towards those just ahead of you, all the way through that steep hill at the finish. Plus, you looked like you were having a blast!

Bailey – Finish: 9:26, 14th place. Average: 8:34.
Nice job going out at a steady pace and finding a rhythm. You looked calm and focused midway through the race. I think you are getting stronger with every race and figuring out how to run at your own pace which is fantastic. Great job at making a race place and goals and then tackling them! You did a great job of competing all the way through to the finish and conquering that hill!

Clara – Finish: 9:56, 21st place. Average: 9:01.
I think you did an excellent job of not starting out too fast and being able to keep up a steady pace throughout. This was an especially tough course, so it was really awesome to see you work hard through the middle of the race and gain motivation from racing with your teammates. And wow! You had a very strong finish! It was so cool to see you power up that hill. Great job!

Juniper – One mile: 8:36. Finish: 10:15, 7th place. Average: 8:12.
Great work out there on all those hills! Even though there were parts of the race where you ran by yourself, you still found a lot of motivation to compete with those around you. This is fantastic, you were engaged with the race and figuring out the right pace for yourself. I’m happy to hear that you feel positive and good about the race too!

River – One mile: 7:35. Finish: 9:05, 7th place. Average: 7:16.
Way to roll with the punches and be able to have such a fantastic race! Your opening mile was a bit slower than normal, but that's definitely to be expected on a course with that many hills. Despite running by yourself a good portion of the race, you managed to hang tough and had a monster run up that final hill. Way to go!

Kimball – One mile: 9:07. Finish: 10:43, 10th place. Average: 8:34.
Congratulations on your first ever cross country race! You did a great job adjusting on the fly, and despite being a bit nervous, you were excellent out there! You were conservative at the beginning of the race, which seemed to pay off. Plus, I'm sure running with team mates kept you motivated. By the way, nice finish! You absolutely flew up that hill!

Oliver – One mile: 7:06. Finish: 8:30, 6th place. Average: 6:48.
Despite the hilly beginning of the course, your mile split was right around where you typically are. That means you ran pretty hard through the first part of the race. That still left you with plenty in the tank to pick up speed on the downhill and up to the finish. Way to hang in there with the stiff competition!

Ben N – One mile: 7:29. Finish: 8:59, 8th place. Average: 7:11.
Your opening mile was basically the same as the Okanogan race, which shows how you've improved this season! Plus, you were still able to hold off a late surge up the hill. Running with Luke really seemed to help you along, so nice job finding a teammate! I hope you’re feeling more confident in your running, because I’ve seen a lot of improvement. Really well done!

Orlo – One mile: 8:28. Finish: 9:58, 14th place. Average: 7:58.
What a race! Your opening mile was right in there with your other races, which is impressive in and of itself. But then you were able to really work that downhill and power up to the finish and did a great job of closing the gap with Liam. Trusting in yourself is key, particularly on a course like Leavenworth. Way to find that extra little bit!