Liberty Bell XC: Moses Lake Invite (MS) 10/16/2021

Moses Lake Invite – 10/16/2021

Course Length – 1.55 miles

Apologies for some of the backgrounds. I promise we aren't being endorsed. As it turns out, running at a music venue leads to some unique scenery.

General Notes – The course started out with a half mile climb from the stage. After a very brief run around the parking lot and back to the mile, the course drops back down towards the seating area. There is a long curve down a hill, and then one final steep uphill push to the finish. Most of the course is pavement with some grass/dirt interspersed. At the time of racing, the weather was in the high 50's and sunny. There were many large schools from the Moses Lake and Yakima areas at the meet.

The girls' team won with 25 points. Omak was 2^nd with 64 points. There were 4 teams and 43 athletes in the race.

The boys' team was 4^th with 75 points. Olds was 3^rd with 52 points. There were 4 teams and 59 athletes in the race.

Taylor – One mile: 8:27. Finish: 12:07, 5^th place. Average: 7:49.

What a finish! As always, you and Ingrid were practically inseparable all the way to the line. You did a great job of closing in the final 600m which set you up for a monster sprint up the hill. Now you have a goal for the final race, and I'm sure you'll be able to keep that goal in your sights!

Ingrid – One mile: 8:22. Finish: 12:07, 6^th place. Average: 7:49.

You are the pacing guru! It seems like you're always able to lead not just yourself but your teammates on to a great race. You've always been so calm during your races and nothing seems to faze you. Keep up the great work and be sure to save that little extra bit at the end for when Taylor starts her kick!

Elaine – One mile: 9:10. Finish: 13:39, 14^th place. Average: 8:48.

I hope you're proud of how well you ran because you should be! That was a very tough course, and you did a masterful job. Don't worry about the slightly slower opening mile because that's to be expected. It really wasn't that far behind your other races! But you picked it up through the finish and made a huge contribution to your team!

Freya P – One mile: 9:49. Finish: 14:11, 21^st place. Average: 9:09.

Way to go! I know you felt sort of neutral about this race, but I think you did have a better race than last time. In fact, this was your fastest pace other than Wenatchee, which is a much faster course than the Gorge. You went out conservatively, which really paid off in the last half mile. Seriously, fantastic racing!

Cora – One mile: 15:09. Finish: 22:56, 41^st place. Average: 14:47.

Congratulations! Not only did you just finish your first ever cross country race, but you did it with a smile on your face! You did a great job of going out at a pace that you could keep. I know you spent a lot of the time running with someone, which really seemed to help keep you going. Way to find someone and have a great race!

Landon – One mile: 7:14. Finish: 10:45, 6^th place. Average: 6:56.

I know this course was tough with so many hills in the first mile, but your average pace was just about the same as your race at Wenatchee, and about the same finish time. This means that you have gained a lot of fitness and are getting faster! It also means that you really pushed that first hard mile. Awesome job!

River – One mile: 7:21. Finish: 11:05, 11^th place. Average: 7:09.

Nice job! You looked so focused at about a quarter mile to go. What’s impressive about this race is that your time was still faster than your race at Wenatchee, even though this course was more difficult with so many hills and a lonely section out in the parking lot. This shows incredible improvement! You did a great job of digging deep for those steep hills and keeping your energy up.

Orlo – One mile: 9:21. Finish: 13:37, 36^th place. Average: 8:47.

It was fantastic to see you embracing the momentum on that big downhill. You looked like you were just flying and having fun! I am so happy to hear that some of the aches and pains in your calf seem to have eased up a bit, even after a hilly course. Don’t worry about the times at this race, it was more about the difficulty of the course and competing with lots of schools. Well done!

Kimball – One mile: 9:21. Finish: 13:49, 38^th place. Average: 8:54.

Your second ever race was at one rough course! But you still persevered and ran with purpose and heart. You also had people around you most of the time which makes competing and staying engaged in the race a little easier and I think you did a great job of doing just that. I am excited for your next race!

Dylan – One mile: 9:38. Finish: 14:20, 45^th place. Average: 9:14.

Wowzers – consistency is the name of the game! You are doing a great job of finding a rhythm in these races. You always look very calm and focused. It’s awesome to see you run with Alida again and again – teamwork helps keep up motivation and energy through the race. And I definitely see that happening. Keep it up!