Liberty Bell XC: Omak Invite (MS)

Omak Invite – 10/4/2023

Course Length – 1.55 miles

General Notes – The course is super flat with just a couple short hills up onto the levee. Most of the course is either gravel or pavement, with a few shorter stretches of grass and one brief sandy section. It was a pretty hot day with direct sun the entire time we were at the venue.

The Liberty Bell Girls won as a team with 27 points. Republic was 2nd with 62 points. There were 56 athletes and 5 scoring teams in the race.

The Liberty Bell Boys won with a score of 24. Tonasket was 2nd with a score of 43. There were 68 athletes and 5 scoring teams in the race.

Sammy – One mile: 6:35. Finish: 10:28, 4th place. Average: 6:45.

Keep your head up! There are some really positive takeaways from this race, even if you didn’t hit your goal time. One of the main ones being that this year you were 44 seconds faster than last year at this race. That is a huge chunk of time. You are improving a lot and we still have time in the season. Plus, you stayed in it, determinedly competing until the end. Amazing.

Madie – One mile: 7:33. Finish: 11:30, 15th place. Average: 7:25.

You really turned it on that last ½ mile, passing at least 3 runners who had quite a bit of a lead at the mile mark. You matched your time from Wenatchee and you ran 53 seconds faster on this course than you did last year! You are looking strong and might be ready to go out a tiny bit faster in the first mile.

Tova – One mile: 7:12. Finish: 11:26, 14th place. Average: 7:22.

Wow! Congrats on a fantastic PR! Yes, it was a fast and flat course, but it also was a tough one with the heat and I saw you racing alone quite a bit. That faster mile split and PR also means you are really getting the hang of racing and finding that spot where you can be consistent but also feel like you left it all out there. Nice job!

Lena – One mile: 6:34. Finish: 10:11, 1st place. Average: 6:34.

Seriously impressive pacing on this race! Your mile split is the same as your average pace, meaning you didn’t get pulled out too fast and that you ran your own race. You went out strong and didn’t get too stressed when one of Republic’s runners were out in front, you just stayed your course and competed! Great work.

Elliot P – One mile: 8:13. Finish: 13:12, 48th place. Average: 8:30.

Whew. I know it didn’t feel good, but you really toughed it out! Even while not feeling your best, you ran one of your fastest mile splits this year! For how you were feeling at this race, that might have hurt a little in the second half but it also means that you are strong and full of heart. Get some more rest and I hope you feel a bit better on Saturday!

Wyatt – One mile: 7:09. Finish: 11:26, 30th place. Average: 7:22.

I am so glad you got to race! But I do worry about your foot. I’m sorry that it is taking a bit to heal - it can be hard to be patient. It was fun to see you mixing it up out there. You looked calm and dug deep for a strong finish! Keep taking care of that foot and hope to see you race again. Despite not being able to race until now, you show great care and team spirit, coming to practice and races to cheer. Thank you!

Elliot V – One mile: 8:45. Finish: 14:16, 56th place. Average: 9:12.

You probably went out too fast which you paid for in the last ½ mile. Still, you looked smooth and especially strong at the finish (where you passed and held off the Nespelem runner with confidence). You continue to improve and I look forward to watching what you can do on our home course.

Soren – One mile: 5:41. Finish: 8:58, 1st place. Average: 5:47.

Your pacing was pretty good but your last ½ was a bit slower than your average. That can happen when you are winning comfortably. Your confidence shows: at the mile you only had about 2-3 seconds on the second place runner but you were able to triple that lead by the end. You will have more competitors in the last couple of races to push you even harder.

Dexter – One mile: 8:24. Finish: 13:35, 51st place. Average: 8:45.

What a great first race! Like most of the pack, you probably went out too fast in the first mile. Still, you passed two runners in the last ½ mile and looked strong at the finish. I look forward to seeing how you run in our last few races of the season.

Kimball – One mile: 7:10. Finish: 11:29, 31st place. Average: 7:24.

Like most of the team you went out a little fast in the first mile but you still looked strong throughout. There was a big gap between you (and Wyatt) and the runners in front of you which can be tough but you closed almost all of that gap. You even caught a couple of runners who were quite a ways in front of you at the mile. Your strength will help you even more on the hillier courses coming up.