Leavenworth Invite – 9/28/2024
Course Length – 2.8 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 loop. Most of the course is dirt or dry grass. The weather during the races was warmer and sunny, with relatively little wind, so it felt quite warm out. There was also a lot of dust in the air. There were 25 schools at the meet (including some Seattle-area schools) so the competition was strong.
In the JV Boys race, there were 109 athletes.
The Varsity Girls team was 5th overall with 155 points. Selah won with 62 points, Omak was 4th with 149, and Ephrata was 6th with 184. There were 159 athletes and 15 teams.
The Varsity Boys team was 12th overall with 304 points. Cascade (Leavenworth) won with 95 points, Cascade (Everett) was 11th with 300, and Davenport was 13th with 307. There were 149 athletes and 20 teams.
Tristan - One mile: 6:18. Two mile: 13:03. Finish: 18:34, 56th place. Average: 6:38.
Nice job Tristan! I enjoyed seeing you work with Soren and River through the early part of the race. Let’s try to do it again next weekend! You slowed down a bit in the second half of the race, but you did a great job of keeping River in sight. You have a calm confidence to your racing which is fun to watch and shows your experience. I know you really wanted to beat your course PR of 17:50 but you still ran an excellent race especially with the tough conditions (cough cough, dust). It was significantly warmer than last year’s race and three weeks earlier in the season. I’m excited where you are right now at this point in the season and can’t wait to see how you run the rest of the season!
Brodi - One mile: 6:24. Two mile: 13:12. Finish: 18:53, 71st place. Average: 6:45.
Awesome job Brodi! I know you didn’t like the hills, but you crushed them. And congrats on being the only person to improve on your time from last year! You ran 11 seconds faster and it was three weeks earlier in the season. This proves you are in a great place fitness-wise and are ready to run fast the rest of the season. Your second mile was slower, but not by too much – we will be doing some workouts to help keep a consistent pace throughout the middle part of the race. I think you are ready for a big race next weekend, don’t be afraid to go out there and compete. Remember to relax your shoulders and stay tall – this will really help you keep an efficient stride. Keep it up!
Finn D - One mile: 8:34. Two mile: 17:52. Finish: 25:14, 94th place. Average: 9:01.
Way to go Finn! For how tired and not in the mood to race you were at the start line you had a fast first mile (8:34). That’s an impressive first mile on a course like Leavenworth. You did slow down but that makes sense given your lack of hydration all day and how hot it was. Don’t forget your water bottle next weekend! I was very impressed by your grit on that big hill in the woods during the second lap. There were multiple boys around you that started walking but you just powered all the way up. Remember when you get tired to keep using your arms and driving your knees – this will help you maintain your speed. Keep up the hard work!
Liam - One mile: 7:04. Two mile: 14:06. Finish: 19:38, 100th place. Average: 7:01.
Nice run Liam! I know you enjoy running with Orlo but don’t let that hold you back in races. You should not be looking back in the pack to find each other. If you are running together and he starts falling off the pace, then by all means encourage him to keep up; otherwise worry about your race. I would rather you see racing each other to the finish and leaving it all out there instead of worrying about holding hands as you cross the finish line. That being said you paced yourself nicely – speeding up throughout the whole race. You have a lot of fitness - let’s go out and race hard next weekend! Remember to relax your shoulders and keep driving your arm and knees – this will help keep an efficient stride especially during the later stages of the race!
Posey - One mile: 8:48. Two mile: 17:21. Finish: 24:30, 64th place. Average: 8:45.
Great job Posey! You were able to run very consistently throughout the course, with your first mile and your average pace being right on the money! In fact, your second mile you really picked it up and pushed through the hills. This was a great workout to build strength and endurance, and you did a great job pushing yourself up and over the hills. Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed and let your arms swing - it really helps you stay fluid while running!
Sisu - One mile: 8:32. Two mile: 16:58. Finish: 23:50, 54th place. Average: 8:31.
Well done Sisu! You're a very strong runner, and it showed today. You stayed very consistent throughout the course, powering up and over the hills then striding out on the declines. Going out with the pack seems to have paid off, because you got out fast and held on to the pace. You do a great job of driving your knees, especially on the uphills. Then coming down the stretch you kept pushing through the end. So awesome!
Orlo - One mile: 7:04. Two mile: 14:06. Finish: 19:38, 99th place. Average: 7:01.
Well done Orlo! When I saw you just before the mile mark you were about 10 ft behind Liam, but you did a great job of closing the gap and running with him the rest of the race. You two did a great job of continuing to speed up throughout the course – going faster on each uphill and 10 strides past. While it was cool to see you and Liam finish holding hands, I prefer your race up the hill finish of last year. It looked like it slowed you down and hindered your ability to power up the final strides of the hill. You are in a great spot at this point in the season and are ready to break 20 minutes in the 5k. Remember fast, light feet, especially as you get tired!
Maren - One mile: 8:32. Two mile: 16:45. Finish: 23:05, 39th place. Average: 8:15.
Nice run Maren! You found a way to go out hard and then continue to speed up throughout the course - talk about going faster on each uphill! You've always had such a smooth stride, and you transitioned seamlessly from the ups to the downs and vice versa. I think running with Ava will be a really good strategy for both of you, since you work so well together, and it was very cool to see all of you running in a pack early in the race. You have a lot of fitness, and with more experience racing the sky's the limit!
Crispin - One mile: 7:23. Two mile: 14:44. Finish: 20:28, 20th place. Average: 7:19.
Well done, Crispin! Unlike at Wenatchee you didn’t go out too fast and were able to speed up throughout the race. Nicely done! You were able to work with Luke through a good part of the race which was great to see, and you both powered up and over the hills. I think starting out with Luke will be a good strategy for next weekend – you proved you work well together, and it helped you start a little more conservative. Every race you are gaining valuable race experience and it’s exciting to watch you figure it all out. Keep up the hard work!
Alida - One mile: 7:21. Two mile: 15:01. Finish: 21:41, 17th place. Average: 7:45.
Awesome run Alida! Hills are definitely your forte, and you worked so hard today. Right from the beginning, you looked calm and in control running with Ingrid. Then you hit that long uphill and found your rhythm, pushing up and over every single hill. Your second mile was a bit slower, and we'll keep working on that. It's also true that you had a lot of climbing in the first mile. One thing to remember is to drive your knees, especially as you get tired. Keep up the effort and focus!
Ava - One mile: 8:30. Two mile: 16:34. Finish: 23:08, 42nd place. Average: 8:16.
Super running Ava! Congratulations on finishing your first high school cross country race! It was a lot of fun seeing you running with your teammates, and you ran a pretty gutsy race. 8:30 was a fast first mile at Leavenworth, then you found a way to speed up for the rest of the race, which is phenomenal! Your bracelet definitely seemed to help you keep your cadence up, because as soon as you thought of it you picked up your feet. I'm really excited to see you run with Maren and Nina!
Elsa - One mile: 8:35. Two mile: 17:23. Finish: 24:43, 70th place. Average: 8:50.
Well done Elsa! You went out really fast, running with the whole pack through the first mile. Your second mile was definitely slower, but you really didn't drop off all that much - only about 15 seconds. That's pretty impressive given how much work we did this week. We'll be doing some workouts that will really help us keep the pace up, and next weekend should be a lot of fun. Remember to stay tall because that will help you stride out and maintain your speed!
River - One mile: 6:18. Two mile: 12:54. Finish: 18:28, 52nd place. Average: 6:36.
Nice racing River! That was fun seeing you running with Tristan and Soren, and really putting yourself out there. 6:18 is a fast first mile for this course, but you found a way to hold on and not slow down too much over the rest of the race – less than 20 seconds. You are a very strong runner – which you proved on all those hills. Next weekend I think starting out with Tristan will be a great strategy for both of you and you can pull each other to a great race. This week you really put your head down and worked hard on all the workouts and it showed in this race. Remember to relax your shoulders – you are doing great!
Madie - One mile: 9:04. Two mile: 18:09. Finish: 25:58, 91st place. Average: 9:16.
Way to go Madie! You didn't have the benefit of running last weekend, so this was the longest race of your high school career so far! There really is a big difference between 2 miles and 2.8, but you handled it very well, pushing hard through that second mile and holding on for the last segment. I know your legs are still bothering you, but that didn't seem to hold you back too much. Next weekend at Twilight it will be a lot less steep, which means you can really let loose and stride out!
Luke - One mile: 7:23. Two mile: 14:51. Finish: 21:00, 36th place. Average: 7:30.
Way to go Luke! I enjoyed seeing you work with Crispin for over half of the race – you two were stride for stride as you pushed each other up the hills. Great teamwork! We will keep working on maintaining a consistent pace and not slowing down in the later parts of the race. And it will be easier as your fitness continues to build – keep working hard at practice. I’m excited to see how the rest of your season comes together as you continue to gain race experience! Plus cooler weather won’t hurt either.
Soren - One mile: 6:18. Two mile: 12:49. Finish: 18:05, 44th place. Average: 6:28.
Awesome race Soren! You looked more like yourself and confident in this race than I’ve see all season on a very hard course. Let’s take this momentum and build on it for next weekend! It was great to see you working with Tristan and River throughout the race and even better to hear you all say how much fun you had. I think the three of you can continue to work together and push each other going into next weekend. You have shown you are a very strong runner and a savvy racer. Keep putting in the hard work and it will really pay off in our upcoming races.
Ingrid - One mile: 7:42. Two mile: 16:06. Finish: 22:49, 35th place. Average: 8:09.
Great job Ingrid! That was a tough run, and you stuck it out. While your second mile was slower, you kept pushing and picked it up for the final section. It's important to remember that we had a really big week of workouts, and that culminated with another hill workout. Last year this race happened three weeks further into the season, so it's hard to compare the times. What we can compare is how hard you worked, which was very hard!
Nina - One mile: 8:32. Two mile: 16:45. Finish: 23:22, 48th place. Average: 8:21.
Well done Nina! This time around, you ran with Maren for a lot of the race, which was so cool to see! I think you two and Ava can be a great group working together, and I would encourage you to run with Ava again next weekend. You're a super confident runner, and you should be, because you're so consistent, speeding up throughout the course and pushing hard up the hills. You also do a great job keeping a fast turnover. Remember to relax your shoulders - it will really help you down the stretch!
Finn S - One mile: 7:12. Finish: 10:11. Average: 6:47.
Way to go Finn! For running a time trial on your own, three days into your cross country career, you did really well! What's very impressive about your run is how much you were able to speed up, despite feeling like you went out too fast. That's a really good sign about how your 5k can go next weekend. Keep up the good work this week!
Calvin -
Way to push yourself for the entire time trial. While we don't have a time for you, we do know that you worked hard for that entire course, running up that final hill no problem! Every day you get stronger and more comfortable, and I can't wait to see what you can do next weekend!
Benji -
Thanks for coming and taking pictures - it's something I'm personally terrible at and it really helps the team! We have another week to get you feeling up for racing, and I'm very confident that you'll be ready for Twilight. What's been so impressive is that you've managed to stay so supportive of your teammates, and we're so glad that you're a part of this team!
Dexter -
We definitely missed you this weekend, but it's really exciting that you got to go over to Boise and check out the course. It definitely sounds like it was very hot, and the next time you run there it should be a better cross country day. I'm looking forward to seeing you back with the team this weekend!
