Very Busy and Spooky Week!

It is amazing to look at my calendar and see EVERYTHING that is happening this week. This week, we have 6 5Ks in our region and the WV XC State Meet at Cabell Midland High School!

WV XC STATE MEET

In the AAA race, the Cabell Midland boys team is ranked #1 in the state and one of the top teams in the nation lead by the No. 1 Sophomore in the nation, Jacob Burcham!

If you like to run and are a fan of running, I would HIGHLY recommend making your way to Cabell Midland on Saturday to catch some VERY EXCITING RACES! Stay for the awards ceremony as it is one of the best awards ceremonies in the nation!

State Meet Schedule

10:00 AM - AA-A Boys
10:45 AM - AA-A Girls
11:45 AM - AA-A Awards Ceremony

1:00 PM - AAA Boys
1:45 PM - AAA Girls
2:45 PM  - AAA Awards Ceremony

Admission for State Meet

Adults - $8.00
Students - $7.00
*Prices set by the WVSSAC

 

Local Racing

There are LOT’s of scary races lined up for Halloween!

MU Alum Run
(Huntington, WV)

Freaky Fall 5K
(Louisa, KY)

Halloween Hustle 5K
(Owingsville, KY)

Grove Yard 5K
(Coal Grove, OH)

FAITH's Boo Bash 5K
(Paintsville, KY)

Halloween Spooktacular 5K
(Hurricane, WV)

A busy week for Racing

The week started early with the Old Fashion Days 5K in Greenup, KY on Thursday, October 7, 2010 where 101 runners/walkers took part in the race. Eddie Neal from Chesapeake, Ohio and Mandy Musick, from Ashland, Kentucky took the wins in the first race of the week.

Old Fashion Days 5K
Overall Results | Age Group Results

The next race was a chilly midnight race around the KYOVA Mall in Ashland, KY. The CASA 5K For a Reason began at midnight on Friday, October 8 where 90 runners/walkers took part in the late night race. Nick Bias and Macy Dyer took the wins in this race. Macy reportedly woke up the next morning and raced in a scholastic cross-country race as well!

CASA 5K For a Reason
Overall Results |Age Group Results

Then on Saturday morning, the 9th of October, 59 runners and walkers took off on Route 7 for the Chesapeake Octoberfest 5K. This race has a very long history and I am personally glad to see it is still being held every year. Fairland High School’s Raine Wireman and Concord University’s Rachel Williams took the wins in Chesapeake

Chesapeake Octoberfest 5K
Overall Results | Age Group Results

The race week ended on Sunday with the Once in a Lifetime 10K in Hurricane, WV. Almost 100 runners took the starting line on Route 34 at the Hurricane City Park where they traversed a hilly course at 2:00 PM with the sun beating down on them. Hurricane High School’s Jeremy Shultz lead everyone with a 38:44 finish and Bethany Williams lead the women with a 50:20 finish!

Once in a Lifetime 10K
Overall Results

I know there were several people who ran in more than one race this week. That is an impressive feat. There are also other runners who ran the midnight race on Friday Night, then woke up and ran the Chesapeake Octoberfest 5K the next morning!!

 

 

This upcoming week will not be as spread out, but Saturday morning looks to be very busy time for runners in our region. Hope that you can make it out to one of the races below! Enjoy this great fall weather and get fit!

Light for the Islands 5K
(Huntington, WV)

Run in Remembrance
(Ironton, OH)

Pumpkins in the Park 5K
(Charleston, WV)

St. Albans 5 Mile Trail Run
(St. Albans, WV)

Serenity House 5K
(Gallipolis, OH)

Ray of Hope 5K
(Jackson, OH)

Jacob Burcham | Top 20 in the nation

The sophomore from Cabell Midland High School leaped into the top 20 on ESPNRise’s Top 25 high school cross country runners!

He competed in the Midwest Meet of Champions on Saturday where he ran a 15:05 in route to a second place finish.

Cabell Midland finished 3rd as a team!

The following is from MidlandRunning.com

After a 2 week training period since the Trinity Invitational, Midland headed to Dublin, Ohio for the Midwest Meet of Champions to face another top notch field. This marks only the 3rd time Midland has raced this season and the strategy is paying off with big results each time from the Midland runners.

The MMOC competition offered numerous elite teams and individuals in all races along with a well groomed fast course. The temperatures were near 60 degrees with a strong breeze throughout the course. However, the breeze appeared not to slow down the runners too much and the meet produced some fast times along with strong team showings. LaSalle would come out on top with Medina and Cabell Midland rounding out the top 3 spots.

Jacob Burcham would lead his Knights again with a smart race strategy to come from behind and finish 2nd overall. His 15:05 was only 4 ticks behind Mason's, Zach Wills, 15:01 winning time. Burcham's 15:05 is the top sophomore time in the nation and also West Virginia's top season performance. Burcham wasn't the only Midland runner to produce an impressive time. Tyler Salmons ran 15:55 to finish 24th overall followed by a stellar performance from Sophomore Jeremy Waugh's 16:12. Ryan Smith continues to stay consistent at 16:26 to finish 60th followed closely by sophomore Avery Campbell's 16:30. Mason Dino continued to stay in Midland's top 7 with his 16:59 followed by Steven Egnatoff's 17:13.

In the boys open race, Midland would finish a strong 2nd overall behind powerhouse LaSalle. Midland appeared to have a lock on the team title until David Jobe's allergies kicked in forcing him to fade from the top 3 to 36th overall. It would be Jared King stepping up for Midland to run a 17:07 to take 4th overall followed by Andrew Ferguson 10th place finish in 17:18. Matthew Edmunds would PR in 17:21 for 12th overall followed by Freshman, Eric Wooten's 17:22 good enough for 16th overall. Midland's bid on their "Elite 7" is forming into a fierce battle for those 7 spots.

Due to Homecoming, Midland would only enter one runner in the girls race. Standout, Jorden Thornton, would run a 19:40 placing her 42nd overall among an elite field of 138 runners.

I won!!!

We took our Cross Country Team (My wife and myself coach XC at Barboursville Middle School) to the Pumpkin Run 5K in Milton over the weekend.

Amy Leslie, the race director, has always done a terrific job with this race. We wanted to take a break from the traditional XC Meets and let the athletes experience a real road race. We picked a good race as all of the athletes were super pumped and excited after the race. Many of them said they are going to hit the road race circuit after our season (ends on October 12) is over.

Alright, I have a little story to share… I did win the race but only because to MU runners got lost.

David Bias and Jack Whitney took the lead after 400 meters into the race and never looked back. I was able to see them till the 2 mile marker then they were too far out in front while the turns in the course kept them out of sight.

As I was racing, I figured I was in 3rd place but I started hearing different sounds and comments as I was nearing the finish line. Sure, lots of people normally congratulate ever runner as they are finishing, but this time, the cheers were just a tad louder. Again, I figured I was in 3rd place and Bias and Whitney were already through the chute.

I went through the chute and jogged back out on the course to cheer on the BMS XC athletes and about 50 meters out, I see Bias and Whitney coming in and immediately realized what had happened.

The win for me was not as cool as seeing all of the young smiling faces after the race. Our team really enjoyed it and we have to thank Amy Leslie and all the volunteers at the Pumpkin Run for creating such a good event!

Over 250 people showed up in 42 degree weather!! Fitness is alive in Runnington, WV!!