Two parts......Part one is the good and part two is the disappointment
Part one
1. Fantastic races!....Wow! what athletes!.....and they come in all sizes...tall, little, small, medium, short, not so small, and Clydesdale....if you had to determined who was going to win before the race based on appearance you would never guess right....it is sort of funny but you just cant tell by looking
2. it was free!
3. Perfect day....sunny, 70 degrees, and with a slight breeze
4. Great course for the fans, coaches, and parents......and you can watch the whole race from just about anywhere with a short jog from spot to spot.....it was exciting watching 2 or 3 thousands people running from spot to spot.....Very Exciting!.....everyone helling and screaming for their favoite athlete to do well!...especially the coaches......you have to be athlete yourself to be a XC coach!..boy do they hustle.....I just dont understand why more people dont love XC for its pure beauty.
5. The Course was beauiful....well groomed, no hills(and no down hills), with long straight aways going by the fans several times.....Is was located on Notre Dame's golf course. I wonder if they let runners and joggers run there after the meets?
6. It stll amazes me how much runners put out for there follow runners, coaches, themselves, and schools. Cross country is truely a gut check. I remember what Lance Armstrong said once " make your opponent suffer " !!....and do they ever in cross country!.....when runners finish the race there is no holding back their emotions, physical pain, or compete failure of their body parts!.....Jordan Hasey is not the only runners to fall and gasp for air!......most of the runners who finished today reminded me of the military gas chamber where you are force to breathe the air and then suffer the results. Well it was worst for the runners believe me. Not only could they not breath but they could stand up or control their legs, words, or breathing. Yes Lance.....people suffer in tough competion.
7. The three races I remember the most from todays competiton.
A. The Men's Gold Race.....I remember thinking how could anyone run that fast.....Wow!....He was moving!....First mile around 4:38!.....A guy named Christiano Mauricio won the race from Windsor (time 24:21). He won by 20 seconds but it seemed or looked like much more. I guess 20 seconds is a large lead. For the first mile he ran with four other runners. I remember two from Notre Dame (AJ Andrassy 9th and Mark Moore 11th) and one from Wyoming (Philemon Tanui 4th). At about the 2 mile make it was just Mauricio and Tanui. It stayed that way for about the next mile and half. Then Mauricio started to increase his lead to about 100 meters and the race was on for second after that. I went to the finish and Mauricio finished strong and recovered quickley. I looked at the pamphlet and his time slacked right up there with the wining time's of the past races in the blue division......but today it would have been a different story because time's where fast!...he would have been 21st in todays blue race.....give or take a few places based on running harder if he could.
B. The Women's Blue race.....Wow.....what a race.....In this race I actually knew of some of the runners and wanted see what thet looked like in person and how they would do in today's race....some of the runners I recognize from the enternet....Molly Huddle, Cassie Hunt, Laura Bowerman, and Ramsey Kavan (except for Hunt most I remember from Foot locker). So picked out their numbers so I tell how they were doing in the race and I picked out my best jog route for viewing the race. After watching the warm ups..... I thought some of the ladies used up to much energy sprinting before the race starts (some sprint pretty darn hard)....just my opinion. Anyway....bang!...and gun goes off......I sprint to the 600 meter point and what I see is Notre Dame uniforms up front with a few capital "M's" and mix of other colors. At the one mile mark I notice a Big Orange uniform leading the race. It was Cassie Hunt following by four Notre Dame runners, some Michigan runners, and host of others.....but to my surprised I notice about ten places back a group of orange (Illinois) bunched together....A proud moment for me.....anyway on to the next spot to view the race.....I have to run pretty fast because it does not take long for those ladies to get to the next mile marker (I could not find a two mile marker).....so I follow the coaches....by now Cassie had build a small lead with a group of about five or six girls right behind her (Huddle, Madie, Kohlmeier, and Mitchell). I thought Cassie was going to continue to build a lead but that did not happen instead Huddle and Madie passed her with 3/4 or a mile to go. I didnt see what happen after that I was headed for the finish line. That is when I realized how much these girls gave of themselves. Let me just say this......there nothing lady like about finishing a XC race.....it just takes and takes and takes until you have nothing left....and it showed!....but if you are a coach or a parent you have to be beaming with pride......One other note....Ramsy Kavan I thought started the race to fast (top 5 at the mile) and she paid for it. She did not quit and was one of those holding on the best she could until she finished. She ran a gutsy race!
C. The Big Race.....The Men's Blue race....The race I came to see!.......WOW......Do people realized just how fast these guys are....Even the 100th place guy is fast? Can you imagine running 25:33 for a 8k and coming in 100th!...I sure cant. We talking thoroughbreds of the human kind!....amazing athletes!.....Well I came to see several runners race. Two of them did not compete. Matt Withrow and Jean McNamara. I talked to some of their teammates and found out that Matt is running next week or the near future and Mac is Redshirted. I also came to see Solinsky, Cheseret, Tim Moore, Trafeh, Lochart, Wagner, Switzer, Gras, and John Black (most I remember from Foot Locker)I guess you can say I am a fan of John Dye. Bang!!!and the race is off!....First thing I notice (I was at the 1/4 mile mark) Chris Solinsky take a deep breath when he started his run and looked say relax there is a long way to go.....he was in about 12 place as they flew by me!...During the men's blue race I think a extra thousand people showed up. There was a human wall lined up around the course so you had to pick your spot's carefully. Boy those coaches can run!..I was all over course. At the mile mark (4:28 mile)it was mostly runners from South Alabama, Arizona, and Alabama with Chris, Scott Overall and Kurt Beningger in the mix. The 2 mile mark there was little change. The leaders (about 10 runners) where still bunched together but a gap of from the rest of field was about 30 meters back. At the 3 mile and 4 mile the group was down to about six or seven but still anyones race. Some of the southern school runners had dropped off. The big names where still up there Solinsky, Cheseret, Rono, Matanya, and Okello. I thought Tim Moore would be closer but he was back in the next group (30 meters back). Two other runners were also in the group but I had to look up there names.....Scott Overall and Kurt Beninger....they were right in the mix. At the 4 1/2 or 5 mile mark Chris Solinsky just took off.....just like that......it was like he decided to find out what they left or suffer trying to find out.....I guess they didnt want to find out....they had suffered enough....Chris went on to win in 23:21.....the next 9 runners finished under 24:00 for the top ten spots....24 minutes had only been broken once in the last five years......and today 10 guys did it in one race......pretty dam good........I watch the rest of the field come in. I think the weather got hotter on the last race because those guys where suffering coming through the finish line. I mean they are in bad shape and there is nothing you can do until there bodies recover.
The end.....Because we like it, we love it....we want some more of it!......
Now for part two...the disappointment
I am not going to get into it like I did part one but I am going to point out some things which I thought could be improved.
1. No maps (race course)for fans and parents....I know ......I there are copies on the enternet....well I think Notre Dame can afford maps
2. Only nine porta potties.........I got there at one oclock and and stay until six....there was alway a line....sometimes the line was 60 or 70 people deep......To put in word....It sucked!
3. The mile markers where not clearly marked and some not marked at all!.....I never did find the two mile mark.....come on Notre Dame coaches you should all know that runners and coaches are interested in the split times.....and so are fans!
4. I was there 5 hours.....I didnt realize you have to bring your own food and water. I mean there was no vendors, no refreshments, or water bottles to buy.
5. This is the 50th Notre Dame XC invitational......no shirts to buy, no hats, no nothing to remember the event by......why?.....If i was a athlete I would buy a keepsake to take home.....wouldnt you?....I think most athlete are proud to compete at that level and would want something to remember the event by.
6. The result area was a joke. I laugh when I seen it. The results where on a hand written board that looked like they where put together about hour before the event.
7. Last one.....The rewards.....talk about low key....most of the athletes where not even there to pick up there rewards for finishing in the top 10....why.....nor teams around to to watch.....I thought this was handle pretty bad to.....I dont even want to go into anymore......I dont even know where to start for new ideas for rewards for the athlete.....but anything would be better what I saw.....pretty lame....
8. Notre Dame......I think you rest on your lore......I came thinking I would see the best in everything....instead I seen the minimum you could possibly do and still have a cross country event......The Athletes, the parents, the teams, and fans deserve better for there hard work......What ever happen to pride and accountablity that Notre Dame are know WORLD WIDE FOR!
...boy I was hungry
...ps..it is late... in advance sorry for grammer mistakes