Depending on the weather, the Portland course is a more traditional XC course that can run differently year-to-year. What I don't like is the steep hill leading to the finishing straight. It is too steep and changes the complexion of the race at too late a point. I think that it is a course feature that discourages front running and taking chances early, especially after last year's boys race. You would be foolish to lead for any length of time because others can sit on you until that charge up the tee boxes about 250 from the line.
TBH, neither actually strikes me as a great course you’d otherwise want to race on. Am I wrong?
Only people from NY would be familiar with CV State Park outside Binghamton but that is a great course. It's on a golf course and goes down to a tow path along the river. You're rarely ever on flat ground- it's truly rolling and has some flat in the middle and there's a tough hill towards the end that flattens out until there's about 400 left and it's flat to the finish.
I had two runners who ran this course a few times tell me that they liked the Nike course. They never ran Balboa.
TBH, neither actually strikes me as a great course you’d otherwise want to race on. Am I wrong?
I play golf at Glendoveer all the time and feel physically abused when I walk it (and if you play the East course, the layout will abuse you too). I can't imagine running that a-hole in a competitive race.
Running an entire race on a golf course is not cross country. There is nothing cross about it, a good cross country course should have different terrain.
And if you going to have a mud running championship, like this weekend will probably be, then you need to have some zombies on the course. You can't have a great mud run without zombies. It's already a joke, so go with it.
TBH, neither actually strikes me as a great course you’d otherwise want to race on. Am I wrong?
Balboa Park is a more traditional cross country course with a little bit of everything. You run on grass, dirt, sand, and wood chips. Almost none of the course is flat, and there is a big hill you have to do twice.
Glendoveer's main cross country feature is that the weather is more traditional cross country weather. Runners at Balboa Park often complain it's too hot. 65 degrees and sunny in December seems very hot to a kid from the MidWest who has trained for the last month in 25 degree temperature.
Overall I think that Balboa Park is a better cross country course than Gledoveer. Having said that, I'm sure there are plenty of other cross country courses that someone would enjoy running on more than those two.
TBH, neither actually strikes me as a great course you’d otherwise want to race on. Am I wrong?
Balboa Park is a more traditional cross country course with a little bit of everything. You run on grass, dirt, sand, and wood chips. Almost none of the course is flat, and there is a big hill you have to do twice.
Glendoveer's main cross country feature is that the weather is more traditional cross country weather. Runners at Balboa Park often complain it's too hot. 65 degrees and sunny in December seems very hot to a kid from the MidWest who has trained for the last month in 25 degree temperature.
Overall I think that Balboa Park is a better cross country course than Gledoveer. Having said that, I'm sure there are plenty of other cross country courses that someone would enjoy running on more than those two.
>>Glendoveer's main cross country feature is that the weather is more traditional cross country weather.<<
Running in the cold and mud may more traditional cross country for the upper half of the U.S., but not the lower half.
>>65 degrees and sunny in December seems very hot to a kid from the MidWest who has trained for the last month in 25 degree temperature.<<
News flash: Not every kid has been training in 25 degree temperature for the last month. Half the country has not. 65 degrees should not be a drain on performance over a 5K. This isn't a marathon.
So as I understand it:
Running in the freezing cold and mud: - Great.
Sunny and 65 degrees - Oh my God! How can you expect me to run in these conditions?
News flash: Not every kid has been training in 25 degree temperature for the last month. Half the country has not. 65 degrees should not be a drain on performance over a 5K. This isn't a marathon.
So as I understand it:
Running in the freezing cold and mud: - Great.
Sunny and 65 degrees - Oh my God! How can you expect me to run in these conditions?
Do you think it's easier for kids that train in the cold to race in 65° or for kids that train in the warmth and have to race in the cold?
Back to the subject at hand. I personally think both courses are fine, but not perfect. They each challenge the runners in different ways that add to the competition. The weather at NXN is a big detractor which makes me give the nod to Balboa. Running 14-19 minutes in the rain is one thing, but spending all weekend getting soaked is another.
If I was a kid today I might choose nxn for the Nike treatment, but San Diego is a much better place to spend 4 days with your family.
Balboa Park is a more traditional cross country course with a little bit of everything. You run on grass, dirt, sand, and wood chips. Almost none of the course is flat, and there is a big hill you have to do twice.
Glendoveer's main cross country feature is that the weather is more traditional cross country weather. Runners at Balboa Park often complain it's too hot. 65 degrees and sunny in December seems very hot to a kid from the MidWest who has trained for the last month in 25 degree temperature.
Overall I think that Balboa Park is a better cross country course than Gledoveer. Having said that, I'm sure there are plenty of other cross country courses that someone would enjoy running on more than those two.
So as I understand it:
Running in the freezing cold and mud: - Great.
Sunny and 65 degrees - Oh my God! How can you expect me to run in these conditions?
Yes, I have had many kids, and some of their coaches, say that exact thing to me after the race.
The kids do like 65 and sunny for going to the beach in San Diego, which many of them do after the race. But many of them don't like racing in that weather. They would prefer it to be much cooler.
Sunny and 65 degrees - Oh my God! How can you expect me to run in these conditions?
Yes, I have had many kids, and some of their coaches, say that exact thing to me after the race.
The kids do like 65 and sunny for going to the beach in San Diego, which many of them do after the race. But many of them don't like racing in that weather. They would prefer it to be much cooler.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the mud fun run in Portland. Don't understand why they don't add zombies to chase the last place runners.
Meanwhile, Foot Locker West was held at legendary Mt Sac, in partly cloudy skies and and a perfect 59 degrees. Same perfect weather forecast for next week in San Diego for the legendary Balboa Park course.