ND State Cross Country Meet

North Dakota State Cross County meet was held in Valley City, ND on Saturday afternoon. I went for a group long run first thing in the morning, sunny skies, light wind - perfect conditions. Got the lawn mowed just in time to get in the car heading west and the rain started. Friday was beautiful, I was working. Saturday was scheduled to go from good to bad so I was kind of banking on a dry day for the racers, no such luck.

Fargo North and the rest of the big schools ran first, gun went off at 1:00 pm. Matt was both excited and nervous at the same time. Bitter sweet knowing this was the last event of the season and he really wanted to hit is goal of running in under 19 minutes. It was misting during the first race but not raining. Cross country meets are really fun to watch, people trotting around from section to section doing what they can to see their favorite runner. I typically study the map, confirm the mile splits, get to the first mile mark and let Matt know his time (5:37). Of course I do my share of cheering, but know that Matt is going to run his own race no matter what. Very impressive to see these kids run so strong. Matt came across the line at 18:53 meeting his goal. He looked over at me and asked me what his time was even though there was a 6 foot long clock at the finish line which he missed, go figure. Excited for sure!
Ben congratulating Matt on a fine race.
Kriston has not missed a race this year and is always there supporting in a big way. Not sure what we would do without her help......we certainly are lucky boys.

Right after Matt's race the skies opened up and the the last three events were in the rain. Slippery off camber parts of the course were tough to keep traction, racers sliding all over the place.
Abby Roche and her Dad Tim. Abby is a Junior at North and was the number one runner for the state meet. Her Mom Tracy took all of the photos in the blog today. Good people.
No cyclocross racing this weekend. It was nice to stay home for a change. Lots of things accomplished including helping Ben figure out how to drive (don't let Kriston see this photo). After a few stopping and starting drills, Ben figured it right out. He even stopped and backed into a narrow driveway. Of course Ben had a grin from ear to ear.

Guess what, as I write this there is a nice clear sky on the western horizon just in time for it to get dark and Monday is forecast to be sunny and warmer.