A group of Stevenson High School girls took a moment to pose at the Detweiller at Dark Invite (Stevenson team photo credit)
The start of the cross country season is just around the corner as we are entering late July. I know that many coaches have their teams in heavy training rotation as do I. We normally meet as a team several times a week in the morning to avoid some of the heat. I know that most teams like to meet in the very early morning for the same reason. I do find it interesting to see teams running at 6am 3-4 times a week to run their summer miles. Most high school coaches are teachers and they are accustomed to being at their respective schools preparing daily lessons. I know my kids like the 9am start so they can have a decent summer vacation and get some quality rest. But then there are some programs who like to meet in the evening. When I was in high school we would meet at 6 pm at a local park. As an athlete I think mornings seem to be the best- especially in a city like Chicago where there is tons of fun awaiting after practice (i.e. beach).
Another signal that cross country season is coming is the Detweiller at Dark Meet. This is an actual cross country meet in the middle of the summer on the famed Detweiller Park course. Yes, the same course that the state country races is ran on. Running Central, a local running store in Peoria, is the sponsor of this great event. The meet is essentially a twi-light event featuring over 1100 runners (450 high schoolers) with races starting at 7p and running well past 10p into the night. Clayton Mendez, a rising junior from Chicago Whitney Young, won the high school boys race in 15:09. Mendez placed 12th in the 3A state championship a year ago. Sarah Leinheiser, who is a senior to be at Carmel IN, is one of the best distance runners in the country won the girls race in 17:18. Leinheiser is an accomplished track runner but a better harrier as evidenced by her state championship followed by two All-American honors from Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker Nationals. For now it is training and fun, but in November it will be all serious business followed by fun.