Junior at the Clarence Fall Classic

The course was wet and muddy which resulted in one of the coolest scenes in any x-c race--the trounce through the water at the start!
This afternoon my son's high school participated in the 2009 Clarence Fall Cross Country Classic which was held at Akron Falls Park. Despite the fact that he had consistently been finishing in the top 8-10 runners on his Varsity team, his coach registered him to run in the JV race. I think this was a great idea as he is only a freshman and would benefit more from a goof overall performance than simply being able to say "I ran Varsity."

The weather was perfect for a muddy fall race and the course (from what some of the athletes shared with me) was just technical enough to be challenging and fun.

I've told my son in the past that you "have to love the mud," and for today, he does.
You have got to have some extra respect for the athlete who opts to go through the puddle rather than around it.
Ultimately, the boy had an excellent race: felt great afterwards, enjoyed the course--even the hills, and finished eighth in his race!
Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!