Eric Baugh

In only its second year of existence, the Bluegrass Cross Country invitational has already earned a reputation. Notable for fast times, strong competition, and hotly debated validity (more on that in a minute) this was a meet I’ve had on my coverage radar for some time. Last year’s meet saw a battle down to the wire between John Spencer of Lafayette and Eric Baugh of Villa Madonna with both PRing in the mid-to-low 15’s. This year was hoping to produce more of the same, adding several more to the “sub-16” club. To ensure legitimacy of the course Coach Hawboldt of Tates Creek confirmed that no less than 3 separate entities measured the course: The University of Kentucky, Lindburgh High School (St. Louis MO), and himself. Each gave measurements within 1% accuracy of 5000m.

Vote for MileSplit's National Boys XC Performer of the Week #2 (Monday, August 25th through Saturday, August 30th meets). The following 12 boys from 11 different states had national noteworthy wins in major invitationals and races this past week. Pick the one that most impressed you. Voting ends on Thursday, September 4 at 8 PM ET.

Race Video from last night's KY Dream Mile

Video Preview of the Class A Boys Race

Even before my head hit the pillow on Friday night, I knew it was going to be a great morning of racing in the Bluegrass State. After a relatively hot week, the air finally had that early-fall crisp to it and a cool breeze blew freshly fallen leaves across the ground. THIS was the cross country weather I remembered from high school. Fortunately for runners and spectators alike, that same kind of weather carried over to the morning and we had a perfect day for racing.

A Look at Who/What is Moving Around and Shaking Up the Order of XC in Kentucky.

Recaps of the Varsity & Middle School races from Grant County

The weather today was perfect for racing:  The temperature was cool, without being cold; I would guess around mid-60’s and sunny for the girls varsity race.  A light wind was blowing across the course. 

Class A Boys has been locked down in the firm grip of All-American Jacob Thomson for the last three years, but with his graduation, there is now room for someone else to fill his shoes.  Let's look at the potential suitors: (in alphabetical order)

The Dead Period is over and XC practice is getting ready to start.  The big mystery at this point is where schools will be running in November.  The KHSAA announced a new realignment back in April with a little bit of controversary as 30 plus schools were shuffled to new classes.  This will be voted on July 23rd officially, so while we wait on that we will look at both the old school classes and new.

From my experiences of racing in the last 5 years or so, it seems like the Horse Park and cold/windy/rainy weather usually goes hand in hand.

Preview of the Large and Small School Races at Lexington Catholic tomorrow. KYtrackXC.com's Tyler Karnes will live on-site tomorrow at Lexington Catholic.

Movers and Shakers from this past week.

26 Insights into Week 2 of the XC Season

Video Breakdown of what to expect this season in Class A Boys.