Warpath Review - Week 6
We came in to Boling Park for the second time this season with a goal of a top 3 finish on both sides, and we left having accomplished our goal. The rain softened up our course slightly, but had the effect of finally giving us some cooler temperatures to race in. Over 230 girls lined up for the first of two middle school races, to be followed by 345 boys, making for some very crowded and highly competitive races to round out the 2026 edition of Fleet Feet's Warpath Invitational.
The challenge from the coaches across both teams today was to run hard, run with some specific targets/goals in mind, and to leave nothing in reserve as each runner Chased Their Greatest Race. The Warpath course is exceptionally flat, and we knew PRs would fall if everyone pushed today.
What we didn't know was that the first runner to finish for us would also run the fifth fastest 6th grade time in JRCXC girls history! Hanna planted herself squarely in the record books with a 2-mile race time of 13:48, finishing first for the team and 14th overall. She was followed quickly by Gabi, who is recovering from a tight calf and last week's 5k, but still managed a top-20 and a sub-14. Emily and Ezri were next, continuing the PR train (14:20 and 14:28), followed by Caroline. Akshara continued her return from injury, netting a PR at 14:35, and Ellie would round out our scoring with a PR in 14:56 and a top-50 finish. Following the scorers, PR after PR continued to fall. Payton, Jiyu, Eva, Kerrigan, Zelaniya, Siyun, Olivia and Kamila all set PRs, as did Amelia, Ayra, Sofia, Riina, Talia and Emma. Angela would drop 3 minutes off her time from last week despite not PR'ing, and Aria would drop over a minute as well.
The girls finished in third despite missing Tamar and Rena on workload management; we likely get 2nd with a full-strength lineup, falling just short of the winning Great Strides club team.
As the girls cooled down and finished their morning, the boys stepped to the line in an amazingly crowded field, including 6 teams with realistic shots at challenging for the second place position behind Great Strides (Coach Greg has his all-star club team absolutely humming right now). Perhaps it was inspiration from the girls, perhaps it was rising to the challenge in such a large field, but the boys did not disappoint either. Thirteen out of eighteen runners set PRs, and another 6th grader etched his name into the record books as Michual ran the 6th fastest time for his grade in our history with a 13:02. Led by the gang of strong 8th graders, who were challenged to finish as tightly packed as possible, Carson (15 + PR), Caleb (25), Brady (26), Bryce (30) and Patrick S (32 + PR) were within 30 seconds of each other. Michual was 1 second behind Patrick and Luke, another strong 6th grader setting a PR, would round out our scoring with a 13:45.
Owen would set a PR next. Bennett (PR), Haseong and Ben would charge down the chutes, finishing within 1.5 seconds of each other. And then it was PR after PR, as Leo Griswold, Patrick F, Ricardo, Yusei, Noah, Preston, Vihann and Jackson all established PRs on the Warpath grounds.
We would come in solidly in third place. Like the girls, several front runners were sitting, and our difference between 2nd and 3rd would have been much closer with full strength. But a 3rd place finish in a field of 23 teams- along with so many PRs- continues to show the growth of each and every runner on the squad.
Next week is the festival that is the Wingfoot XC Classic, hosted by Atlanta Track Club. This is one of the largest regular-season cross country meets in the country, possibly the largest in the southeast, and will be a full day of music, vibes, food trucks, competition and the (in)famous mid-race hay bale hurdles. We will be kicking off the evening sessions (6:30pm) in Cartersville before cheering on Chattahoochee High School in the Championship races that night. Details will be out on Monday to help with planning, parking and decorating.
Cougar On!
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