Week 7: It's Wingfoot Week!!
Hello JRCXC Nation!
It was a great weekend this past Saturday at Warpath. As expected, Personal Records (PRs) fell by the wayside...33 to be exact! New runners are rounding into form as they grasp the concepts of cross country and embrace Doing Hard Things! A flatter course and cooler temperatures certainly helped, but when PRs fall by 30, 60, 90 seconds, that's more because of excellent efforts than any conditions. Special congrats to two 6th graders who entered the JRCXC record books with top-10 all-time runs for their grade: Hannah and Michual!
You can read a full recap: Warpath Review - Week 6
This week we are on to the 12th annual Wingfoot XC Classic, the premier cross country meet of the (regular) season in the Southeast. Hosted by Atlanta Track Club at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville, this meet feels more like a festival of running than a simple cross country meet. Teams from states across the region will be present, as will almost every team and runner who's name is prominent at the high school level in Georgia.
If you are unfamiliar with Wingfoot, check out the ATC website: https://www.atlantatrackclub.org/2026-wingfoot-xc-classic and then watch Coach J's videos for Wingfoot from the last few years.
Here's what you need to know, all the W's:
Who: all runners are invited. REPEAT: ALL RUNNERS ARE INVITED!!!
Where: Sam Smith Park, 1155 Douthit Ferry Rd, Cartersville, GA 30120
When: Saturday, Sep 19 at 6:30pm. Be sure to arrive no later than 5:30 so your runner is checked in, tagged, and ready to warm-up by 5:45. We will need a few extra minutes to preview the course.
What: There are two races for us in the evening. All boys will race at 6:30, followed by all girls at 6:50. There are no separate JV/V races at this meet, but we will select the runners who will wear the Varsity jerseys throughout this week. Everyone should bring their yellow JRCXC jerseys no matter what.
What's Special this week: Once again, we will be racing alongside CHS for our final Cougar Nation Run of the year. We will be setting up a large Cougar Nation area in Tent City, and decorating for the Spirit Award. CHS will have runners in the races after us, culminating in the Varsity Championship races beginning under the lights at 8:55pm. Stick around and cheer on our mentors!
Weather: Weather is looking to be warm again, but racing in the evening will help. If it is dry all week, conditions may kick up some dust as the evening wears on. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and I would suggest a camping chair as well. Be ready to party and have fun!
(a)Wards: Top 10 runners will receive medals on the stage, along with the top 3 teams.
PARKING IS $20 IF PURCHASED ON SITE. Strongly advise to pre-purchase parking ($13.60) available through GoFan here. If you pre-purchase, please have your receipt pulled up on your mobile device to expedite entry for all cars! There is no additional fee for entry, just one fee per car.
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Preview for this week
Wingfoot. What is there to say other than get ready for a festival atmosphere! Live DJ, live reporting throughout the races, stages, concessions, food trucks, swag, celebrity runners, and all the cheering you can muster.
We will be very competitive on both sides. Wingfoot is an equalizer course - not flat enough to reward pure speed, but not so hilly as to crush spirits. We will be without several top 8th graders on the boys' side, but still look to compete for a top-3 finish and a stage presence. Atlanta Track Club youth will be strong, as will Martin Luther King Jr Middle School and Cherokee Youth Track Club. Creekland, Florence Hill and the Junior Hoyas will also run strong. Our pack finish is our strength, however, and when our boys run together, they run well and pull other teammates along for great times.
On the girls' side, we will also compete for a top-3 finish. We are finally healthy and running together and seeing some tremendous gains from our young runners. ATC will be strong. So will Woodward Academy and MLK Jr MS. And of course, our friendly nemeses Creekland MS. But given what we've seen in progressions this year, I fully expect to see excellent finishes by the ladies, especially if we pack the teens and twenties in down the chutes.
This will be a fun start to a Fall Break for our runners, and they will leave feeling accomplished and elated due to the atmosphere, no matter where they finish in the race. Atlanta Track Club does a great job of promoting youth running (as evidenced by the Wingfoot Running Camp information sent last week), and you won't regret participating as we Chase our Greatest Race.
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Final Reminders for Saturday:
Address: Sam Smith Park, 1155 Douthit Ferry Rd, Cartersville, GA 30120
Course Map:
First meet? You will need more time than you think. Plan on arriving in enough time to have ~20 minutes to park, ~10 minutes to walk, and ~10 minutes for your runner to get checked in and ready. That's 30-40 minutes BEFORE we start warming-up AT A MINIMUM. We will head out with the boys for warmups at 5:45. If your runner is late, they will have to check in at the tent and come find us on the course.
Look for the big yellow Junior Cougars tent and flag, and the neon orange Support Team shirts.
Looking forward to a great Saturday! Cougar On!
-Coach Derek & Coach Cross
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