Week #5: The Classiest Photo Finish You'll Ever See

Back in 2023, Miles and Hayes were merely freshmen, and Jack Blemker was only a sophomore.  That was the last time that this trio competed at Fredericksburg Academy.  Hayes ran 19:57. Miles ran 20:31. Jack Blemker ran 20:08.  At that time, each of those runners was giving their absolute maximum effort.  To describe how far they've come is to honor the countless miles, the setbacks overcome and the mental toughness they've acquired along the way. They're now at the point where they dominate the conference, and the state.  At the point where they can do a tempo run during a race, still win, and focus on larger goals, like winning another state title. While the photo finish was mostly about class, one could also discern that Miles won his first ever meet - our first conference meet of the season.  Congratulations to Miles on the victory - and congrats also to the rest of the 19:33 tempo pack!  Peter was also there back in 2023, running 22:10. Now, two years later, Peter finished in an impressive 19:50 - breaking 20:00 on a slippery, cold, wet, rainy course.  He worked closely with Gabriel, who closed out his race with a big sprint - finishing in 19:53!  

 

Dropping over THREE MINUTES off his time from the 2024 season (23:30), Brendan continued to build off his strong performance at Pole Green.  Brendan ran 20:12, earning 9th place, his first top ten finish of his career! Hot on his tail were several packs.  Jack Johnson (21:07) and Asher (21:23) ran in Tandem for much of the race while Peter D (22:01), Ethan (22:04) and Jude (22:06) came around the final corner running as a powerful trio in rhythm!  Peter dropped ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS off his time from last Saturday, Ethan finished his first 5K in a Tandem uniform and Jude dropped FIFTY SECONDS off his FA time from 2024. Alexander (22:40) and John Ballenger (22:44) were particularly strong on the hills in the woods, showing off exceptional bursts as they rounded the corner back to the finish area.  Alexander's time is EIGHTEEN seconds faster than he ran in 2024! Zeke continues his consistent campaign, completing the wet, sloshy course in a time of 23:40.  

 

Nico loves the course at FA!  A season ago, he earned a massive PR of 26:45. Today, Nico took it to another level entirely.  He negative split the race (running the second half faster than the first) and dropped over TWO MINUTES off his previous best!  Nico's new PR of 24:38 qualifies him for the GPAC Championships at Darden Towe in October!  Daniel, Nico's training partner, also showed massive improvement: his time of 26:15 is ONE MINUTE AND FORTY SECONDS faster than he ran in 2024 on the same course.  Ian, always with a big final kick, sped through the finish line in 27:50!

 

Congratulations also to Jon Derby (32:37) who finished a 5K in a Tandem uniform for the first time! He worked closely with Tyler (32:24), who nearly matched his time from 2024.  When reflecting on the race at the awards ceremony, an official stated: "Tandem had a microscopic score of 13 points!"  The Badgers won the meet by 24 points over RMA, earned some incredible PR's, and now turn their focus to FUMA on Saturday. 

 

I might forget who won today, but I'll never forget that photo finish, and the class Tandem demonstrated as the Badgers crossed the line.  Cheers to you, TFS!

 

Competing in their first conference meet of the season, the Tandem Girls Cross Country Badgers delivered one of the best performances in Tandem history! The Badgers placed four runners in the top ten, taking a talented Fredericksburg Academy team to the brink.   For a team with less discipline and preparation, it would have been an easy day to phone it in.  Afterall, the windshield wipers were on full blast as we pulled into the parking lot and each runner was soaking wet by the time our tents were set up.  Despite the wet and muddy conditions, the Tandem Badgers put their best foot forward - working together on the path to accomplish their lofty goals.

 

Fredericksburg Academy's course features an extensive portion in the woods - much of it with poor footing... rocks and roots all around you.  This did not deter Eve or Annie, even after a tweaked ankle.  A season ago, Annie completed her season on this course - running 31:39 - and committed herself to training over the summer to break 30:00 and qualify for the GPAC Championships.  "That's going to happen in the first meet," I told her, and she seemed to believe it, evidenced by her lightning fast first mile.  Annie only got stronger as the race went on, and worked beautifully together with Eve.  Their strides were lock in step! Annie dropped TWO MINUTES off her 2024 time and has already accomplished her individual goal for the season (I guess she'll just have to aim higher!)  From 31:39 to 29:40, Annie will be seeing you all at the GPAC Championships at Darden Towe in October!  Eve will be competing too - she established a new 5K PR of 29:03!  Congratulations, Annie and Eve!

 

Finishing fourth overall, Lucy dropped eleven seconds off of her time from Pole Green.  She did not allow the rain or mud to deter her confidence - instead, Lucy went after Fredericksburg Academy's top pack! She ran 23:41 at Pole Green and 23:30 today... and she also ran 25:46 back in 2023 on the same course!!  That's over TWO MINUTES of growth and improvement, and for Lucy, just like on October 3rd, the limit does not exist.   Maeve finished 8th in her GPAC debut, earning a spot on the podium during the awards ceremony with her time of 25:24! Hot on her tail was the pack of Claire (27:18) and Avery (27:24) who ran beautifully together! That's a formidable pack of seniors, and they'll be ready to take the next step Saturday!  Claire's 2023 time, for reference, was 28:48, and it was not raining that day.  Today, Claire was ONE MINUTE THIRTY SECONDS FASTER than her sophomore self. A lot of hard work went into that growth, Captain Claire!

 

After completing a difficult ladder workout on Sunday, in which Ruthie pushed me throughout every interval, it was clear she was ready to take her running to the next level.  Today, Ruthie introduced herself to the GPAC, and to the 5K distance, and did so with an impressive PR of 28:17.  Records are made to be broken, and I have no doubt that she will shatter that time on Saturday at FUMA.  This is only the beginning, Ruthie!  Hot on her tail, Dhruvi did it again!  She ran 30:52 at FA in 2024, 30:32 at Pole Green last Saturday and 28:56 today!  That's TWO MINUTES of growth since last October, a tribute to a summer of hard training and seriousness of purpose each day in practice. Dhruvi has now qualified to compete in her first GPAC Championships! Mark your calendar for October 29 at Darden Towe!

 

Also qualifying for the GPAC Championships, Julia finished in 29:43! Congratulations also to Alice, finishing her first 5K in a Tandem uniform, and establishing a new PR of 31:04!  Laurel was hot on her tail in a time of 31:50!  Also completing her first 5K, Victoria continues to amaze.  Only a few short months ago, Victoria was competing in the 400 Meters in Track and Field - and it seemed like a long way back then.  Now, Victoria is able to run over TWELVE TIMES That distance, and she did it in style, running 33:49!  Another Track and Field star turned distance runner, Ana also completed her first 5K in under forty minutes - 39:56!  Congratulations to our first time finishers: Alice, Victoria and Ana!

 

With four runners in the top ten, three runners completing their first 5K's, and lots of athletes setting a new standard for themselves and for Tandem Girls Cross Country - this is an exciting step on the journey!  I could not be more proud of this group of athletes - competitors - who took on challenging conditions this afternoon and finished second in a tight race with FA (while also easily beating Quantico, Wakefield, Highland and Foxcroft.)  The Badgers return to action Saturday morning at the FUMA Invitational - a race that starts with a cannon - and there's nowhere I'd rather be.

 

Special thanks to Malena who kept us organized in the rain this afternoon, and to my fellow Coaches Ned and Jason as we safely navigated the rain on foot and in the bus.  Thanks also to Todd who drove Volleyball to Eastern Mennonite and to Tiffany who helped run our Middle School Volleyball game this afternoon.