Week #9 - October Magic: Badgers Reach New Heights at Albemarle Invitational

 

 

"I felt terrible today," Will reflected after the race. He went out hard - running a blazing first mile under six minutes and came through the chute with a PR of 19:11 - FIFTY FIVE SECONDS better than his previous best, breaking 20:00 for the first time. "I had a huge cramp running up to the finish," Dhruvi mentioned, "and I've never had a cramp in a race before."  Well Dhruvi, you've also never run 26:32 either!! - That's a FIFTY SECOND PR! 

 

Will and Dhruvi are just two examples of Tandem athletes taking themselves to new heights this afternoon at the Ablemarle Invitational.  Our Boys Varsity team ran the best race in the history of Tandem Cross Country - and that says a lot about a team that is defending state champions.  Not resting on their laurels, our top 5 runners AVERAGED 16:47!! That is truly elite - against private schools, public schools, in Virginia or absolutely anywhere.

 

Hayes is our tone setter. He has high expectations for himself and for his team, and he always puts in the work.  As if he was shot out of a cannon, Hayes flew into the lead pack.  At Pole Green, the site of his previous PR, he ran the first mile in 4:40.  Today, he blazed through 1600 in 4:48. That difference of eight seconds gave Hayes the juice he needed to focus through the middle - grinding out a tough second mile - and come up the final hill competing for a spot on the podium.  Hayes came through the tape in 15:29, third place overall, an 11 second PR and his first time under 15:30!! An elite threshold that is very difficult to reach, running under 15:30 places Hayes, already an extraordinary athlete, in yet another impressive tier, unattainable to most.

 

Finishing like a rocket in 16:09, Jack Blemker nearly matched his PR and dropped 30 seconds off his time from 2024 at the Albemarle Invite! Jack has been so consistent this season - critical to our success - and he looked calm and focused out on the course today. Not far behind, Miles has already moved into a sequence of different cross country thresholds. He's been sub-19:00 for a while.  He ran 18:00 flat at the Ablemarle Invitational in 2024 and he has consistently run under 17:00 this season.  But 16:30? That's another tier altogether, an elite one, joining Hayes and Jack as one of the best one-two-three in the state. Congratulations to Miles on a PR of 24 seconds!

 

A Cross Country team is only as strong as their 4th and 5th runners, and Peter W inspired us all with the race of his life today.  Peter W ran 19:38 at the Albemarle Invite in 2024. Coming into today, his PR was 18:40. One does not typically go from having never broken 18:30 to flying under 18:00, but nothing about Peter is typical.  His time of 17:52 is outstanding - a new tier for him - and a serious one. Peter W ran sub-18:00 for the first time, had a FIFTY SECOND PR and got to do it with Gabriel - who broke 18:00 for the first time in 17:56!  Gabriel's previous best was 18:59 so he had a PR of OVER A MINUTE and did it WHILE BREAKING 18:00!  Cheers to Gabriel on an amazing next-level, tier-jumping, breakout race! Our entire top five was under 18:00 today.  Woah!

Also entering a new tier, Brendan broke 19:00 for the first time.  He did it in style, running the first mile in 5:31, and finishing in 18:35.  His time is a PR of thirty seconds! One of our hardest workers, Jack Johnson has been grinding this season.  Delivering in every single workout, he put everything together today, and ran 18:57, breaking 19:00, and taking his performance to another level entirely!  We are so proud of the way you have kept working Jack!  We knew your time was coming, and it is here!! Peter D did the same! He had an incredible race!  His time of 19:44 is a PR of ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS, breaking him into the tier of sub-20:00 runners - and he's only a freshman!

 

Tandem had 13 runners under 20:00 today!  In addition to those above, a major shoutout to John B - he ran a new PR of 19:33! Asher was hot on his tail in a time of 19:52! Ethan dropped 34 seconds, finishing his first race at Panorama Farms in 20:09! Sheesh!  The pack of Alexander (21:55) and Zeke (21:58) each showed enormous growth today!  Alexander had his first race under 22:00 an an 11 second PR (new tier for him!!) while Zeke ran SEVENTY SECONDS faster than he did in 2024!  Nico came through in 22:15, a PR of TWENTY FIVE seconds, while Daniel dropped NINETY running 23:46. Last year Daniel ran 29:23 - that's a drop of nearly EIGHT MINUTES!

 

Maeve has done a lot of smiling the last few weeks.  She's earned a spot on the podium at Fredericksburg Academy, Route 53 and Darden Towe. She's truly found the joy of running - and today she added grit and toughness to her repertoire. Running the opening mile in 6:47, Maeve stood on business right out of the gate.  She passed over thirty runners in the race this afternoon, constantly seeking a new position.  Her strong final kick earned her a time of 23:20 - a PR of 54 SECONDS - and her first time under 24:00! That's a new tier, one that is only entered if you're willing to take the risks listed above.  She was certainly smiling when she learned about her time - but Maeve gave it her absolute all on the course - tricky to do while smiling. 

 

Lucy, Maeve's training partner, also informed me that she wasn't feeling her best today.  Could that be because she ran a super tough 6:42 mile, and brought it home in a time of 23:05, nearly matching her time from a season ago? Lucy has continued to be strong, resilient, and consistent in competition, guiding her team.  The Badgers showed off excellent pack running this morning.  Avery, Claire and Ruthie all went through the mile mark in 7:36 - and they got stronger as they ran.  As they approached the final hill, Avery had a little extra in the tank, and it showed.  She extended her stride on the incline, taking some serious risks, and it paid off. Her time of 24:46 is a brand new PR!  She did it with her favorite running partner - Claire came through right behind her in a time of 24:54 - putting both athletes in an impressive tier - under 25:00! 

 

Sadie's time of 27:16 is her fastest this season! And while she and Alice were in different races (Sadie in the open and Alice in the Freshman), it's as if they ran together!  Alice's time of 27:11 is a huge PR of ONE MINUTE AND THIRTEEN SECONDS!  Alice looked tough out there this morning - constantly putting in spurts to leave her competition in the dust! Congratulations Alice on entering a new tier! Sub-28:00 is serious business!

 

Nearly matching their PR's, Eve came through in 28:22 and Annie in 29:09.  For Annie, this is a THREE MINUTE improvement off her Ablemarle time from 2024, and she did it all alone! With a small field of runners in the Freshman race, Annie was on an island - and she maintained her focus and met the GPAC standard by nearly a minute, while Eve's time qualified her by 1:38!

 

In the spring, Victoria's goal was not to walk during a 400 meter race.  In September, her goal was not to walk during a 5,000 meter race (twelve times farther.)  Victoria has already accomplished those goals.  She is a true runner - and she worked so hard today.  Victoria ran an 8:55 first mile - unthinkable when she started - and a PR of 31:08 - an improvement of ONE MINUTE AND SIX SECONDS! Victoria's tough, determined and positive attitude is going to take her places she currently cannot even imagine.

 

Our Tandem Cross Country team took serious risks today - and it paid off.  We've had a break since our last race - which has led to a serious BREAKOUT. Today our incredible team put it all together - breaking tiers of 15:30, 16:30, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 22:00, 24:00, 25:00, 28:00 and 32:00 on a big stage at Panorama Farms for the Albemarle Invitational. These are all major milestones, impossible without a lot of pain and an equal amount of confidence. Tandem's effort today was a sequence of exceptional performances - elite times - and incredible feats in the face of considerable risk. I could not be more proud of you. Welcome to your new tiers, Badgers. Let's keep pushing for the next one.