Week #7 - Badgers Excel at Darden Towe on Senior Day!

Varsity Girls Cross Country
 
Part of being a strong cross country runner is trial and error, learning how to compete, understanding how much you can push your body. When you're new to the sport, this can be a painful process - sometimes you run the first part of a workout or race too fast, and barely have enough for the finish. Other times, you cross the line knowing you could've run faster. Of course, there's also the days you cannot run altogether - the worst days - when you've acquired an injury from all of the miles you've logged.
 
Including the Tandem Two Mile, this was our sixth race of the season. Ruthie got off to a hot start, flying up the hills at Monticello over the summer. She was ready to compete at Tandem in August, so much so that she met the team qualifications for competing in the Pole Green Classic. She got her feet that day, running among athletes from seventy other teams. "Keep your bib number," Ned told her, "you'll want to put it next to your PR's." 
 
She has experienced all of the above, and wasn't able to compete last week at Pleasant Grove Park, but nothing was stopping Ruthie from bringing her best this afternoon. She hit the mile mark in 7:37, running alongside some of the conference's strongest runners, positioning herself in the top ten. She focused on the hill, shortening her stride and using her arms. By the time she reached that same hill on the second lap, she knew she was well on her way to the best race of her life. Ruthie crossed the line in 26:04 - a PR of OVER TWO MINUTES! When her name was called to the podium this afternoon, and she danced her way onto the scene, the only person with a wider smile than her was me. Congratulations, Ruthie - you earned this result - and the joy that comes with it!
 
Ruthie closed out the top five for the Badgers, and our first four runners finished within one minute of each other. Running her first mile under 7:00, Lucy made a promise to herself: I am going to run hard, have fun and compete. She is back - doing it all - and finishing in a strong time of 24:06 - 4th overall! Hot on her tail was Maeve, making her way to the podium for the second straight meet. This time, Maeve looked calm and strong throughout, negative splitting the meet and finishing in 24:13 -  a PR of 27 SECONDS! Claire (24:32) finished 6th, with Avery (24:54) right behind her in 7th. Working together for much of the race, these athletes duplicated their performance from the track on Saturday - where the three of us ran three miles at tempo pace, resulting in PR's. Avery dropped OVER A MINUTE off her PR, finishing in 24:54. Even more impressive she dropped NINE MINUTES off her time from 2024 on the same course. NINE. WHOLE. MINUTES. Congratulations, Avery - this is the product of a ton of hard work! Patience and consistency do indeed pay off!
 
Welcome to TFS XC, Hattie! Her first race on the scene was a big time one - hitting the mile mark in 7:40 and finishing in 27:03 - after only one practice! The sky's the limit for this incredibly competitive, tough, coachable athlete! Continuing our strong pack running, Sadie continues her strong season in a time of 27:47.  Close behind was Eve in 28:10 (a 26 SECOND PR!), Alice in 28:19 (a PR of ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY NINE SECONDS) and Julia in 28:21. Progress in Cross Country is never linear. For Annie, she has controlled what she can control - her effort. Today, she crushed the hills and dropped FORTY SECONDS off her PR, finishing in an incredible time of 29:00! "The course is a net downhill," she confirmed at the end - and she took advantage!
 
Prior to the race, Victoria informed me she was going to run the whole time. "Good," I told her, "you're NOT a walker anymore." She continues to amaze. Victoria was as well-paced as they come, running nearly even mile splits en route to a PR of 32:14 - ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY FIVE SECONDS off her previous best! Ana did the same - fighting through pain and breaking 40:00 for the first time! Ana's PR of 39:55 is a PR of THREE MINUTES AND TWENTY FIVE SECONDS.
 
At GPAC 1 a few weeks ago, the girls team was 25 points behind Fredericksburg Academy. Today, the difference was only 8. With five runners on the podium and enormous PR's, the Badgers took 2nd place and a massive step towards their goals - being the best girls team in Tandem history and performing as a top team at VISAA States! Congratulations, Tandem Girls! We are very proud of you!
 
Varsity Boys Cross Country
 
It was 95 degrees at our first summer Wednesday run. Peter D, fresh off an exciting track and field season, was determined to give Cross Country a shot. He had success as a hurdler and a jumper, and kept up with our top runners for the entirety of a five mile run on the first day. 
 
Peter D has continued to excel - competing at a high level both in meets and in workouts - and has been constantly dropping time like it's hot since the beginning of the season. Today, Peter D came through the mile in 6:19 and never looked back. He took THIRTY NINE seconds off his previous best, finishing in a time of 21:15. He has PRed in nearly every meet this season, so at this rate...
 
Running my absolute fastest, I sprinted towards the mile mark, just trying to make it there before Tandem's big three. Sheesh they are FAST! Hayes arrived in 5:00, with Jack and Miles five and seven seconds back respectively. The class of the GPAC and the state of Virginia, these three Badgers finished in 16:30, 16:56 and 17:13 to take the top three places. Each runner beat their 2024 time on the same course - Hayes and Jack each by 26 seconds, Miles by 8 seconds. The Badgers won the meet easily, and did so on the strength of this elite top 3!
 
Getting stronger each week, Peter finished in 19:00, taking 5th overall! Hot on his tail was Brendan, who continues to impress.  He ran 21:26 at Darden Towe last season - today flying through the tape in 19:21 -  over a TWO MINUTE improvement! Jack was Tandem's sixth athlete in the top ten, going out in 6:04 and finishing in 20:07.
 
Gabriel (20:18) led a strong back of Badgers. He finished with Will (20:20), who ran FIFTY TWO seconds faster this season than in 2024! John B (20:44) also achieved a course PR, while Ethan (20:45) earned a new PR of 30 seconds! The master of the Darden Towe hills, Jude ran his first mile in a blazing 6:24 - and he did not slow down! Jude continued to match his early effort, extending his stride, passing opponents, and achieving a well deserved PR of 21:53!
 
Nico (24:10) ran FIVE MINUTES faster than his 2024 time on the same course, while Daniel (25:40) dropped THREE MINUTES from last season as well! Ian came through in 29:45, breaking 30:00! Tyler (31:57) and John D (32:03) ran the last mile together. For Tyler, it was a SEVEN MINUTE IMPROVEMENT off his time from 2024. SEVEN. WHOLE. MINUTES. Tyler has given his absolute all, and he led by example today. John D, his training partner, achieved a PR as well - 32:03 is 32 second PR!

The Tandem Boys Cross Country team is elite. Against anyone. The Badgers are as good as any in the state. Last week, they dominated public schools with 8 podium finishers. Today, they had six of the top ten runners in the GPAC. The Badgers now get a little break from competition - and they'll continue the process at Panorama Farms on Saturday, October 11. I cannot wait. 
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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