Week #6 - Best in VISAA: Badgers Excel at the FUMA Invitational

Finishing 4th overall in a time of 16:00, Hayes dropped THIRTY FOUR seconds off his 2024 FUMA time! What an effort against the top runners in the area!  Jack Blemker (11th) dropped FIFTY seconds, coming into the chute in 16:28. The training partners went through the mile marker in 4:54, fast but conservative, and moved up consistently throughout the middle mile. When they rounded the corner for the final 600 meter dash to the finish line, both athletes found another gear, giving Tandem a scoring edge over any other team.

 

Miles (17:43), Peter (18:55) and Gabriel (19:08) are reaping the benefits of hard summer training. While we were running up and down the hills at Monticello, it was hard to imagine an improvement of FORTY SECONDS seconds for Miles and ONE MINUTE THIRTY seconds for both Peter and Gabriel! In addition to their fast times, our Badgers competed, fighting their way through tight packs, and focusing through the hills in the middle of the course! Jack Johnson ran as our final displacer for Tandem's Varsity Seven - running under 20:00 for the first time this season! It was a heck of a day for Tandem in the Colonial Division, finishing as the top private school in the field!

 

Will has been consistent all season, and today he dropped THIRTY ONE seconds off his 2024 time! Will came through the line in a time of 20:27! Asher completed his second 5K of the season in style, running 20:39, an impressive showing for a rookie runner on a challenging course!  

 

Working together as a tough and intimidating pack, Ethan (21:48), Peter (22:05), Alexander (22:06) and Jude (22:08) ran a super smart race. There is nothing more demoralizing than being passed by a strong group of athletes from the same team, and lots of opponents felt that frustration as this trio just kept getting stronger!  Ethan earned a new PR by 16 seconds! For Peter, this was his second solid 5K invitational in a row, and competing in these big meets is definitely a skill! Alexander has been working hard! He dominated our speed workout this week! Today, he earned a new five second PR overall, and ran OVER A MINUTE faster than his 2024 time! What an incredible performance for Alexander, a true breakout race. He worked closely with Jude who nearly matched his PR!

 

John Ballenger (22:28) had another solid performance, nearly matching his PR as well! John was particularly sharp on the hill in the woods! Nico, also known as Mr. PR, had another incredible race. Nico has dropped over TWO MINUTES in every race this season - and now he has his time down to 22:52! Zeke was hot on his shoulders in 23:19, and Ian finished under 30:00 in 29:36. The Badgers saw massive improvement for our two-mile racers in the Sabre Division. Daniel's 15:05 is NINETY seconds faster than his time at the Tandem Two Mile, while Jon Derby made his debut in the distance at 18:13!

 

Congratulations to the Boys Tandem Badger Cross Country Team - what an effort at a meet that had all the best athletes in Central Virginia on display. Full of PR's and elite performances, Tandem was the best private school team by a country mile! Cheers to the massive PR's for Brendan and Nico - such incredible growth!

 

In 2024 Dhruvi ran the FUMA Two Mile in 18:51, a pace of 9:25. That version of Dhruvi is ancient history. She has trained hard to get stronger, logging heavy miles and pushing herself through every interval workout - including our ladder on the CHS track last Sunday. Today, the 2025 version of Dhruvi ran the FUMA 5K in 28:11, which is epic for four reasons:

a) It is a new PR by nine seconds

b) Dhruvi's per mile pace was 9:04

c) It positioned her as a scoring runner of the Tandem Top 5 for the first time

Hitting the mile mark in a blazing 6:42, Lucy set the tone for how she planned to compete today. She continued to move up throughout the race, finishing in the top 20 (18th overall.) Lucy's 23:28 is TWELVE seconds faster than her 2024 time on the same course!  

 

Claire, Avery and Ruthie ran much of the race together, showing excellent teamwork as they formed a wall that was impossible to pass. Each runner took the lead at different points throughout the race, and their proximity to one another kept them focused on their goals! Claire (26:24), Avery (26:25) and Ruthie (28:42) came through the first mile in 7:40 - and then locked in as they hit the hills in the woods, keeping their effort consistent! Each runner passed several athletes in the final stretch, Claire moved up three places in the last 50 meters!

 

Three cheers for Sadie, whose time of 29:17 was the tie breaker, giving Tandem a one point edge over Spotswood! Hot on her heels was Annie, finishing with a massive final sprint in 30:13! Alice nearly matched her PR, entering the chute in a time of 31:18!  

 

Victoria (22:06) and Ana (21:41) each competed in the two mile, and how far they have come!  Victoria dropped ONE MINUTE THIRTY SECONDS off her Tandem Two Mile time, while Victoria dropped a whopping FOUR MINUTES! The future is bright for these two cross country rookies!

 

Congratulations to our Tandem Girls on an excellent performance, cranking out huge PR's with outstanding pack running! Competing in a massive meet with challenging competition, the Badgers pushed themselves to the brink of their ability, and continue to show off toughness and grit!

 

Special thanks to all of the Tandem families for bringing amazing energy to the FUMA course today! It means a lot to see you cheering on our athletes!