Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010

Bay Six Classic kick-starts cross country

A bright sun early Saturday morning beamed on Emma Thorpe as she crossed the finish line.

Thorpe, a junior cross country runner for Athens Drive, said she enjoys starting the season each year with the Bay Six Kickoff Classic at WakeMed Soccer Park.

The meet is more a celebration of the new season rather than a competitive event toward the postseason. Which means the Bay Six Classic has its own unique benefits. And Thorpe, like many runners, understands that.

Unlike regular events, when Thorpe finished her 3K race, her day wasn't over. With a baton on her right hand, she looked for her running partner, Kasey Briggs. At an event with more than 350 runners involved, the meet's races were two-person relays.

"I enjoyed this year a lot," Thorpe said. "I got to cheer on people I don't normally get to cheer for, and I got to watch them race, which is a different experience."

Once Thorpe exchanged the baton with Briggs, she watched her teammate contend to stay near the leaders. When the race was over, Thorpe and Briggs finished ninth with a time of 24:11, enough for them to earn medals.

"I think it's a lot more relaxed for the team because everyone has the chance to do well," Thorpe said. "It's not just the top individuals who get to perform."

An hour after their race, the two girls smiled as they talked about the course.

"I don't think they're as worried about the competition," Athens coach Nolan Fahrer said. "This is more of a team event, and they can have a good time. It helps you learn where each runner is going to be mentally strong."

Fahrer also mentioned that the course is ideal for the first meet of the year. With heat as a factor, Fahrer said coaches could see which of their runners had been training throughout the summer.

After waves of runners crossed the finish line, some like Thorpe and Briggs were excited to be racing again. Others struggled, either falling to the ground in exhaustion or vomiting.

Fahrer said he was pleased to see the Jaguars place sixth as a team.

The Cary High duo of Jenna Christensen and Erin Foshee won the race with a time of 22:55.

In the boys' race, the most impressive runners were Joe Hagan and Ryan Walling from Green Hope. As seniors, both runners have raced together for the past three years.

But this event allowed Hagan and Walling to learn from each other by watching the other run. Early in his leg of the race, Walling built a lead for Hagan.

"Ryan is really the most athletic person I know probably," Hagan said.

"Feeding off his energy, there was nothing better than that."

While Hagan ran to protect the lead, Walling was impressed with how his teammate finished the race. With about 300 yards remaining, Hagan increased his lead with a burst of speed toward the finish line.

"It was fun knowing if I didn't have the lead, Joe could still give us a shot for [the] win," said Walling, as the pair won the race in 18:57. "Watching Joe come by in the last 300 yards, and how he opened up the lead, was really cool."

While the Bay Six Classic will not really figure into the postseason for many runners, Hagan wanted to show he is a strong contender for reaching the state meet.

But the large crowd on both sides of the course surrounding Hagan as they cheered him to victory reminded him how much he enjoys running cross country.

"I love it," Hagan said.

"It's really the best time of my life. Nothing gives me a better speed boost than those fans when I'm coming up the backstretch."