Jesse Owens, also known as the Dust Run, was anything but dry. With an unexpected downpour the night before and the following morning, the course was soaked. The starting line was similar to a pig's pen with all of the mud. At the main part of the race, the "Snake", many runners were trying hard to get uphill fast. .jpg)
The slippery mud that had already been stampeded over in previous races that morning, provided an unexpected challenge. Runners were slipping, sliding, and even falling in the mud. Many teams had experience on this course before, so fast times were expected. Out of a few hundred runners in my division, I placed 29th. My time was rather slow due to not having traction on my spikes in the mud. Tons of runners finished with only one shoe or no shoes. Jesse Owens could easily be named Randolph Classic #2 after the weather conditions. I enjoyed this race for many reasons: the atmosphere of so many teams, the cheering of thousands of people, and the fun activities! Teams from Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Tennessee participated in this meet. It was a very competitive race and I enjoyed being able to watch many other divisions after my race. Since there were over 5,500 runners, you constantly heard cheers. Every turn was filled with chants like “How bad do you want it?” and “Push through it! You’re almost done!” It was a relief to hear someone push you through ever y hard time in the race. Also, New Balance was a featured sponsor and interacted with the crowd by setting up a tent containing free items from shoe laces to t-shirts. If an article of clothing you were wearing was New Balance, you got the opportunity to spin a wheel and receive an item. I love when companies have fun things that you can do to try and get your mind off your upcoming race. I was very happy about the outcome, despite the weather. This weekend, my team will not be competing at a XC race. I am very excited to see how this season progresses and hoping to lower my times to a more competitive level. A huge thank you to MileSplit for giving me this opportunity!