Batesville Pioneer cross-country opens competition Tuesday afternoon at the Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational (state calendar at ar.milesplit.com). Junior high girls start the season off at 5:15. Junior boys follow at 5:45 and senior high boys and girls run together at 6:15. Heat and sunset make for an unusual arrangement.
I will have open group runs Saturday (9/5) and Monday (Labor Day 9/7) mornings at 7 from the BHS main upper lot outside the gym and junior high. All paces and distances are welcome to tag along over simple loops on the campus cross-country trails. We have a grass and gravel loop around the solar farm, a dirt road/treeline loop, and a dirt/chat woodland trail loop. Once around all three is junior high 2.5K/1.55 mile distance and doubling up is a senior high 5K. The solar farm and treeline loops are open air; the woodland loop is shaded by the forest canopy.
The OK Timing Plus timing calendar is full for the next two months, with races in Little Rock next Saturday 9/12, Beebe 9/19, and then every weekend into November. I am timing weekday high school races for BHS at Sulphur Rock and Cedar Ridge at Newark, plus college races at Williams Baptist and Lyon. Lots of causes to support with your feet on the ground throughout the region.
Hope to see you on the run!