Out for a run on a sweltering hot August day, I heard the sound of the marching band practicing.
It was all I needed to hear to forget about the temps and how summer still has more than a full month remaining before the seasons turn: In my mind, it’s already fall. Someone get me a pumpkin spiced latte!
The band sounds disjointed and off beat at this stage of the game, but as the days progress into weeks, this group will evolve into a well-oiled machine that entertains crowds and provides musical inspiration to the football team.
Of course, football is the main draw of the fall sports season, and for good reason: There’s excitement, bone-crushing hits, and often more twists and turns that a murder-mystery novel. Even at 38-years-old, I still get goosebumps trying to envision exactly how the Mid-Penn Conference will play out this fall. I can still feel the tears welling up in my eyes during the national anthem on opening night, as that’s usually when my own memories of being a football player come flooding back.
While my feelings on this sport are a little more intense than that of most folks, this reaction is normal: We all get amped up for football season.
This is a great thing, but sometimes we lose sight of the other sports that make the fall sports season the best sports season. Go to a soccer or field hockey game where the score is deadlocked in the final minutes, and you can feel the heavy tension in the air as the teams desperately wage battle, hoping to make the game-winning play while trying to avoid making the game-losing mistake. Go to a volleyball match and feel the energy in the gym as the teams hoot and holler, building anticipation with every bump, set, and spike.
Of course I wouldn’t be doing my job as a running columnist if I didn’t highlight the fall’s most underappreciated sport: Cross country. The average fan sees this sport as a bunch of skinny kids going for a leisurely morning run, but if you actually give cross country an honest watch, you’ll start to see there’s much, much more to this activity than runners trying to get from Point A to Point B.
While most of us are still sleeping off the football game from the previous night, cross country runners are up and moving on Saturday mornings before the sun even rises. Their stomachs are filled with butterflies for the invitational scene, which can draw hundreds, sometimes thousands of competitors.
When the gun goes off, it’s a wild battle of runners jockeying for position in a sea of humanity. As the competition unfolds, you can watch in real time as the situation evolves from a large group run into a high-stakes race. Courses can be littered with jagged rocks, massive hills, and even small bodies of water. It’s of the utmost importance for runners to keep their calm and maintain their breathing. Even the smallest mistake, whether physical or mental, can prevent a runner from even making it to the finish line.
We all like to use the “give it your all” cliche in every sport, but it’s hard to envision another sport where the athletes give as much as cross country runners do. It’s not uncommon to see runners collapse or vomit after finishing. Most cross country invites have an entire FLEET of ambulances ready to assist.
These athletes are warriors and they deserve our respect. Even the kid running in 592nd place at an invitational is beyond capable of running away for victory in your hometown 5K race.
So as the leaves begin to fall, yes, I encourage you to support your local football programs. I know I will be. But I also want to challenge you to get a taste of what the other sports have to offer. And if you can, wake yourself up early on a Saturday morning and take in a cross country meet. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
1 STEP BACK, 3 STEPS FORWARD
Sometimes you have to hit the road for hours to find a race. Other times two of the biggest races of the year go down in your backyard in a single weekend.
Competition was abundant last weekend with the 1-2 punch of the Krumpe’s Donut Alley Rally 5K in Hagerstown on Friday evening and the Ausherman 5 Miler in Chambersburg on Saturday morning. Combined, the races drew more than 800 runners.
We’ll start with the Donut Alley Rally, which featured a superhuman effort from race winner Will Merritt. The Smithsburg runner, who did his college running at Mount St. Mary’s and later Villanova, blasted through the race with a time of 14:53. Merritt held off a lightning-fast field that included the likes of Chambersburg’s Ari Snyder (3rd in 15:11), Smithsburg’s Jonah Smith (5th in 15:58), and Waynesboro’s Noah Bockstie (18:08). Other top times were posted by Smithsburg’s Rob Hovermale (19:47) and Daniel Krumpe (21:22), Waynesboro’s Bella Ruefle (21:06), Greencastle’s Ryan Marconi (20:12) and Katie Buckwalter (23:05), and Chambersburg’s Jason Ackerman (21:22).
Before the ink on the results sheet could even dry, runners were back at it in Chambersburg for the 34th running of the Ausherman 5 Miler.
This time it was Kyle Phillips turn to shine. The Waynesboro runner finished third in the race with a time of 26:33. He was joined in the Top 10 by Fayetteville’s Aiden Alleman, who took sixth in 28:19. There were no shortage of great times from the Ausherman, as evidenced by solid efforts from Fayetteville’s Karter Reath (29:18), Julian Clark (29:35), and Carson Mello (30:37), and Chambersburg’s Samuel Kinton (30:25), Michael Day (30:51), and Eyoel Delessa (31:17).
In Greencastle, 44 runners turned out for the Fred Kaley Road Race 5K. None were faster than Smithsburg’s Jonah Smith, who ran away for victory in 16:53. Jarrett Gelsinger was the race runner-up in 18:49, while fellow Greencastle runner Chloe Parks was the second female in 26:05. The Local.News area also got strong performances from Chambersburg’s Boston Vincenti (5th in 19:31), Peter Vincenti (9th in 23:08), and Tara Ausherman (3rd female in 26:20), and Greencastle’s Brett Kagarise (26:13), Mark Singer (26:25), and Ariel Sherrill (27:02).
While many locals opted to take advantage of the area races, a handful of Chambersburg runners crossed state lines to get a different experience. In Dewey Beach, Del., Quinn Oyler (20:02) and Cheryl Oyler (25:43) each earned AG hardware at the Run for the Paws 5K. Michael Day traveled to Sea Isle City, N.J. for the Captain Bill Gallagher Island 10 Mile Run, and he excelled running in the field of 806, clocking a 1:10:17 to take second in the 40-44 AG. Finally, Jeff Cottone took on the Atlantic City Olympic Triathlon, finishing with a time of 2:43:34.
And now, a look ahead:
Rail Trail 10 Miler: Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 a.m., in York. Enjoy 10 gentle downhill miles on the York County Heritage Rail Trail. Race proceeds benefit The Arc of York County. Find the race on thearcofyorkcounty.org.
Run Wild for Wildwood 5K/10K: Saturday, Aug. 26, 8:30 a.m., in Harrisburg. Take on the hills of Wildwood Park in this race, which benefits the park itself. Register for the race on runsignup.com.
Ben and Tim Day 5K: Saturday, Aug. 26, 9 a.m., in Hershey. Celebrate the lives of Ben Yupcavage and Tim Russell in this race, now in its 32nd running. Learn more on benandtimday.org.
Also: Pirate 5K/10K (Saturday, in Akron); Cedar Nation 5K (Saturday, in Lebanon); Pirate 5K/10K/Half Marathon (Saturday, in Boiling Springs); Trail Run in Water 5K (Saturday, in Farmersville); Chobot Challenge 13K Trail Run (Sunday, in Birdsboro); Drake Well Marathon (Sunday, in Titusville); Evergreen Lake Super Sprint Triathlon (Sunday, in Bath); Trail Run in Safe Harbor (Sunday, in Safe Harbor); Amos Herr Honey Run 5K (Sunday, in Landisville); Baker Trail UltraChallenge 50 Mile (Saturday, Aug. 26, in Brookville); Hyner Half Marathon (Saturday, Aug. 26, in Hyner); Pirate 5K/10K (Saturday, Aug. 26, in Manheim); Chasing the Unicorn Marathon (Sunday, Aug. 27, in Washington Crossing); Hellbender Half Marathon (Sunday, Aug. 27, in Bear Gap); Philly 10K (Sunday, Aug. 27, in Philadelphia).
