It was a scorcher of a meet this past Saturday, as area teams competed in the FSU Invitational, which was being held at a brand new venue: the Apalachee Regional Park. Although the unseasonable heat and humidity zapped most runners’ PR hopes, the competition was alive and well, and the Big Bend worked hard to defend its turf.

In the boys’ race, Leon asserted its dominance, taking first overall. The Lions were led by Matt Mizereck’s win, in a time of 15:34.27. Fellow Lion, Riley Doherty filled in for usual number two runner, Will Stanford, who was not at full capacity due to illness. Doherty finished in sixth place with a time of 16:22.13. Chiles proved they are a force to be reckoned with, finishing fourth overall in this highly competitive field. They were led by Taylor Buzzard’s eleventh place finish (16:45.87) and Sam Sutton’s fifteenth place finish (17:00.57). Maclay took eleventh in the team competition, led by a strong third place finish by Patrick Swain (15:52.49). Florida High runner, Robert Abellera, finished in twenty-second place (17:13.78), to lead his team to a thirteenth place overall score. Local teams, Lincoln and Godby, finished fourteenth and fifteenth respectively.

On the girls’ side, Chiles was the runaway champion, claiming five of the top ten runners. The lady Timberwolves were led by a second place finish by Lily Williams (18:30.64), and third and fourth place finishes by Carly Thomas (18:56.08) and Rachel Givens (18:58.92). The girls of Maclay finished seventh overall, placing three runners in the top ten. The lady Marauders were led by Jana Stolting’s first place finish (18:28.83), Stefanie Kurgatt’s sixth place finish (19:46.80), and Kristin Sweeney’s ninth place showing (20:07.06). Leon’s lady Lions took eleventh overall, while the girls of Florida High finished in thirteenth place.

Once again, the FSU Invitational delivered on its promise to bring great competition, excitement, and drama to the Tallahassee running scene. Now, if only it could bring great weather… Regardless of the heat, however, Saturday’s races were a perfect showcase of the thing of beauty that is Apalachee Regional Park. There is no doubt in my mind that this course will gain the kind of notoriety that is normally reserved for such nationally acclaimed venues as McAlpine, Van Cortlandt, and Balboa. Brian Corbin and all the volunteers who helped see his mission through deserve our greatest thanks. They have put the spotlight on distance running in the Big Bend. Now, it is up to us to make sure our fifteen minutes of fame doesn’t go to waste.