McDonald

Field packed with powerhouse teams for Sept. 29-30 event

RICHMOND, VA - Featuring no fewer than 13 teams that have been ranked among the top 10 high school cross country teams in the Southeast so far this season, this weekend's McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont has cemented its standing among the top meets in the country.

Now in its fourth year, the event has always tried to place an emphasis on the quality of the experience in order to make every runner feel special. The goal was to have the look, feel and atmosphere of the event be as much a part of the experience as the competition itself.

"The Sports Backers have built a strong national reputation of hosting top quality road races that make the events both entertaining and competitive," said Jon Lugbill executive director of the Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers. "The goal of the McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont was to build an event that celebrated high school cross country running at all levels. We want the athletes and the coaches to walk away wanting to come back every year because it is so much fun to be part of this event for the whole team."

While the race has grown significantly over its 4-year history, it hasn't been without its challenges.

Year    Total Runners
====    =============
2003        1,990    

2004        2,443

2005        2,686

2006        4,100

In 2003 the inaugural event was held 10 days after Hurricane Isabel leveled trees and power lines throughout the central Virginia area. Power was out in 95 percent of the households in the Richmond area and most of the region was without public water supply. Eighty trees were lost in Maymont park alone. The week before the event was spent with chain saws in hand in order to clear a course. In Byrd Park, the course was re-routed to avoid the largest downed trees. Teams of volunteers with rakes cleared the course of limbs, leaves and acorns.

The event took place without a hitch despite not being able to locate generators and having to bring in very hard to find bottled water. Special amenities like t-shirts for all competitors and live music and a professional race announcer separated the Maymont event from normal cross country events.

The 2004 event was expanded in several ways. A half marathon was added as well as an open category for the 8k on Friday night. Improvements in parking and course layout added to the appeal of the event.

In 2005, the McDonald's X-Country Festival hit its stride with a revised course that took out one of largest hills on the course and added a beautiful section around Swan Lake in Byrd Park. High School teams came out in record numbers and the energy and excitement around the race was growing. No longer was this a small local event but rather this was one teams were willing to travel considerable distances in which to take part.

The 2006 event has seen another record number of competitors. While registration is still open, there are more than 3,500 entries as of September 25. A major part of the growth for 2006 is directly related to the quality of the teams entered in the high school meet. The Elite Invitational Boys Field will feature an astounding 7 of the top 10 teams in the Nike Team Nationals Southeast pre-season poll. No less than ten of the teams entered were first or second in their state meet last year. In the Girls Invitational Division, five of the top ten Nike Team Nationals Southeast pre-season teams will compete. No less than 8 of the 10 teams entered in this division were state champions or runners-up in 2005.

In 2006 high school meet director Dan Ward has made the recruitment of top teams a priority and has succeeded in turning the McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont into a must-do event for the country's top teams.

"We're proud of the meet experience we are able to offer," said Ward. "While cross country runners don't receive the attention of Friday night football we have worked hard to put the cross-country runners in the limelight during this meet and give them the first class treatment they deserve."

2006 McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont

Schedule