In just a few short hours we will get to see the best teams and individuals from Virginia all competing at the Oatlands Invitational which has become the defacto pre-state invitational for Classes 4-6. This year's installment will feature 130+ teams and 3,500+ athletes.
In total, 7 of the top 10 boys teams and 5 of the top 10 girls teams will be there plus many of the top individuals in the state as well.
The great thing about this weekend is we get to see real XC racing like it used to be. Before the sport became obsessed with times and every course being flat and fast we had coaches and meet directors trying to find ways to make courses harder, not easier. When you couple a tough course with great competition and sprinkle some heavy rain on it you're going to get a great cross country event.
These races and course will be a true test to who is ready to compete for a state title and we can't wait to see it.
First up will be the girls race featuring the defending champion Elaina Pierce (Charlottesville) and all three of the top teams from last year return good as ever. Pierce will be going for what only one person has done ever and that is to repeat as champion. The last and only person in the 20 year history of this meet to achieve that feat was Weini Kelati. She would ultimately run 17:11 which is still the course and meet record.Five girls have broken 18 minutes at this meet and the second fastest ever is 17:52.
In the race itself we should have solid competition from the Robinson ladies, Pierce, and Abigail Anstett (Georgetown Visitation). Though Anstett has run very fast already this season, Elaina Pierce is the favorite until she gets beat and this type of course plays right into her strength as a runner who lives in the foothills of the mountains. Expect a few ladies to push the pace with her but for someone to make a move around the two mile mark.
Team wise James W. Robinson looks like the heavy favorite with C.G. Woodson, Blacksburg, Spotswood, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (MD), and Georgetown Visitation (DC) all in contention. Remember though that this is a huge meet with 500+ runners in almost every race so the low-scorers are even more valuable here versus states and that should be very good for Robinson with their front runners.
In the boys race we should be in for a show there too between the likes of Trent Daniels (Gainesville), Michael Tafe (Loudoun County), Thomas Rae (Riverside), Rivers Matthews (Blacksburg), Samson Palmer (Charlottesville), Jonathan Grimm (Jamestown), and Hugo Hamnett (J.R. Tucker).
This group is impressive not only for their speed but their winning abilities too. Both Tafe and Rae were victorious on this very course last year at states with Daniels also taking second in Class 6.
Picking a true favorite is hard, if we were forced to we would say Daniels but every one of those other guys has a strength and the ability to win. Take for example Palmer who just took down the course record at FUMA last week or Tommy Rae who clocked a very quick time at Wolverine. All of that to say this will be a good race that takes a bold move to get that "W".
Team wise Blacksburg is likely the favorite with Albemarle, Patriot, Jefferson Forest, and Gainesville all scoring well too.
After the races you can expect a recap, thousands of photos, race videos, and our updated subjective rankings so be sure to check them out early next week.