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Snow won’t stop community cross-country 3K and 5K Friday

Ben Ingersoll

— The weather forecast might be predicting a blanket of snow, but runners are going to have their chance to compete Friday night before Steamboat Springs High School’s homecoming football game at Gardner Field.

The Sailors cross-country team is hosting its first communitywide 3- and 5-kilometer race on campus during homecoming weekend. Steamboat coach Greg Long said all ages are welcome to compete.

In past years, Long said away-meet commitments have forced his runners to miss homecoming festivities like Friday’s football game or Saturday’s dance — sometimes both.



So this year, he did something about it.

A few months ago, Long and the athletic department decided to avoid meets scheduled for homecoming weekend and instead host their own event. There is no preregistration, and runners simply can show up between 4 and 5 p.m. The cost is $5 for the race or $10 for race registration with a meal ticket and entrance to the football game.



Although there is as much as 7 inches of snow predicted to fall in Steamboat on Friday, Long said local runners — especially his Sailors athletes — should be accustomed to all-weather situations.

“It’s going to happen. This is Steamboat,” Long said. “They are all used to running in bad weather. They all complain about the heat, so here’s the cool weather. Let’s go.”

It’s not a Colorado High School Activities Association sanctioned event, so Sailors runners won’t be in their traditional race-day uniforms. Long said the event is designed to bring together the running community, especially the younger cross-country programs, and create an opportunity to set some record times.

“The original concept of this was everybody comes out and runs a” personal record, Long said. “It’s a much faster surface. We are going to have pacers, and hopefully they run the fastest 5K they’ve ever run.”

To reach Ben Ingersoll, call 970-871-4204, email bingersoll@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @BenMIngersoll


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