How Will Runners Handle The RunningLane-Eastbay Back-To-Back?
For many of the runners in this field -- at least the ones in the Northeast, Midwest, and South regions -- Saturday will be national championship race No. 2 in as many weeks. This past Saturday brought us the Garmin RunningLane Championships in Huntsville, Alabama.
For favorites like Natalie Cook, Riley Hough, Riley Stewart, Zane Bergen, Jenna Mulhern and others, it was back on a plane this week to make the trip to California for Eastbay Nationals.
This, of course, isn't much different than previous year's editions when Team Nationals took place a week before what was then called Foot Locker Nationals. In a sense, the national championship double may be a little easier. The Team Nationals course in Oregon is always a muddy, sloppy mess.
Meanwhile, the runners at RXC2 were treated to one of the fastest courses in the country.
Still, three hard races in three straight weeks is no easy task and between Eastbay Regionals, RunningLane, and now Saturday's race, things could get difficult. Perhaps this could play into the hands of some of the runners who opted to not race in Alabama last week.
We'll see how the likes of Gavin Sherry or Angelina Perez, a pair of Northeastern athletes who had last week off from racing, fare in this field with a little more rest in the legs.
How the legs withstand all the racing and travel is certainly something to keep an eye on here.
