No Escaping The Conditions

On average, it rains 160 days out of the year in Portland with December being the wettest month of the year. If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to race there in the first weekend December, the likelihood of soggy and colder conditions than we're accustomed to in the Southeast are embedded into the expecations. The Southeast does not have the same weather patterns as the Pacific Northwest but try to convincing those who've race in Huntsville the last two years of that. Though we are literally in a dought with the sum total of rainfall in North Alabama for the months of September + October + November equalling just 3.35 inches, 2.25 fell during the first two days of December leading up to RunningLane. While unfortunate, Tennesseans still put forth their best effort in at both competitions. 

Brentwood, Farragut Bring Home Hardware

The Division I Class AAA team champions found themselves in the Gold Division races at RunningLane and made the most of their second trips of the season to John Hunt Park. The Farragut men found themselves in an intense head to head battle with Skyridge out of Utah and narrowly missed the championship by just 13 points. Matteo Tonnos placed 3rd overall but was the first team finisher to cross line and was followed closely by Braden Ebbert who placed 11th. Harrison Cunningham and Evan Beeler would finish right on top of Skyridge's third and fourth but Falcons 5th would tip the scales in the favor the team from the Beehive State with the final score of 106 to 119. 

One the girls side, Brentwood found themselves in the Gold Division for the 3rd year in a row and did not leave empty handed this season. The Bruins put all five scoring runners in the team top fifty with Abi Cobb leading the way securing a single digit team score of 5 finishing in 18:37, just 8 seconds off her season's best. Rachel Haws and Lydia Cromwell would be the next across the line scoring 15 and 20 with Lauren Banovac and Lia Banovac at 47 and 49. The total of 136 would put them third behind Fossil Ridge out of Colorado and Barrington out of Illinois. 

Individual Performers Of Note

Harpeth Hall's Annamaria Bacchetta entered the Gold Race seeded 83rd and while the conditions would get the better of most of the field, the Honeybear would run 18:11, just nine seconds off her personal best, place 13th overall, and leave with the moniker of top Tennessee Girl on the day. 

Tennessee would also sweep the Silver Division Race Title with Ian Etheridge running right at his PR finishing in 16:00 and Page's Sophia Boutros pulling away from the field for a 7 second victory.