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The Bainbridge Cross Country Team finds themselves preparing this week for their 2024 season debut this Saturday, August 24th at the Dueling Summits race in Tallahassee, Florida. The race will take place at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, with the High School girl’s 5k starting at 8 am, the High School Boys 5K at 8:40am, Middle School girls 3k at 9:30 AM, and the Middle School boys 3k closing the meet at 10:00 AM.

Head Coach Eric Conner stated that there is a lot of excitement among the team leading into this first meet, as many of the athletes look forward to testing their fitness accrued over the last year’s training. Many of the athletes ran track in the spring, and they began summer training only a couple of weeks after – allowing for optimal growth in fitness and ability beyond the prior season. “The first Meet is always a good opportunity to see where we are now, and what we can do to get better. It’s a good set up and prediction for the rest of the season,” says Conner.

While the gun may go off in August, the bulk of the season begins early June with summer practices. Pre-training has looked a little different this year for the Bearcats, with additional focus on mobility and strength work. “We’ve really been working on getting stronger in general,” says Conner, “Not just becoming a stronger ‘runner.’” He explains that in addition to different workouts, this summer has been one of the better ones he’s been a part of, as the kids appear very motivated and willing to hold each other accountable, putting in the extra time and effort with their running and supplemental workouts and encouraging their teammates along the way.

As previously stated, the Bearcats will open at Dueling Summits, a Meet hosted by McCLay, a school with a reputable program in Tallahassee. The Meet attracts multiple schools spanning Florida and Southwest GA and typically includes many of the states’ top runners in its lineup. The course itself presents many physical challenges, hills and rugged terrain, proving a good test for the Bainbridge athletes. “Every race is a 5k, but each course presents its own challenging aspects. I’m excited to see how our athletes respond to the challenge of this first race of the season.”