Forrest lost a bet and had to wear all pink to practice. He was a good sport about it though and we all had a good laugh at his expense.
Hannah won the best crazy hair award. It was AWESOME!!
Most of our Spartans led the pack on this beautiful day over this fast course.
Alec ran a good race.
Kirsten was able to run the whole race without walking and that was her goal for this race.
Alec enjoyed a funnel cake and a frozen drink after the race.
Kirsten and Martha enjoyed visiting after the race.
Coach Sheri gives last minute instructions for this Wacky Obstacle Course Race.
All of the kids had to put on multiple articles of clothing and then run to the other end and take them all off and run back to tag their teammate.
Alec's turn to get dressed.
Kirsten runs fast for her team.
Alec, Brandon, Macain, Mark, and Tyler all ran in the Walnut 5K on Saturday morning.
Alec ran into the finish line with a time of 24:30 (a new PR). However, this race is a tad short so that time translates to a 25:26 for a full 5K. It was still a great time for his finish.
Mark won 1st place in the 10-14 boys; Macain won 1st place in the 0-9 boys; Alec won 2nd place in the 10-14 boys; Brandon won 2nd place in the 0-9 boys; and Tyler won 3rd place in the 0-9 boys. Way to go SPARTANS!
10-14 male winners!
Before the XC meet in Ripley, an open 5K was held with several Spartan participants.
The boys Varsity race was exciting to watch.
The girls Varsity race was GREAT!
The JV boys and girls ran together and had a great race.
Kirsten runs into the finish line.
There was a one mile fun run that some of the smaller Spartan kids ran.
Coach Sheri with some of the girls and the 1st place trophy!!
Saturday morning, Mitch took Alec to Corinth to run in the Corinth Rotary 5K.
Alec really enjoys this course and was excited to run this race.
Alec and Eryn S. running into the finish line. They were neck and neck...
...right until the end, when Eryn edged Alec out. Alec had to stop twice to tie his shoes and he also lost his racing chip but they were able to figure out where he finished and what his time was. He finished 2nd in his age group of 10-12 year old boys with a time of 26:49.
Alec is so happy with his 2nd place trophy. This race gives out tennis shoes as awards along with the medal, because it is sponsored by Austin Shoes.
Kirsten and I drove to Union University in Jackson, TN, on the same Saturday morning to compete in a XC meet. This is a picture of most of the Spartan girls.
The Varsity girls ran a very good race and finished 3rd out of 11 teams with a total score of 79. There were a total of 76 runners competing in this race.
The Varsity boys finished 10th out of 11 teams, but most of our boys set a PR (personal record) for this distance. We were hoping for a better finish, but once we saw their times, we were very excited. Eighty-one runners competed in this race. Their score was 276 and we see big things in the future for this team.
Some of the Junior Varsity runners get loosened up for their race and some last minute instructions from Mr. Don.
The JV boys and girls ran in one race and there were 118 runners total in this race. Our boys finished 5th and our girls finished 4th, but several runners also set a PR for this race and we are proud of their effort. This course was a difficult course with two long uphills to conquer in addition to them running a full 5K instead of the 2.1 miles they normally run.
Kirsten is rounding the last corner for the finish. We are proud of her effort in each race and hope for fast times in her future. Once she conquers the uphills better, her times will improve.
The Junior Varsity girls before the race.
A picture of the start...lots of girls and a narrow track through the woods.
Kirsten turned it on at the end and passed this girl right at the last second.
The junior varsity boys are excited about their race.
The varsity girls got off to a very fast start and went on to finish 1, 3, 6, 14, and 21. This means that we won the 1st place trophy! GO SPARTANS!
The varsity boys race was every bit as exciting as the girls race and we are looking forward to the rest of the season.
Silly girls waiting on the awards.
Danielle accepts the trophy for the team. 
The varsity and junior varsity boys talking race strategy (I hope).
The junior varsity girls were in the first race of the day and Kirsten was so excited to run. She was glad that they got their run over early, as the day got hotter and hotter.
There were 173 runners in the girls Junior Varsity race and we saw some very fast runners and some good competition coming into the chute.
The boys Junior Varsity race had 188 runners and it was a fun race to watch.
The girls 1A-3A Varsity race was our favorite of the day. Our girls finished 2, 7, 8, 9, 13, 29, 70, 74, 80, 88, and 90 out of 121 runners. We "won" the first place title but because we had to race as unattached runners we didn't receive the trophy. We are so proud of our girls and don't need a trophy for everyone there to know that we placed first. GO SPARTANS GO!!
The 1A-3A Varsity boys race was super fast and our boys ran well in the 179 runner field. Many of our boys had not even run in a cross country meet before and we are pleased with the team's performance.
Kirsten was able to pass one runner and almost caught another runner coming into the chute. Way to go, Kirsten!!
Danielle finished a close second (16:53:43) to the super fast overall winner (16:50:12), and we could not be prouder of these fast girls. Our varsity team is full of some fast runners and we are looking forward to the next three weeks.
Catherine gave it everything she had to edge out this racer at the last possible moment. I did not take this picture but am glad that someone on the team captured this moment.
The team awaits the awards ceremony.