The Arapahoe cross country team competed in their first official meet Friday, August 31, 2018, at their own annual Warrior Invitational at deKoevend Park.

However, moments before the first race was about to begin, a weather delay was set into effect due to lightning in the area. So not to leave a thousand people stranded in the middle of the park, South Suburban Ice Arena opened its doors to the participants. This unexpected event was chaotic at first, but soon calmed down as people settled in.

Of course, since the ice rink is a public facility, other practices were run according to schedule. The figure skaters on the ice had probably never had an audience as large as the one they had in that moment, and they were not slow to take advantage of it. The skaters showed off their skills to the cheering crowd and were very welcoming to the stranded runners. Everyone made the best out of what could have been a lousy situation.

After the storm passed, and a few adjustments were made to the schedule, the meet officially started. The runners gave it their all on one of the more difficult courses of the season. With a steep, uphill climb, two water crossings, and a long stretch of grass to the finish, it is not easy to get a personal best on this course. However, our runners pushed through and placed well in the meet. For full results click here.

Next week, the Warriors will compete in the Liberty Bell Invitational, on Saturday, September 8, 2018, at Heritage High School. For further details and future schedule, click here.

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